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OS is macOS, Drive is FAT32 format and has been for years. I've copied MKVs onto it before. Now I get the message:
The item can’t be copied because it is too large for the volume’s format.
The folder, with single MKV file, is 2.9GB, so well under the size limit of FAT32. If I copy a 2.9GB file already on the drive onto my desktop, then try to copy it back, I get the same message. WTF? Thanks in advance...
Fat32 file system if I recall correctly, can only handle individual files up to about 4gb.
You'd need to convert the disk to NTFS for big files.
Just realised the file you're talking about isn't that big, is it something daft like the file name being too long?
Might be something as simple as renaming it to something shorter.
If you copy a usb drive as Non FAT it will move over. I think it might be some sort of copyright protection but I could be wrong.
Is the drive full?
thanks mattyfez. I've always named movie files the same way, which is just to write them out as they are. Normal spacing, no underscores or hyphens. The file that started all this is 'Bunny Lake is Missing.mkv'. I've renamed it to bun.mkv on your advice, to no avail. The file I copied from the drive is called 'Over Your Cities Grass Will Grow.mkv'. It's been on the drive, has been watched from the drive, but throws up an error if I try to copy it back onto the drive.
As per the OP, I'm aware of the 4GB limit.
Is the drive full?
It's a 1TB drive with 625.36 GB available. I've also emptied the trash (recycle bin on Windows), so nothing hiding.
Have to ask, why are you running a fat32 file system.. Only time I need that is for BIOS update files and other low level system stuff, NTFS is far more compatible for file moving etc.
The external drive is FAT32 as it contains my movie collection and needs to be read/write compatible between my macOS and any Windows systems that other people use. macOS/OS X can't write to NTFS, only read. There was a reason for not using exFAT when the drive was originally formatted, which could easily by five years ago, but that escapes me now. I could try reformatting the drive, I suppose.
I've never had any issues with this set-up until today when I tried to copy the the MKV.
It might not be just the file name that's too long, but the entire adress.. Iike c/desktop/blah blah blah blah blah blah blah yyyy blah blah blah blah blah blah blah.
If the target file is buried within loads of sub folders, that could potentially be a cause.
The file (file A) is in a folder on the desktop and has never been anywhere else on the computer's file system. macOS doesn't have drives (C, D, E etc). The other MKV (file B) I copied from the drive to test if there was a problem with file A isn't even in a folder.
macOS/OS X can’t write to NTFS, only read.
It can if you connect via smb:// always has. sometimes need to allow permissions though.
as for the mkv thing, are you copying from an archive of some sort? zip, rar, dmg or something, perhaps the 2.9GB isn't the true size?
It can if you connect via smb:// always has. sometimes need to allow permission though.
Wut? I want to drag and drop, not **** about with Terminal and things and permissions and computers.
File A is the original file that I downloaded, it was not compressed/zip. I just used Handbrake to reduce the file size (still MKV) of a few hundred MB, it copies over fine. It's not an MKV issue. File B (2.39 GB), which previous resided on the drive, can not be returned to the drive because "it is too large for the volume’s format". It was there, it must be able to go back there.
You don't need to **** about with the terminal.
Anyhoo. sounds like your answer is the handbrake conversion ****ed up the file.
Apparently a bug in some versions of MacOS. It won't copy files larger than 2GB to FAT32. https://superuser.com/questions/1261212/cant-transfer-files-larger-than-2gb-to-fat32-usbs-on-macos-highsierra
Using an alternative file manager or the terminal might work.
Apparently a bug in some versions of MacOS. It won’t copy files larger than 2GB to FAT32.
Nailed it CraigW. I've reduced it to 1.5 GB in Handbrake and it copied across. It's a pain as some films I like to compress as little as possible. I'll run a backup and reformat my external drive to exFAT.
Thanks for everyone's input, much appreciated.
I thought 2Gb was the maximum file size for FAT32 anyway?
I think I would just make it into .rar files (or equivalent), splitting the .rars at 2Gb, copy them over, then unpack on the destination drive...
FAT32 file size limit is 4GB.
As above this is an OSX bug, if you're comfortable with using Terminal you can use cp to copy the file across. Pathfinder might be able to do it as well.