The data density of thenear-field optical recording is mainly determined by near-field electromagneticdistribution of probe fiber such as transmission efficiency, near-field light spot size,polarization keeping and the grade of the electromagnetic field. The optical charactersand light wave propagation of various fiber probes for near-field optical recording arenumerically simulated using 3D finite-difference time-domain (3D-FDTD) method in thispaper. The possible application in near-field optical recording with these probes isdiscussed. The entirely metal coat probe is pointed out to have an extremely smallnear-field spot size about 10 nm, which is far less than that of the conventional probe.