How to Install exFAT Support on Linux

A few days ago I tried to copy a virtual machine from an APNIC trainer and found out that I was unable to mount his external hard disk (SSD). It was in the exFAT format which is not supported by Linux. However, you can enable it to support the system.

exFAT  

The exFAT is file system format developed by Microsoft and like almost everything else developed by the company is proprietary software – which requires a license. Fortunately, there is a FUSE implementation for Linux which can be installed.  

Terminal install

The easiest way to install FUSE exFAT is using the terminal command. The terminal can be opened using the shortcut Ctrl+Alt+T. Now type the command:

sudo apt install exfat-fuse exfat-utils

The command basically tells the machine to install exFAT FUSE and other associated utilities. Once this is done, all you need to do now is insert a drive in the exFAT format for confirmation.

If somehow you are unable to install using the above command, then you may have to install the source repository. This is achieved using the command below and then try installing again. 

sudo add-apt-repository ppa: relan/exfat

Other references

If you would like to know more about the exFAT file system or the FUSE project then these are some suggested reading materials.

• FUSE exFAT on GitHub
• Fossbytes: FAT32 vs. NTFS vs. exFAT – The Difference Between Three File Systems