# Install fatsort with Homebrew, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, zypper Sorts FAT16 and FAT32 partitions. Version 1.7.679 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:fatsort ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install fatsort ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata - MacPorts (94%): ```sh sudo port install fatsort ``` Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: sysutils/fatsort/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ### Linux - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install fatsort ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: fatsort from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz - dnf (92%): ```sh sudo dnf install fatsort ``` Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: fatsort from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#fatsort ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/fa/fatsort/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - pacman (92%): ```sh sudo pacman -S fatsort ``` Evidence: Arch Linux sync databases: fatsort from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz - zypper (92%): ```sh sudo zypper install fatsort ``` Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: fatsort from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:fatsort - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 1.7.679 - **Source summary:** Sorts FAT16 and FAT32 partitions - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** GPL-2.0-or-later - **Source archive:** - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - fatsort (cli) - fatsort (alias) ## Dependencies - help2man ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 1.7.679 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://fatsort.sourceforge.io/ - info: No package-manager update timestamp was available. - info: Release/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories. ## Project history and usage FATSort is a small C utility for sorting directory entries on FAT12, FAT16, FAT32, and exFAT filesystems. Its niche is practical rather than fashionable: it fixes the ordering seen by devices that read FAT directories in on-disk order instead of presenting their own sorted view. ### Project history The official homepage says FATSort was originally written for a hardware MP3 player that did not sort MP3 files automatically, because no suitable utility existed at the time. That origin explains both the tool's narrow scope and its long maintenance life: it operates directly on filesystem directory structures rather than acting as a general file organizer. The changelog shows a steady hardening cycle around filesystem correctness. FAT12 support appeared with the 1.0 release in 2013, exFAT support arrived in 1.6.0 in 2019, and later releases focused on endianness, locale, long-filename, multi-byte-character, and consistency checks. ### Adoption history FATSort has remained a packaged Unix utility because its problem still appears on embedded devices, car stereos, cameras, and music players that expose FAT media. The official homepage notes inclusion in Fedora, Debian, Ubuntu, and Gentoo, which is unusually broad distribution for such a specialized filesystem tool. ### How it is used Typical use is direct and low-level: run `fatsort [OPTIONS] DEVICE` against an unmounted FAT filesystem or block device, choosing sort order, reverse order, random order, modification-time order, locale handling, and directory inclusion or exclusion as needed. The man page emphasizes that it sorts the filesystem directory structure itself. ### Why package nerds care For package-manager users, FATSort is the sort of tool that justifies a formula or distro package despite a tiny feature surface. It preserves a hardware-era workaround in a reproducible command-line form, with enough filesystem checks and portability fixes to be safer than one-off scripts. ### Timeline - 2009: Changelog shows active 0.9.x maintenance by September 2009. - 2013: FATSort 1.0 adds FAT12 support and stronger filesystem integrity checks. - 2019: FATSort 1.6.0 adds exFAT support. - 2025: FATSort 1.7 improves exFAT directory entry handling and string comparison performance. - 2026: FATSort 1.7.1 ships bug fixes for string termination and version tests. ### Related projects - FATSort sits beside FAT filesystem utilities rather than replacing them; it is concerned with directory-entry ordering, not formatting, checking, or repairing whole filesystems. ### Sources - - - - ## Security Notes narrow executable package without higher-risk signals. - **Geiger risk:** green / low - narrow executable package without higher-risk signals ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** fatsort - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Debian apt - fatsort - 1.6.5.640-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: fatsort from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | utility for sorting FAT directory structures | https://fatsort.sourceforge.net - Nix - fatsort: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/fa/fatsort/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Ubuntu apt - fatsort - 1.6.4.625-0.1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: fatsort from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | utility for sorting FAT directory structures | http://fatsort.sourceforge.net - dnf - fatsort - 1.6.5.640-4.fc44: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: fatsort from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | FAT sorter for FAT16 and FAT32 filesystems | https://fatsort.sourceforge.net/ - pacman - fatsort - 1.7.679-1: normalized package name match | Arch Linux sync databases: fatsort from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz | Sorts directory structures of FAT16 and FAT32 file systems | http://fatsort.sourceforge.net - zypper - fatsort - 1.7.679-1.3: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: fatsort from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | FAT Filesystem Sorting Utility | https://fatsort.sourceforge.io/ - MacPorts - fatsort: normalized package name match | MacPorts ports tree: sysutils/fatsort/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Related links - [Networking and protocol packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata. - [Secret-risk packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/secret-risk-packages/) - Matched curated package taxonomy and local package facts. - [help2man](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/help2man/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [fpart](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/fpart/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: sorts. - [keep-sorted](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/keep-sorted/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: sorts. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/fatsort.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/fatsort.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated package history - package version freshness - av.db category and tag curation - package relationship graph - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph