Nanocrystalline magnetite (Fe 3 O 4 ) films with various preferred crystallite orientation were grown on oxidized silicon surface by reactive iron deposition in an oxygen atmosphere. Depending on the partial pressure of oxygen (O 2 ), the evolution of the structural, magnetic, and magnetotransport properties of the grown films was investigated. From data analysis, it was found that the growth of films containing only the Fe 3 O 4 phase occurs in a certain O 2 pressure range, and the magnetite crystallites may have (311) or (110) preferential orientation. From the transmission electron microscopy data, it was found that films with (311) and ( 110) textures have a column structure. An increase in the O 2 pressure leads to a transition from the growth of a film with the (311) texture to a film with the (110) one having larger Fe 3 O 4 crystallites. A film with the (110) texture showed both higher valuesof saturation magnetization and magnetoresistance. The analysis of approach to magnetic saturation revealed that local magnetic anisotropy of the crystallites in textured films is much higher than the anisotropy of bulk magnetite due to the large surface contribution. The approach to magnetization saturation in combination with the FORC diagram method proved the existence of the exchange coupling between large and small grains.