Too large for the volume's format?

The drive is most likely formatted as FAT32 system. This is a typical partitioning format that is supported by practically all computers (windows, linux and mac os). FAT32 limits file sizes to 4GB and device sizes to 8TB. For you to be able to store a file greater than 4GB in size, you'd need to reformat the drive to either ExFAT (file size is limited to 16EB, or 16 BILLION TB) or a MacOS partition format (called HFS plus, file size limited to 8EB, or 8 BILLION TB). I'd recommend the MacOS partition format for it's reliability, but only if you're working in a strictly Mac OS environment. HFS plus is NOT supported by Windows. If you need to transfer files between computers of various OSs, I'd recommend ExFAT.

Note: Changing partition formats WILL DELETE ALL DATA ON THE DRIVE, so make sure you back up all the data on the drive before you start.

1. Back up all your files on the USB drive onto a secure location on your Mac.
2. Open Disk Utility by searching it in spot light or opening it from /Applications/Utilities
3. Select your desired drive on the left side.
4. Go to the "Erase" tab.
5. Choose your desired partition format from the drop down menu, and name your drive as you please.
6. Click "erase"
7. Restore the files back to the drive.

Sinead55 wrote:

if you do this can you still access your info on both a pc and a mac or is it now only available on a mac?

If you want OSX and Windows access, and you want large files as well ...... ExFat should be the choice for you.

Aaaaah how soon we forget the past. Remember? The days of 1.44MB floppy discs holding 60MB applications like Adobe Photoshop in a huge (lol) archive?

I myself run into this problem from time to time with 3hr 1080p files....... answer?

Zip em!

Break them into a two piece archive, copy it to the drive and then reassemble it ON the drive.

Then you need to reformat the drive to Mac OS Extended (Journaled). It is currently formatted to be used with both a PC and OS X however you are running into it's limitation in that format. If you don't know how to format an EHD then please click Format, Erase, or Reformat a Drive

How is the EHD formatted? If you don't know in Finder's Side Bar highlight the drive and type Command I (I as in Ivan) and tell us what it says under Format?

Klaus1 is correct. There really isn't an elegant solution for using a single EHD for both PC's and Macs. If you are in a mixed environment where you have to have both PC's and Macs then you have to work out your own solution keeping in mind the compromises you will have to make. However if you are simply migrating from a PC to a Mac then it's best to complete the migration using the suggestions in Apple Switch Basics and then re-purpose the EHD by formatting to Mac OS Extended and use it as a backup drive or a drive for external storage. You can find Switch Basics at:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2518

It's Catch 22: FAT 32 and both can read it, but you can't transfer large files. MAC OS Extended can only be read by a Mac.

To be read by both the files have to have been created by a cross-platform application.

Sinead55 wrote:

Thanks. Just checked and sd card is in fat 32. How do i go about switching to ex fat?

i read the article you reccommended to original question but it doesnt mention anything about sd cards.

I was replying to the OP, he does not have an SD card. You do, so leave it as Fat32

I did not link to or recommend an article either.

Wrong Mate .. I found a solution and it works..

Everyone download this and simply format you drive with it .. and it will work with tv, pc and mac

Enjoy

http://www.tuxera.com/products/tuxera-ntfs-for-mac/

Just download it =D

dispomaniac wrote:

Wrong Mate .. I found a solution and it works..

Everyone download this and simply format you drive with it .. and it will work with tv, pc and mac

Enjoy

http://www.tuxera.com/products/tuxera-ntfs-for-mac/

Just download it =D

Then your TV does not require FAT.

I'm having the same problem except that i've been using my external hard drive for months with no problem. Just out of the blue I started getting the file too large for format message. I don't want to format my hard drive, especially to a mac os journaled version. I use my external to go between my mac and my windows all the time. I just want a fix. I also want to know why this started happening out of the blue

The drive is in fat32 format and the file I was trying to move whe this started is 4.73 GB. The thing is though that i've moved larger files than that onto the drive in the past so i'm confused as to why this just happening out of seemingly nowhere

Im having the same problem.

Except I have a 1TB Transcend portable hard drive, and I ahve already transfered a single folder that was 194GB in one go.

Another that is 52GB

Im trying to transfer a folder with 10GB and getting the error

The item "-" can’t be copied because it is too large for the volume's format

how can this be???

when i have already put 600 GB on there already????

not tried rebooting yet, but i upgraded to mavericks last night, and i bet it has something to do with that ! 🙂

Any suggestions, as I cant put 600GB on to my computer to reformt, as this was new only last week.

Hmmmmmm

Thanks

Cake.

Thanks, i think this fixed my problem. I am trying to format the external drive so that I can synchronise an external HD connected to my Mac with an external HD on a PC at another location using bittorrent sync. Hope it's going to work for me!!