当他们最新的笔式驱动器显示的存储空间比应有的少得多时，每个人都会感到沮丧。罪魁祸首通常是文件格式(file format)。
在格式化驱动器时，您可能遇到过NTFS、FAT32和 exFAT 等选项。所有这些文件格式是什么(file format)意思(s mean)？它们有何不同？最重要的是，USB 驱动器的最佳(USB drive)文件格式(file format)是什么？
文件格式简介
在讨论哪种文件格式(file format)更适合USB驱动器之前，我们需要了解文件格式(file format)的作用。不同的文件系统有何不同？是什么让便携式存储设备的特定标准比其他标准更好？
文件分配表(The File Allocation Table)
最简单的文件格式(file format)是查找表(lookup table)。它保存驱动器上每个文件的位置，允许操作系统(operating system)快速定位任何文件，而无需反复搜索整个存储空间。
这就是为什么第一种文件格式(file format)被称为文件分配表(File Allocation Table)，或者您可能听说过的FAT 。基本原理多年来保持不变，只是增加了FAT12、FAT16和FAT32格式的存储空间。
然而，随着时间的推移，FAT 标准(FAT standard)开始显示其年龄。该格式太容易受到恶意代码的攻击，并且几乎无法实现冗余以防止数据损坏。对于用于保存操作系统(operating system)的系统文件的硬盘来说(drive meant)，这些都是关键问题。
新一代文件格式(A New Generation of File Formats)
微软和苹果(Microsoft and Apple)分别为各自的操作系统开发的NTFS（新技术文件系统）(NTFS (New Technology File System))和HFS+ (Hierarchical File System)等文件系统专门用于确保存储在硬盘中的数据的安全性和可靠性。(security and reliability)虽然这自然使它们优于FAT32，但也使它们对于便携式存储设备效率太低。
SD 卡或USB驱动器等设备需要一个简单的文件系统(file system)来写入，而且开销不大。不幸的是，像NTFS这样的文件格式占用了太多有限的资源，却没有提供性能优势。
这就是 ex FAT的用武之地。它将 FAT 的高效、简洁的结构与(FAT)现代驱动器容量相结合，允许各种便携式设备以最小的开销管理其数据。正如我们将看到的，ex FAT最适合格式化USB 驱动器(USB drive)等小型存储设备(storage device)。
受限制的选择：NTFS and HFS+
如果您在Windows上，您的硬盘驱动器可能已使用(disk drive)NTFS 文件(NTFS file)系统进行格式化。这很棒，因为NTFS是目前最现代的文件格式(file format)，提供了更高的安全性和可靠性(security and reliability)。
NTFS的唯一问题是相当大的“开销”。” 简单(” Simply)来说，NTFS核心的文件表(file table)占用空间太大。文件系统(file system)的设计考虑了Windows，但对于不用于启动操作系统的小型(operating system)存储设备(storage device)，它可能不是最佳选择。
HFS+也有类似的问题。它是Mac PC的专有(Mac PCs)文件系统(file system)，因此只能由 Apple 计算机编写和访问。这会损害便携性，因为大多数系统无法读取U 盘(USB stick)的数据。此外，与NTFS一样，它不是存储效率最高的文件格式。
传统选项：FAT32
文件分配表或 FAT(File Allocation Table or FAT)是最古老和最简单的文件系统(file system)。直到最近，它的改进版本FAT32还是大多数计算机和存储设备的默认文件格式(default file format)。
它失宠的原因很简单；它不支持存储空间超过 4 GB 的设备。由于USB驱动器提供数十 GB 的内存，FAT32不再是一个可行的选择。
但是，如果您要格式化不超过该标记的旧笔式驱动器，FAT32可能是一个不错的选择。它在所有平台上都易于读写，包括Windows、Macintosh甚至Linux。它可能不如NTFS安全，但它对于便携式存储设备(storage device)来说已经足够了。
最佳格式：exFAT
当微软(Microsoft)推出NTFS 文件(NTFS file)格式作为FAT32的替代品时，并不是每个人都对此感到兴奋。小型存储(Small storage)设备，如USB驱动器或 SD 卡，由于NTFS的大量数据开销而受到影响，并且想要更轻薄(something slimmer)的东西。更像FAT32的东西，但具有更大的最大存储大小(storage size)。
微软(Microsoft)听了。exFAT 文件格式(exFAT file format)作为嵌入式系统的首选文件系统(file system)发布。它是FAT32 格式(FAT32 format)的扩展版本，支持高达 128 PB 的存储（不太可能很快被任何存储设备破坏）。(storage device)
与FAT32一样，exFAT 是一种非常节省空间的文件格式(file format)，需要最少的系统资源才能运行。这对于便携式存储设备来说非常有用，因为它允许它们挤出每一盎司的存储空间以供实际使用，而不是将其捆绑在系统分区中。
另一个优点是Macintosh也支持它。Mac PC 可以读取和写入 exFAT USB驱动器，允许它与Windows之间的便携性。对于Linux系统，您可能需要再跳几圈，但这仍然是可行的。
(Which File Format Should)您应该为USB 驱动器使用(USB Drives)哪种文件格式？
exFAT 格式是 USB 驱动器的最佳文件(USB)格式。(file format)它速度快、效率高，而且开销比NTFS(NTFS)小得多。与 FAT32 不同(Unlike FAT32)，它不限于 4 GB 的存储空间，使其适用于大容量笔式驱动器。
对于较旧的USB驱动器，FAT32也是一个不错的选择。只要存储容量(storage capacity)不超过 4 GB，您就可以安全地使用FAT32格式化驱动器。这将为您提供 exFAT 的效率和更广泛(wider range)的可移植性。
(FIle)NTFS or HFS+文件格式不适合小型存储设备。相反，您应该将它们用于用于引导操作系统(operating system)和运行计算机的内部或外部硬盘驱动器。
What Is the Best File Format for USB Drives?
Eνеryone gets bummed whеn their latest pen drive displays much less ѕtoragе than it should have. The culprit is uѕually the file format.
You have probably encountered options like NTFS, FAT32, and exFAT while formatting a drive. What do all these file formats mean? How do they differ? And most importantly, which is the best file format for a USB drive?
An Introduction to File Formats
Before discussing which file format is better for USB drives, we need to understand what the file format does. How do different file systems differ? What makes a specific standard better for portable storage devices than others?
The File Allocation Table
At its simplest, a file format is a lookup table. It holds the location of every file on the drive, allowing the operating system to quickly locate any file without having to scour through the whole storage repeatedly.
This is why the first file format was just called the File Allocation Table, or FAT as you may have heard of it. The basic principle remained the same for many years, merely adding more storage with the FAT12, FAT16, and FAT32 formats.
With time, however, the FAT standard started showing its age. The format was too vulnerable to malicious code and did little to implement redundancies against data corruption. These were critical issues for a hard drive meant to hold system files for an operating system.
A New Generation of File Formats
File systems like the NTFS (New Technology File System) and HFS+ (Hierarchical File System), developed by Microsoft and Apple respectively for their own operating systems, are specialized to ensure the security and reliability of the data stored in the hard drive. While this naturally makes them superior to FAT32, it also makes them too inefficient for portable storage devices.
Devices like SD cards or USB drives need a simple file system to write to and do not have a large overhead. Unfortunately, file formats like NTFS tie up too much of their limited resources without offering performance advantages.
This is where exFAT comes in. It combines the efficient, no-nonsense structure of FAT with modern drive capacities, allowing all manner of portable devices to manage their data with minimal overheads. As we will see, exFAT is the best for formatting a small storage device like a USB drive.
The Contrstrained Choices: NTFS and HFS+
If you’re on Windows, your hard disk drive is probably formatted using the NTFS file system. This is great, as NTFS is the most modern file format out there, offering improved security and reliability.
The only problem with NTFS is the rather significant “overhead.” Simply put, the file table at the core of NTFS occupies too much space. The file system is designed with Windows in mind, but for a small storage device not meant to boot an operating system, it might not be the best choice.
HFS+ suffers from similar issues. It is the proprietary file system for Mac PCs, and as such can only be written and accessed by an Apple computer. This hurts portability, as most systems cannot read the USB stick’s data. Also, like NTFS, it is not the most storage efficient of file formats.
The Legacy Option: FAT32
The File Allocation Table or FAT is the oldest file system and the simplest one. Its improved version, FAT32, was the default file format for most computers and storage devices until recently.
The reason it fell out of favor is simple; it cannot support devices with more than 4 GB of storage. With USB drives offering dozens of gigabytes in memory, FAT32 is no longer a viable choice.
But if you are looking to format an old pen drive that does not cross that mark, FAT32 can be a good choice. It is easy to read and write on all platforms, including Windows, Macintosh, and even Linux. It might not be as secure as NTFS, but it does just fine for a portable storage device.
The Best Format: exFAT
Not everyone was enthused when Microsoft rolled out the NTFS file format as a replacement for FAT32. Small storage devices, like USB drives or SD cards, suffered due to the large data overhead of NTFS and wanted something slimmer. Something more like FAT32, but with a larger maximum storage size.
And Microsoft listened. The exFAT file format was released as the file system of choice for embedded systems. It is an extended version of the FAT32 format, supporting storage up to 128 PB (unlikely to be breached by any storage device soon).
Just as FAT32, exFAT is a very space-efficient file format, requiring minimal system resources to function. This is great for portable storage devices, as it allows them to squeeze out every ounce of storage for actual use rather than getting it tied up in system partitions.
Another advantage is that it is supported by Macintosh as well. Mac PCs can both read and write to exFAT USB drives, allowing portability between it and Windows. For Linux systems, you might need to jump through a few more hoops, but it is still doable.
Which File Format Should You Use for USB Drives?
The exFAT format is the best file format for USB drives. It is fast, efficient, and has a much smaller overhead than NTFS. Unlike FAT32, it is not limited to 4 GB of storage, making it suitable for high-capacity pen drives.
For older USB drives, FAT32 is also a decent choice. As long as the storage capacity does not exceed 4 GB, you can safely use FAT32 to format the drive. This will give you the efficiency of exFAT with a much wider range of portability.
FIle formats like NTFS or HFS+ aren’t ideal for small storage devices. Instead, you should use them for internal or external hard drives you use to boot an operating system and run the computer.
