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'''File Allocation Table''' ('''FAT''') is a [[file system]] developed for personal computers and was the default filesystem for [[MS-DOS]] and [[Windows 9x|Windows 9x operating systems]].{{cn|date=September 2024}} Originally developed in 1977 for use on [[floppy disk]]s, it was adapted for use on [[Hard disk drive|hard disks]] and other devices. The increase in disk drives capacity required four major variants: [[#FAT12|FAT12]], [[#FAT16|FAT16]], [[#FAT32|FAT32]], and [[ExFAT]]. FAT was replaced with [[NTFS]] as the default file system on Microsoft operating systems starting with [[Windows XP]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-vista/comparing-ntfs-and-fat-file-systems |title=Comparing NTFS and FAT file systems |publisher=Microsoft |access-date=2014-01-27 |archive-date=2016-06-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160620004455/http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/Comparing-NTFS-and-FAT-file-systems |url-status=live }}</ref> Nevertheless, FAT continues to be used on [[flash memory|flash]] and other [[Solid-state storage|solid-state]] [[memory card]]s and modules (including [[USB flash drive]]s), many portable and embedded devices because of its compatibility and ease of implementation.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A brief introduction to FAT (File Allocation Table) formats |url=http://www.wizcode.com/articles/comments/a-brief-introduction-to-fat-file-allocation-table/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925082826/http://www.wizcode.com/articles/comments/a-brief-introduction-to-fat-file-allocation-table/ |archive-date=September 25, 2015 |access-date=2015-09-24 |website=www.wizcode.com |df=mdy-all}}</ref>
== Uses ==
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FAT is used internally for the [[EFI system partition]] in the boot stage of [[Extensible Firmware Interface|EFI]]-compliant computers.<ref name="efi" /> Hidden FAT filesystems are also used in the [[Unified Extensible Firmware Interface|UEFI]] boot partition on modern PCs.
FAT is still used in drives expected to be used by multiple operating systems, such as in shared Windows, [[Linux]] and DOS environments. Microsoft Windows additionally comes with a pre-installed tool to convert a FAT file system into NTFS directly without the need to rewrite all files, though this cannot be reversed easily.<ref>{{cite web |date=11 July 2021 |title=How to Convert a Drive from FAT32 to NTFS without Data Loss |url=https://windowsloop.com/how-to-convert-a-drive-from-fat32-to-ntfs-without-data-loss/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210808233345/https://windowsloop.com/how-to-convert-a-drive-from-fat32-to-ntfs-without-data-loss/ |archive-date=2021-08-08 |access-date=8 August 2021 |website=WindowsLoop |language=en-us}}</ref> The FAT file system is used in removable media such as [[floppy disk]]s, [[superfloppy|super-floppies]], [[memory card|memory]] and [[flash memory]] cards or [[USB flash drives]]. FAT is supported by portable devices such as [[Personal digital assistant|PDA]]s, [[digital camera]]s, [[camcorder]]s, [[Portable media player|media player]]s, and mobile phones.{{cn|date=September 2024}}
The [[Design rule for Camera File system|DCF]] file system adopted by almost all [[digital camera]]s since 1998 defines a logical file system with [[8.3 filename]]s and makes the use of either FAT12, FAT16, FAT32 or exFAT mandatory for its physical layer for compatibility.<ref name="DC-009-2010" />
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