diff --git a/weed/storage/store.go b/weed/storage/store.go
index 528f4c1d9..e4ea7e5d0 100644
--- a/weed/storage/store.go
+++ b/weed/storage/store.go
@@ -402,8 +402,8 @@ func collectStatForOneVolume(vid needle.VolumeId, v *Volume) (s *VolumeInfo) {
 		return
 	}
 
-	s.FileCount = v.nm.FileCount()
-	s.DeleteCount = v.nm.DeletedCount()
+	s.FileCount = countAsUint32(uint64(v.nm.FileCount()))
+	s.DeleteCount = countAsUint32(uint64(v.nm.DeletedCount()))
 	s.DeletedByteCount = v.nm.DeletedSize()
 	s.Size = v.nm.ContentSize()
 	if v.DataBackend != nil {
diff --git a/weed/storage/volume_info.go b/weed/storage/volume_info.go
index e83aa9d93..43298851d 100644
--- a/weed/storage/volume_info.go
+++ b/weed/storage/volume_info.go
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package storage
 
 import (
 	"fmt"
+	"math"
 	"sort"
 	"sync"
 
@@ -24,26 +25,38 @@ type VolumeInfo struct {
 	Ttl              *needle.TTL
 
 	Size             uint64
-	FileCount        int
-	DeleteCount      int
 	DeletedByteCount uint64
 	ModifiedAtSecond int64
 
 	Id              needle.VolumeId
 	DiskId          uint32
 	CompactRevision uint32
+	// Counted in uint32: a volume is capped well below 4.29 billion needles,
+	// and two words per replica is worth more than the headroom.
+	FileCount   uint32
+	DeleteCount uint32
 
 	Version  needle.Version
 	ReadOnly bool
 }
 
+// countAsUint32 narrows a reported count without letting it wrap. Nothing
+// should reach the ceiling, and a count that pretends to is better pinned
+// there than turned into a small number.
+func countAsUint32(n uint64) uint32 {
+	if n > math.MaxUint32 {
+		return math.MaxUint32
+	}
+	return uint32(n)
+}
+
 func NewVolumeInfo(m *master_pb.VolumeInformationMessage) (vi VolumeInfo, err error) {
 	vi = VolumeInfo{
 		Id:                needle.VolumeId(m.Id),
 		Size:              m.Size,
 		Collection:        internVolumeString(m.Collection),
-		FileCount:         int(m.FileCount),
-		DeleteCount:       int(m.DeleteCount),
+		FileCount:         countAsUint32(m.FileCount),
+		DeleteCount:       countAsUint32(m.DeleteCount),
 		DeletedByteCount:  m.DeletedByteCount,
 		ReadOnly:          m.ReadOnly,
 		Version:           needle.Version(m.Version),
diff --git a/weed/storage/volume_info_counts_test.go b/weed/storage/volume_info_counts_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..532b8aad0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/weed/storage/volume_info_counts_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+package storage
+
+import (
+	"math"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/seaweedfs/seaweedfs/weed/pb/master_pb"
+)
+
+// The counts are narrowed on the way in, so a report that claims more than a
+// volume can hold must pin at the ceiling rather than wrap to a small number.
+func TestVolumeInfoCountsDoNotWrap(t *testing.T) {
+	for _, tc := range []struct {
+		name           string
+		reported, want uint64
+	}{
+		{"an ordinary count", 1000, 1000},
+		{"the ceiling", math.MaxUint32, math.MaxUint32},
+		{"past the ceiling", math.MaxUint32 + 1, math.MaxUint32},
+		{"far past it", 1 << 40, math.MaxUint32},
+	} {
+		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			vi, err := NewVolumeInfo(&master_pb.VolumeInformationMessage{
+				Id: 1, Version: 3, FileCount: tc.reported, DeleteCount: tc.reported,
+			})
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Fatal(err)
+			}
+			if uint64(vi.FileCount) != tc.want {
+				t.Errorf("file count %d, want %d", vi.FileCount, tc.want)
+			}
+			if uint64(vi.DeleteCount) != tc.want {
+				t.Errorf("delete count %d, want %d", vi.DeleteCount, tc.want)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+// Deletions are tracked apart from the totals they come off, so a replica can
+// transiently report more deleted than it holds. Unsigned counts make that a
+// wrap rather than a negative, so it stays guarded.
+func TestVolumeInfoSurvivesMoreDeletesThanFiles(t *testing.T) {
+	vi, err := NewVolumeInfo(&master_pb.VolumeInformationMessage{
+		Id: 1, Version: 3, FileCount: 10, DeleteCount: 50,
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if vi.FileCount != 10 || vi.DeleteCount != 50 {
+		t.Fatalf("counts not carried across: %d/%d", vi.FileCount, vi.DeleteCount)
+	}
+	m := vi.ToVolumeInformationMessage()
+	if m.FileCount != 10 || m.DeleteCount != 50 {
+		t.Errorf("round trip changed the counts: %d/%d", m.FileCount, m.DeleteCount)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/weed/topology/volume_location_list.go b/weed/topology/volume_location_list.go
index 93cf76d9e..c5b8e54f2 100644
--- a/weed/topology/volume_location_list.go
+++ b/weed/topology/volume_location_list.go
@@ -184,7 +184,7 @@ func (dnll *VolumeLocationList) Stats(vid needle.VolumeId, freshThreshHold int64
 					size = vinfo.Size - vinfo.DeletedByteCount
 				}
 				if vinfo.FileCount > vinfo.DeleteCount {
-					fileCount = vinfo.FileCount - vinfo.DeleteCount
+					fileCount = int(vinfo.FileCount - vinfo.DeleteCount)
 				}
 				return size, fileCount
 			}