If you are choosing a file system for the backup hard drive, select NTFS.Ĭomparison chart FAT32 versus NTFS comparison chartīoth built-in security and recoverability are absent. For example, if you'd like to use the USB on older computers, or non-PC systems like digital picture frames, TV sets, printers or projectors, choose FAT32 because it is universally supported. If you're looking to decide which file system to use when formatting a disk or USB drive, consider portability.
This comparison looks at the features, advantages and disadvantages of NTFS vis-à-vis FAT32. Support for NTFS has grown but is not as universal as FAT32. NTFS is more robust and effective than FAT since it makes use of advanced data structures to improve reliability, disk space utilization and overall performance. Storage hardware cannot be used without a file system, but not all file systems are universally supported by all operating systems.Īll operating systems support FAT32 because it is a simple file system and has been around for a really long time. FAT32 and NTFS are file systems i.e., a set of logical constructs that an operating system can use to track manage files on a disk volume.
