File Systems | Coconote

Overview

This lecture reviews file systems, their purposes, and the main types used across Windows, Linux, and macOS operating systems.

A partition divides a storage device into separate areas for organizing data.
Before storing data, a partition must be formatted with a file system.
The choice of file system depends on both the operating system and storage media.

FAT (File Allocation Table) was one of the first PC file systems; latest version is FAT32.
FAT32 supports volumes up to 2 TB and individual files up to 4 GB.
exFAT (Extended File Allocation Table) allows larger files than FAT32 and is compatible with multiple operating systems.
NTFS (NT File System) is Windows’ primary file system and supports quotas, file compression, encryption, and large files.

Linux often uses ext3 (third extended file system) or ext4 (fourth extended file system).
ext4 is commonly found in modern Linux and Android devices.
macOS, iOS, and iPadOS use APFS (Apple File System), optimized for solid-state drives and including features like encryption and data integrity.

exFAT is supported by Windows, macOS, and Linux, making it suitable for sharing files among these systems.
NTFS is mainly supported by Windows; other OS may have limited support for NTFS.
ext3/ext4 are mainly for Linux/Unix and generally not supported natively by Windows or macOS.
APFS is exclusive to Apple devices.

Partition — A section of a storage device set aside for organizing and storing files.
File System — A method and data structure that an operating system uses to manage files on a disk.
FAT32 — A widely used file system with 2 TB volume and 4 GB file size limits.
exFAT — An improved FAT-based file system supporting larger files and multi-OS compatibility.
NTFS — The main file system for Windows, supporting advanced features like encryption and large file support.
ext3/ext4 — Third and fourth generation extended file systems for Linux-based OS.
APFS — Apple File System, optimized for modern Apple devices and SSDs.

Review your operating system's documentation to understand what file systems it supports.
Practice identifying appropriate file systems for specific storage needs and device compatibility.