I have a 2 TB external hard drive that I want to use on both Linux and Windows. Is exFAT the easier choice, or is NTFS worth using for its journaling?
exFAT or NTFS for an external drive shared between Linux and Windows?
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under-new-management-ish
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For a shared drive holding documents, photos, videos and other ordinary files, I'd pick exFAT. Both systems can use it, and the fact that it's a hard drive rather than a flash drive isn't a problem.
It doesn't have a journal, though. Eject it before unplugging, and keep a separate backup. A crash or power loss during a write can leave the file system needing repair or lose recent changes.
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NTFS is a reasonable option too, especially if Windows is where you manage the drive most often. Its journal helps with file system recovery after an interrupted write, although it doesn't replace a backup or guarantee that the latest file changes survive.
Linux has NTFS drivers, but support and behavior depend on the driver and kernel you're using. Check your setup before committing, and keep access to Windows in case the volume needs repair there.
waffle iron diplomacy:
Also shut Windows down fully before switching systems. Fast shutdown can leave an NTFS volume in a state Linux can't safely use.
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Think about what goes on the drive, not just which machines can open it. exFAT is handy for moving files around, but it doesn't provide normal Linux file permissions. I wouldn't choose it for a Linux software library or games that depend on Linux file system features.
For Linux-specific applications, an ext4 volume makes more sense. Windows needs additional software to read it, so that trades away the easy sharing you get with exFAT.
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under-new-management-ish:
Does exFAT have the same 4 GB file limit as FAT32?
pErmitToWander:
No, exFAT supports files larger than 4 GB. That's one reason it's more convenient than FAT32 for a shared storage drive.