Error: Unsuitable drive

Linked This page is linked to in the Audacity app from the help button in the warning/error dialog.

Do not rename or delete this page unless and until the corresponding link in the app is changed. Pseudo renames can be achieved with a DISPLAYTITLE. If a rename is absolutely necessary then a redirect must be left behind.

This is essentially a landing page in the Manual for the handling of errors (via a help button) that occur in the Audacity application.

• There is also an entry in FAQ:Errors so that this page will get pulled into the released Manual.

This error message is telling you that the drive you are using is not suitable for Audacity use.

Contents

1. FAT formatted drives
2. Workarounds
   • Storing a project on a FAT drive
   • Opening a a project from a FAT drive
3. Exporting

Peter 08Jan21: Use of FAT/FAT32 is blocked for saving and for temp files.

1. Recording

FAT formatted drives

Audacity prevents you from saving a project using a FAT/FAT32 formatted drive and from setting the Temporary files directory on such a drive.

• Disks or drives that are formatted as FAT/FAT32 are subject to a maximum file size limit of 4GB, this is about 3 hours 22 minutes of stereo at default settings.
• But a much shorter project can readily approach or exceed the 4GB with temporary filespace usage as you edit.
• Therefore to ensure the security of data, avoiding project loss or damage, Audacity prevents you from having live projects on a FAT/FAT32 formatted drive.

Workarounds

Storing a project on a FAT drive

If you need your project to be on a portable drive (a USB clip for example to send a project to a friend or colleague)

1. First save your project to an NTFS formatted drive (APFS on macOS), normally your system drive, or some other suitably formatted drive.
2. Then use your computer's file manager to copy the AUP3 project file to the FAT-formatted drive. Note this will only work if the AUP3 project file is less than 4GB.

If your project file is greater than 4GB you will need to reformat your USB drive as exFAT format which will accommodate much larger files.

Opening an older AUP project that was saved to a FAT formatted drive

Such projects will easily fit on a FAT/FAT32 drive as the old file structure was based on lots of little files, however trying to open large project (greater than 4GB) will fail when converted on Open or Import to the consolidated single-file AUP3 project structure.

Simply copy your project (AUP and its associated _Data folder) to an NTFS formatted drive (APFS on macOS), normally your system drive, and open the project from there.

Opening an AUP3 project that was stored on a FAT formatted drive

Copy your AUP3 project file to an NTFS formatted drive (APFS on macOS), normally your system drive, and open the project from there.

Exporting to a FAT formatted drive

The 4GB limit also applies to any audio files exported to a FAT-formatted drive.

• The default export setting is 16-bit so you get a maximum size of about 6 hours 45 minutes of stereo audio for WAV and AIFF at Audacity's default settings.
• For compressed formats such as MP3 and AAC the maximum size will be much larger and unlikely to be an issue for most, if not all, users.

See Size limits for WAV and AIFF files for size limits at different encoding formats.

If your export exceeds these limits you will get an error even though the drive as a whole is not full.

In this case freeing up space will not work and you will need to Export to a non-FAT formatted drive.

Peter 08Jan21: Use of FAT/FAT32 is blocked for saving and for temp files.

Recording to a FAT formatted drive

This is limited to around 3hours 22 minutes of stereo at default settings.