The file system commonly used in Windows operating systems is NTFS, which stands for New Technology File System. NTFS supports large file sizes and provides features such as file compression, encryption, and improved security through access control lists (ACLs). It also offers journaling, which helps to track changes in files and recover from errors, maintaining data integrity. Prior to NTFS, the FAT32 file system was popular, but it has limitations regarding file size and volume capacity.