Forum Discussion
How to Convert exFAT to NTFS on Windows 11 Without Losing Data
I have an external hard drive currently formatted as exFAT, but I need to switch it to NTFS for better Windows compatibility (file permissions, compression, etc.). I know Windows doesn't have a direc...
To convert exFAT to NTFS on a Windows computer, you typically need to format the drive, which will erase all data on it. There is no direct in-place conversion between exFAT and NTFS. Back up all important data from the drive before proceeding, as formatting will erase everything.
Steps to convert exFAT to NTFS:
1. Open Disk Management
- Press Windows + X and select Disk Management.
- Alternatively, press Windows + R, type diskmgmt.msc, and press Enter.
2. Locate the exFAT Partition
- Find the drive or partition you want to convert.
3. Format the Partition to NTFS
- Right-click on the exFAT partition and select Format.
- In the format dialog:
* File system: select NTFS.
* Allocation unit size: leave default or choose as needed.
* Volume label: assign a name.
* Make sure Quick Format is checked for faster formatting. - Click OK to format.
4. Wait for the process to complete
- After formatting, the drive will be in NTFS format.
5. Restore your data
- Copy your data back to the drive if needed.