Microsoft wants to make exFat file system available in Linux kernel

Microsoft is going to release its exFat file system for addition to the Linux kernel. The proprietary file system is widely used in Windows and in storage devices such as SD cards and USB sticks.

Microsoft writes on its open source blog that it is important that the Linux community can use exFat and therefore release the technical specification of the file system. That should result in the addition of support for exFat to the Linux kernel, and Microsoft says it will help with that. Microsoft also hopes that a Linux kernel with exFat support will eventually be included in the Linux System Definition of the Open Invention Network.

ExFat is used in Windows and is also the official file system for high capacity SD cards. The file system is based on Fat, one of the first file systems for floppy disks. The exFat variant has been around since 2006. Microsoft owns the patents and companies must therefore conclude licensing agreements to use it.