NTFS whose full name is New Technology File System is a file system released by Microsoft. This file system is compatible with Windows 2000 and later version. It can also be used in Linux operating system but can only be read on macOS. Thus, if you want to read and write NTFS files on Mac, you need to use NTFS for Mac software or command lines. Compared with using command lines, using NTFS for Mac software is an easier way for you to read and write NTFS files on Mac.
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What is NTFS for Mac software?
NTFS for Mac was put forward by Paragon, it is referred to the driver that can empower an NTFS drive to work normally on a Mac machine. With NTFS for Mac, you can write, edit, copy, delete and move files on an NTFS drive or volume on a Mac computer.
NTFS for Mac is a third-party driver, there’s no officially released driver from Apple. That is because the competitor of Apple, Microsoft has the property of NTFS.
How to choose an NTFS for Mac?
There are a variety of NTFS for Mac drivers in the market, but not all are secure and fully compatible with your Mac.
For the current macOS Big Sur and Apple M1 chip, most NTFS for Mac software hasn’t been upgraded to support them. And some NTFS for Mac developers are even not Apple trusted ones.
To select the best NTFS for Mac, you should refer to these basics:
- Check if it’s compatible with your macOS.
- Check whether it supports your machine or not.
- Check the security and reliability.
- Check the price.
Here I recommend iBoysoft NTFS for Mac. This NTFS for Mac software offers a 7-day free trial. It is fully compatible with macOS from High Sierra to Big Sur and supports Apple Silicon M1 Mac. With it, you can freely edit, move, and copy files on an NTFS drive in Finder like working with a local drive. Besides, you can format an NTFS drive in Disk Utility for data cleanup.
In addition to iBoysoft NTFS for Mac, there is also other free NTFS for Mac on the Internet, such as iBoysoft DiskGeeker and Mounty for NTFS. According to your needs, choose one of them.
How to Read and Write an NTFS Drive on Mac?
Here are two efficient ways to read and write NTFS drives on Mac.
Option 1. Use iBoysoft NTFS for Mac to read and write NTFS drive on Mac
To access files on NTFS drive on Mac:
- Download, install and launch iBoyosft NTFS for Mac on Mac.
- Connect the NTFS drive to the Mac.
- Mount the NTFS drive.
- Open Finder and click the NTFS drive under Locations at the left-sidebar.
Then, all files on the NTFS drive will show up at the right pane in Finder. At that time, you can delete the undesired files from the NTFS drive, copy files from Mac to the NTFS drive, rename a file, etc.
To Format a drive to NTFS on Mac:
- Log in your iBoyosft NTFS for Mac software.
- Connect the NTFS drive to the Mac.
- Open Finder and select Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility.
- Select the NTFS drive and click Erase.
- Select a Name, file system for your NTFS drive and click Erase.
Warning: Formatting a drive will cause data loss, back up the drive before formatting it. If you format the drive without a backup, only professional and practical data recovery software like iBoysoft Data Recovery can help you recover data from a formatted drive.
Option 2: Use the command line to enable NTFS write support on Mac
This way works but is unstable and risky, which may lead to disk corruption. Please take care of each step.
- Open Finder > Applications > Utilities > Terminal.
- Type the following command to edit the fstab file and press Return. Then, provide your admin password.
sudo nano /etc/fstab
- Type the command below in the editor window for the fstab file. And press “Control + O” to enable the NTFS drive write support on Mac. Use the name of your NTFS volume to replace the word VOLUME_NAME.
LABEL=VOLUME_NAME none ntfs rw,auto,nobrowse
Note: If you have multiple NTFS drives, repeat to type the above command line for each NTFS drive.
- Exit the process by pressing Return > “Control + X”.
- Re-connect the NTFS drive to your Mac.
- Select Go at the apple menu bar > Go to Folder.
- Input /Volomes and hit Return.
- Find and access the NTFS volume.
If you want to disable the NTFS write support on Mac, follow the step 1 and 2. Next, delete the command line. Save your change and exit Terminal.
That’s all the article about. If you are in need of reading and writing NTFS files on your Mac computer, the above methods can offer you help.