In this tutorial, learn how to fix “The item can’t be copied because it is too large for the volume’s format” error while copying files to USB drive in Mac OS X.
We all know that Mac uses FAT32 file system, whereas Windows uses NTFS file system. So you may get the volume format related problem while performing file operations on a drive, that has been used on either of the OS.
If you were trying to copy your 4GB ISO file located on Mac OS X to an empty 8GB flash drive, but Mac doesn’t enable you to do so. Following is an error message keep occurring while performing copy operation:
The item “<ITEM NAME>” can’t be copied because it is too large for the volume’s format.’
If you’re also getting this problem, here is how you can resolve the error.
How To Fix “The Item Can’t Be Copied Because It Is Too Large For The Volume’s Format” In Mac OS X
Step 1. To begin, look for the “disk utility” term using Spotlight search and then open Mac’s Disk Utility snap-in.
Step 2. In the left pane, choose the USB drive to which you can’t copy data. Next, in the corresponding right pane, go to Erase tab. Set the Format as Mac OS Extended (Journaled) from MS-DOS (FAT). If you want, you can enter a new name to USB drive as well. Lastly, click Erase.
Warning: If you want to use the USB drive on Windows, you must set ExFAT format because Windows will not recognize Mac OS Extended (Journaled) format.
Step 3. Now, click Erase button again to confirm format operation.
Step 4. Wait a few seconds, USB drive should be formatted with select partition style.
Once done, copy the file on USB drive in Mac OS X and this time it should work fine, without any problems.
