Media Playback Hours and Storage Capacity Information for USB Flash Drives (2024)

Media Playback Hours and Storage Capacity Information for USB Flash Drives

Learn how many hours of media playback and the quantity of files can be stored on USB Flash drives.*END

Estimated amount of data that can be stored on a USB Flash drive by capacity.

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SanDisk Video Knowledge Base: Video Capacity Charts

Drive Capacity

Photos1

Songs2

Office Files3

Video Hours4

64GB

2,000

4,000

16GB

160 mins

32GB

1,000

2,000

8GB

80 mins

16GB

500

1,000

4GB

40 mins

8GB

250

500

2GB

20 mins

4GB

225

250

1GB

10 mins

2GB

110

125

0.5GB

5 mins

  • 1 Photos: based on 10 Megapixels camera. Actual number may vary based on device, resolution and compression.
  • 2Songs: based on 4 minute MP3 songs at 128kbps 3.5MB.
  • 3Office Files: based on a combined average of Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, and PowerPoint presentations.
  • 4 Video Hours: based on video at 1080p AVCHD 13Mbps. Actual time may vary based on resolution and compression.

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Answer ID 35222
Published 09/13/2022 12:23 PM
Updated 04/01/2024 10:56 AM

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Media Playback Hours and Storage Capacity Information for USB Flash Drives (1)

Media Playback Hours and Storage Capacity Information for USB Flash Drives (2024)

FAQs

Media Playback Hours and Storage Capacity Information for USB Flash Drives? ›

The first USB flash drive came on the market in 2000 with a storage capacity of 8 megabytes (MB). Drives now come in capacities ranging between 8 gigabytes (GB) and 1 terabyte (TB), depending on manufacturer, and future capacity levels are expected to reach 2 TB.

What is the typical storage capacity of a USB flash drive? ›

The first USB flash drive came on the market in 2000 with a storage capacity of 8 megabytes (MB). Drives now come in capacities ranging between 8 gigabytes (GB) and 1 terabyte (TB), depending on manufacturer, and future capacity levels are expected to reach 2 TB.

How many hours of video can a USB stick hold? ›

There is no definitive answer it depends on the format and compression of the video files you can have a 2 hour 1080p movie at 2 gb (means only 16 hours) but that same 2 hour movie at 720p may only be 800 mb.

How much data can a USB flash drive hold? ›

The longer answer is that it depends on which capacity you choose. We currently offer 6 different capacity options to suit all needs: 2GB, 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, 32GB and 64GB. The higher the capacity the more data it can store.

What is the current data capacity for USB drives? ›

The sizes go up in multiples of 2. (2Gb, 4 Gb, 8Gb, 16GB, 32GB, 64GB, 128GB, 256 GB, 512GB, 1 TB, 2 TB, etc.) A check at Walmart on the drives they have are between 16 GB and 64 GB. Few people want drives smaller than that, but there are applications that require smaller ones.

How do I check the capacity of my USB flash drive? ›

In Windows File Explorer, select "This PC," right-click your flash drive, and then click "Properties" to view remaining space. On a Mac, right-click the USB drive icon and choose "Get Info" to see available space.

What is the actual memory size of your USB flash drive? ›

USB Flash Drive Capacity

The actual storage loss on a USB device is approximately 7-9% of the overall memory, so for a 32GB device you can expect a loss of approx. 2GB. The actual memory size of your USB flash drive is always marginally less than advertised regardless of the overall storage of the device.

How long can a USB retain data? ›

Memory cards and USB drives are NOT designed for long term storage. You should always backup your data on to another device. The data will normally stay valid for a period of up to 10 years if stored under normal conditions. The data cells inside carry a charge which can dissipate over time.

How many hours of music can a USB hold? ›

USB Size Chart
1GB6142 hours
2GB1,2294 hours
4GB2,4579 hours
8GB4,91518 hours
16GB9,83036 hours
6 more rows

How many pictures and videos can a USB hold? ›

Storage Chart
Capacity 1Approximate number of photos (12MP)Approximate number of minutes of 8K video (60 Mbps) 2
256GB214,286260
128GB107,143130
64GB53,57165
32GB26,78632
4 more rows

What is a good size USB flash drive? ›

For example, if you grab a few Word or Excel files from one computer, a 1 GB flash drive might give you more than enough capacity. However, if you plan to back up all your files, you could need anywhere from a few GB to 500 GB or more.

What is the maximum file size for a USB flash drive? ›

File SystemMax File SizeMax hard drive size
FAT162GB2GB
FAT324GB2TB
exFAT16TB16TB
NTFS16TB16TB
May 3, 2023

What is the weakness of a USB stick? ›

One of the disadvantages of a USB pen drive is its susceptibility to physical damage and data loss. Since USB pen drives are compact and portable, they can be easily lost, misplaced, or exposed to environmental factors such as water, heat, or impact.

What is the capacity of a USB drive? ›

A typical USB drive is removable, rewritable, and smaller than an optical disc, and usually weighs less than 30 g (1 oz). Since first offered for sale in late 2000, the storage capacities of USB drives range from 8 to 256 gigabytes (GB), 512 GB and 1 terabyte (TB).

What is the capacity of many a flash drive? ›

The sizes go up in multiples of 2. (2Gb, 4 Gb, 8Gb, 16GB, 32GB, 64GB, 128GB, 256 GB, 512GB, 1 TB, 2 TB, etc.) A check at Walmart on the drives they have are between 16 GB and 64 GB.

How to store data permanently? ›

Top Methods for Permanent Data Storage
  1. SSD Technology. SSDs (Solid State Drives) are robust, fast, and energy efficient. ...
  2. Cloud Storage. Cloud storage solutions use remote servers that are accessible online. ...
  3. Digital Optical Drives. Digital optical drives are disks built for storing data. ...
  4. Hybrid Storage.
Jan 8, 2024

What is the standard size of a USB flash drive? ›

USB flash drive capacities range from under 1 GB to over 1 TB. There's no "right" size for a flash drive; the amount of storage you need depends on how much data you want to store. For example, if you grab a few Word or Excel files from one computer, a 1 GB flash drive might give you more than enough capacity.

What is the maximum file size for a flash drive? ›

2TB is the maximum size that can be formatted in fat32 format. And the maximum file size is 4GB. The problem with the 32GB limit with fat32 is caused by the windows format. I myself use a third-party format program to format larger than 32GB in fat32 format.

Is 128 GB a lot for a flash drive? ›

128GB – can hold approximately 81920 images, 30720 MP3 files, 2.4 million+ pages of Word documents, or 40960 minutes of video. 256GB – can hold approximately 163,000+ images, 61440 MP3 files, 4.8 million+ pages of Word documents, or 81920 minutes of video.

What is the difference between a flash drive and a USB stick? ›

What are the Differences Between Thumb Drives and Flash Drives? The main difference between thumb drives and other external flash drives are that other flash drives require a USB cable or a card reader to connect to devices, while a thumb drive's plug is embedded in its housing.

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