File too large for USB stick - you can do that
Even if your USB stick still has enough storage space, the files can be too large for the data carrier. In this practical tip we will tell you why and how you can solve the problem.
Files too large: format USB stick
If you want to copy a file to the USB stick that is larger than 4 GB, an error message often appears under Windows. This is due to the "FAT32" standard file system. You can only save files here that are smaller than 4 GB. For larger amounts of data you have to format the stick. Please note that this will delete all data:
- Connect the data carrier to your PC and open the workstation with the key combination [Windows] + [E].
- Right-click on the USB stick and select the "Format ..." option. A new window is opening up.
- Select "NTFS" as the "file system". You can name the USB stick under "Volume name".
- If you start formatting with "Start", all data will be deleted. You can then copy files of any size to the data carrier.
USB stick too small: Split large files
If your file is too large for the entire stick, you have to split the data. You can use a free packing program like "7-Zip":
- Install the tool on your computer and then right-click on the file to be copied.
- Under "7-Zip" select the entry "Add to archive ...".
- Select "zip" or "rar" as the "archive format".
- Enter the size of the individual parts in bytes at the bottom left under "Split into partial data". If you want to split the large file into parts of 700 MB each, enter "700M".
- Finally, pack the data with "Ok". You can now save the individual fragments on several USB sticks.
- To unzip the files, you have to copy all fragments into a folder.
