Which file system is commonly used for USB drives?

FAT32 is commonly used for USB drives due to its wide compatibility with various operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and Linux. This file system allows USB drives to be read and written across multiple devices, making it ideal for data transfer. FAT32 supports files up to 4GB in size, which is sufficient for many typical use cases involving flash drives, such as document storage, media files, and sharing files between different platforms.

While NTFS offers better support for larger files and provides features such as file permissions and journaling, its compatibility outside of Windows systems can be limited. EXT4 is a file system primarily used in Linux environments and is not typically employed for USB drives intended for use across different operating systems. APFS is designed specifically for macOS and iOS devices, making it unsuitable for cross-platform USB usage. Thus, FAT32 remains the most practical choice for USB drives, balancing compatibility and functionality.