Can Android read files on an NTFS or exFAT USB drive?

Last reviewed: October 29, 2026 · Markdown version

We went looking for a straight answer from the people who make the software, and the honest summary is: for USB drives, neither Google nor Samsung says. The closest official statement is about memory cards, and it favours exFAT. Below is what each page covers, and what we would do with a drive that will not open.

What the USB pages say

Google's Files help sets one condition, "You can only access your USB storage on a device with Android 7.0 (Nougat) and up", and then describes copying and moving. It names no file system, NTFS, exFAT or otherwise; on formats it is silent (Use USB storage devices, Files by Google Help, read 29 October 2026).

Samsung's page for a drive the phone will not recognise says you may be unable to use it "if the drive is faulty or needs to be formatted", and its fifth step is formatting the drive from Settings › Device care › Storage. It too names no file system, and it does not say what that format erases; read that as everything (USB flash drive not recognized on Galaxy phone or tablet, Samsung US, read 29 October 2026).

The nearest official answer: Samsung's memory-card rule

For microSD cards Samsung is explicit: "the file system must be FAT32 or exFAT (preferred). FAT32 is only available with SD cards under 32GB; files over 4GB are not supported", and "NTFS (common on Windows PCs) and APFS (common on Macs) are not compatible" (MicroSD cards and your Galaxy phone or tablet, Samsung US, read 29 October 2026). Its SD troubleshooting page adds a hint in the same direction: "Sometimes, a PC will have higher compatibility with file systems not supported by Android" (Issues with SD cards on Samsung phone or tablet, Samsung US, read 29 October 2026).

Our reading, which is an inference and not a Samsung statement about drives: a phone that will not take an NTFS card is unlikely to be happier with an NTFS stick, and exFAT is the safe choice for a drive you want to use with both a phone and a computer.

What to do with a drive that will not open

Do not format it on the phone yet. If the drive came from a Windows PC, it may well be NTFS, which Samsung calls "common on Windows PCs", and formatting it on the phone would clear whatever is on it.
On the computer, check the drive's file system and copy anything you need off it.
Reformat it as exFAT on the computer, or on the phone through Samsung's Device care route above, then copy the files back.
Plug it in again. The copying steps for Files by Google and Samsung My Files are on our USB drive page.

FAT32 also works where Samsung lists it, but its 4GB-per-file limit, quoted above for cards, rules it out for long videos. For the other meaning of "format", which file types a phone can open, see what format Android uses.