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The Windows operating system supports the following file systems:
The following table identifies the three main features of the NTFS, FAT32, and FAT16 file systems and how they differ.
| Feature | NTFS File System | FAT32 File System | FAT16 File System |
|---|---|---|---|
| MS-DOS compatibility | No | No | Yes |
| Disk quotas | Yes | No | No |
| File compression | Yes | No | No |
The following table identifies some of the limits that are imposed by the NTFS, FAT32 and FAT16 file systems, and how they differ. These limits are theoretical limits—that is, not tested.
| Limit | NTFS File System | FAT32 File System | FAT16 File System |
|---|---|---|---|
| File size | 2^64 - 1 bytes | 2^32 - 1 bytes | 2^32 - 1 bytes |
| Minimum cluster size | 512 bytes | 512 bytes | 512 bytes |
| Maximum cluster size | 64 KB | 64 KB | 64 KB |
| Minimum volume size | 1 MB | 2 GB | 2,091,520 bytes |
| Maximum volume size | 2^32 clusters | 4,177,198 clusters | 2 GB |
| Files per volume | 2^32 - 1 | 2^28 | 2^16 |
| Files or directories per directory | Unlimited | 2^16 - 2 | 2^16 - 2 |
The following are limited only by the amount of available memory on all file systems:
- The maximum amount of storage space.
- The maximum number of disk drives per server.
- The maximum number of open local files.
- The maximum number of simultaneous file locks.
The file I/O functions enable applications to access files regardless of the underlying file system. However, capabilities may vary depending on the file system or operating system that you use. For example, the CreateFile function includes a security parameter that does not provide security benefits for files that are not on an NTFS file system volume.
The first time a file I/O function accesses a volume and when a floppy disk is placed in a floppy disk drive, the operating system checks the volume to determine the file system. Thereafter, the operating system manages all I/O to that volume through the device driver that supports the file system.