Free space and maximum file size answer different questions. A removable drive can have many gigabytes available and still reject one large video, disk image or archive because its filesystem cannot hold a file of that size.

Keep the original file where it is. Record the exact copy error, the file’s size and the destination drive. A message about one file being too large should not automatically become a reason to delete unrelated material from the drive.

Compare the file with the filesystem

In File Explorer, inspect the destination drive’s Properties to identify its filesystem and available space. Also inspect the source file’s Properties so you are comparing the actual file rather than the total size of its containing folder.

Microsoft’s filesystem comparison lists FAT32’s maximum individual file size at about 4 GiB. NTFS and exFAT support substantially larger individual files. The FAT32 limit remains relevant even when a much larger drive is mostly empty.

An illustrative 7 GB video will therefore not fit as one ordinary file on a FAT32 volume simply because that volume has 30 GB free. This is a capacity-rule mismatch, not evidence by itself that the source video is damaged.

Choose a compatible destination deliberately

Use another existing drive with a suitable filesystem and enough free space if one is available. Confirm that the device which will read the file supports that filesystem. A television, camera or printer may have narrower requirements than your Windows PC.

Do not reformat a drive containing needed data as the first response to the error. If a format change is eventually appropriate, move and verify its existing files elsewhere before following the device’s supported procedure.

Splitting an archive or re-exporting a video is only useful when the receiving workflow supports that result. Several smaller pieces are not automatically interchangeable with one playable movie or one required upload.

After copying to the chosen destination, open the resulting file in the actual receiving application or device. Retain the source until that check passes.

Sources: Microsoft filesystem limits.