AI Video Summary: Item too Large for Volume's Format MAC FIX (READ DESCRIPTION)
Channel: theskipster
TL;DR
This tutorial explains how to fix the 'item too large for volume's format' error on a Mac by reformatting an external drive. The video guides users through backing up data, using Disk Utility to erase the drive, and changing the file system to Mac OS Extended to allow copying large files.
Key Points
- — The video introduces the error message 'item too large for the volume's format' which appears even when the drive has enough space.
- — A critical warning is given to back up all files on the external drive before proceeding, as the fix involves erasing the drive.
- — The user opens Disk Utility via Spotlight search and selects the external drive from the sidebar, ensuring the top-level device is chosen.
- — The drive is erased, then the partition scheme is set to 'one partition' and the format is changed from MS-DOS FAT to 'Mac OS Extended Journaled'.
- — After applying the changes, the user successfully drags and copies the large file onto the reformatting drive without errors.
Detailed Summary
The video begins by addressing a common issue on Mac computers where users receive an error stating an item is too large for the volume's format when trying to copy files to an external drive, even if sufficient space exists. The host demonstrates this problem by attempting to copy an 11.5 GB file to a 128 GB flash drive, which fails due to the drive's current file system limitations. Before attempting the fix, the narrator strongly emphasizes the necessity of backing up all data on the external drive, as the solution involves completely erasing the drive's contents. The tutorial then proceeds to the solution using the built-in Disk Utility application. The user navigates to the external drive in the sidebar, specifically selecting the top-level device rather than the indented volume. They first click 'Erase' to wipe the drive. Following this, they access the 'Partition' tab, change the layout to 'One Partition', and crucially switch the format from 'MS-DOS FAT' to 'Mac OS Extended Journaled'. The host explains that many new drives are formatted for cross-platform compatibility (Windows and Mac), which imposes a 2 GB file size limit on individual files, causing the error. By reformatting to the native Mac file system, this limit is removed. Finally, the video concludes by verifying the fix. The user returns to Finder and successfully drags the previously problematic large file onto the reformatting drive. The copy process completes without the error message, proving that changing the file system resolved the issue. The host ends the video by encouraging viewers to like and subscribe for more tutorials.
Tags: mac tutorial, disk utility, external hard drive, file system, tech support, formatting, macos