06-10-2017, 03:39 AM
This is actually a really difficult decision and I hope I can give some pointers to at least help in your decision. Fat32 has a file size limit of 4gb. If that works and you will have no files larger than 4gb then you can use that. Most external hard drives use NTFS which supports large files over 4gb and Linux should not have an issue writing to that. I have 3 500gb WD Passports that are all NTFS and do not have an issue writing to them. If you are ever planning on using a Windows machine to access that drive, I would stay away from the Linux formats. There is really no way for anyone to say with absolute clarity which format is the best for another person. For me just using the default format on the drive is fine and deleting any of the additional files and folders on there that come with the drive just to clean it.