Mac And Ntfs

NTFS, the proprietary file system by Microsoft, has been the primary file system on Windows computers since Windows NT 3.1 operating system, replacing FAT file system. With the overwhelming market share of Windows PCs, many external hard drives come with NTFS file system or previous PC owners have formatted external hard drives to NTFS.

However, macOS is not friendly to Microsoft NTFS file system. The NTFS-formatted drive will appear read-only on a Mac machine by default. If you are moving to a Mac from a PC with an NTFS disk, “how to write to NTFS drives” will become the first question you put in Google.

In this article, we are going to help the uninitiated select the best NTFS for Mac Software in 5 easy steps. However, before we get to the list of steps, let us first look at the meaning of NTFS. NTFS or New Technology File System: What is it? The initial version of NTFS file system was NT 3.1 created in 1993. Our software is the only NTFS driver on the market to include support for NTFS extended attributes. You also get Tuxera Disk Manager, a companion app that makes it easy to format, check, and repair NTFS drives. Plus, NTFS for Mac works conveniently with dual boot or virtual machine set-ups. NTFS-3G is an open-source program that, when coupled with MacFuse, will let you use your NTFS drive on your Mac. However, it is an open-source program, so use it at your own risk.

Among the products of changing NTFS read-only from read-write on Mac, iBoysoft NTFS for Mac is the pick of the litter. With this application, NTFS file transferring, editing, adding, deleting, and copying will as easy as pie on Mac mini/MacBook Pro/MacBook Air/iMac. Simply install, connect, and WORK! If reformatting your NTFS drive for Mac is not an option, you can enable write support for specific Windows disks using macOS Terminal. This is an experimental feature and could lead to data loss.

What is NTFS for Mac software?

To bridge the incompatibility gap, NTFS for Mac comes into play. NTFS for Mac software is a small utility, usually less than 20 MB. After it is installed, it works as a device driver to specifically operates or controls an NTFS-formatted hardware. It can break the limit of read-only NTFS disk on Mac. With it, you will be able to have full access to the Windows disk and files.

Why do you need NTFS for Mac app?

Many users will choose to reformat the previously NTFS-formatted disk to a Mac-compatible file system in Windows or macOS. If you are totally moving to Mac platform, you can choose HFS+ as the format. If you are a cross-platform worker, FAT or ExFAT is the better option because they are universal.

However, reformatting is not always an ideal solution. If you are going to store large files, FAT or ExFAT performs relatively poorly in handling large files. HFS+ file system is not friendly to Windows at all because the disk will be both unreadable and unwritable. Another reason why reformatting may be a bad idea is that it will take long time to back up files, reformat the disk and move the files back to the disk. You may even don’t have spare storage for backups.

Mac

That’s where NTFS for Mac app comes into play. It solves the problem in a fast and easy way. No need to reformat and no need to back up. Most importantly, you can use NTFS on Mac as well as enjoy the advantages of NTFS file system.


Free NTFS for Mac software

NTFS for Mac freeware can be downloaded and installed on Mac. They are open-source programs and totally free. However, there is no such thing as a free lunch. If you are going to use freebies, be aware that they are lack of consistent technical maintenance so that the data security, speed, stability and OS compatibility can’t be guaranteed.

If you decide to ignore these disadvantages, take a look at this post listing four NTFS for Mac free software.

Besides open-source programs, other developers also provide free trial for users who in a desperate need of a reliable and secure tool but don’t want to pay for a lifetime use. iBoysoft NTFS for Mac offers a free 7-day trial and can totally meet your needs. Other than NTFS read and write support, it can be also used as a disk management tool to open, mount, unmount, eject, repair and erase NTFS disks on Mac.

Conclusion

When your disk shows up read-only on Mac, don’t forget to check its file system in Disk Utility. NTFS-formatted disk is not editable on Mac. To solve this incompatibility issue, using an NTFS disk driver like Mounty for NTFS is a highly recommended solution. But keep in mind freeware has its inevitable flaws, be careful when using it.

Image Source: BigStockPhoto.com (Licensed)

macOS Big Sur is the latest Mac operating system. However, the read-only NTFS drive is still one of the most annoying problems in macOS Big Sur.

Whether you upgrade from macOS Catalina to Big Sur, or you just buy a new Apple Silicon M1-based Mac that comes with macOS Big Sur, read-write support to Microsoft NTFS drives on Mac will be a great concern.

To use Windows NTFS drives in macOS 11 Big Sur, three methods are shared in this post.

  • 1. Use an NTFS for Mac software that supports macOS Big Sur
  • 2. Enable NTFS write support in macOS Big Sur using Terminal
  • 3. Reformat NTFS drive to exFAT/FAT32

How to write NTFS drive in macOS Big Sur?

1.Use NTFS for Mac software

#Fast#Safe#NTFS for macOS Big Sur#NTFS for M1 Mac

Third-party NTFS for Mac software is a great option to enable NTFS write support on macOS Big Sur. You don't have to mess up or erase your NTFS drives in case you want to use an NTFS drive on Windows. However, few NTFS for Mac drivers are ready for macOS Big Sur (let alone M1 Mac) because the system is newly released.

Up to now, iBoysoft NTFS for Mac initially can mount NTFS drives in read-write mode in macOS 11. It makes NTFS write support the same as a native feature in the Mac operating system.

Download

With this utility, users won't have any problems with transferring files between Macs and PCs using an NTFS drive.

iBoysoft NTFS for Mac enables users to edit, delete, copy and move files on NTFS drives on a Mac easily without reformatting your NTFS drives into another file system. Making NTFS drive writable on a Mac mini/MacBook Pro/MacBook Air/iMac will be a piece of cake with it.

Best NTFS for Mac - iBoysoft NTFS for Mac

  • Read and write NTFS volumes on Mac
  • Mount and unmount NTFS volumes
  • Repair NTFS file system errors
  • Erase data on NTFS disks
  • Reformat disks to NTFS on Mac
  • Fully integrated with the Finder
  • Compatible with new Apple Silicon M1-based Mac
  • Support macOS Big Sur 11/10.15/10.14/10.13

Here is how to write to NTFS drive in macOS Big Sur with iBoysoft NTFS for Mac:

  • Step 1: Download, install and launch iBoysoft NTFS for Mac.
  • Step 2: Restart your Mac, and then connect an NTFS drive to Mac.
  • Step 3: After the NTFS drive has been successfully mounted, you can open it and write to the NTFS drive as you normally do on a Windows computer.

2. Enable NTFS write support in macOS Big Sur using Terminal

Macbook Ntfs

#Free#Unsafe#One-time NTFS Write Support

Technically speaking, Apple actually can allow you to write to an NTFS drive, but it is just an experimental feature that is disabled by default for its instability. And there is no auto-mount option as you have to add a different command line for each volume if you want to write to multiple NTFS drives.

Warning: You should not use this experimental way for a long-term plan because it may corrupt your disk and cause permanent data loss.

You can enable Apple's Experimental NTFS-Writing Support by following these steps:

  • Step 1: Go to Finder >Applications >Utilities >Terminal.
  • Step 2: Type 'sudo nano /etc/fstab' into the Terminal to open the /etc/fstab file for editing nano text editor.
  • Step 3: Enter the following command line, which will enable NTFS write support. Be sure to substitute NAME with your disk name without any space.
  • Step 4: Press Ctrl + O to save the file after you are done and then press Ctrl + X to close nano.
  • Step 5: Connect the NTFS drives into a Mac. If they are connected, re-plug them into the Mac.

You will notice the drive is no longer visible in Finder, but it’s okay, because the drive is now mounted as a readable and writeable volume. To access the mounted NTFS drive, you need to press 'Command + Shift + G' and type in volumes to open this volume.

Note: If you want to undo the change, follow step 1 and step 2. Then delete the line 'LABEL=NAME none ntfs rw,auto,nobrowse' and save your change.

Mac And Ntfs Drives

3. Reformat NTFS drive to exFAT/FAT32

If granting full read-write access to your NTFS drive on Mac takes too much energy, you may want to reformat the NTFS drive into another file system - A file system that is fully compatible with macOS and Windows.

Specifically, MS-DOS (FAT) and exFAT are most recommended.

Warning: Reformat will erase all data on your NTFS drive and cause data loss if you don't have backups.

Follow the guide to reformat the NTFS drive on Mac:

  • Step 1: Back files on the NTFS drive first.
  • Step 2: Go to Applications >Utilities >Disk Utility.
  • Step 3: Select the NTFS drive from the sidebar.
  • Step 4: Click Erase.
  • Step 5: Type in Name and choose a format for your NTFS drive.
  • Step 6: Click the Erase.

Note: If you want your NTFS drive to be compatible with both macOS and Windows, you can format it into FAT32/exFAT. If you use the NTFS drive only on Mac, you can choose to format it into APFS/ APFS (Encrypted)/APFS (Case-sensitive)/ APFS (Case-sensitive, Encrypted).

Once again, Apple NTFS write support is least tested and full of risks. Don't do it unless you have to.

Mac Write To Ntfs

Conclusion

Access Ntfs On Mac

It is really a pain on the neck if you want to transfer files between an NTFS drive and a Mac often but you can't. It is also frustrating that you can't write to your newly-bought drives because you were not aware that they were formatted into NTFS.

Ntfs Driver For Mac

This post pulls you out of the frustration about how to write to an NTFS drive with or without a third-party utility on a Mac. Most importantly, users can expect Mac to write to NTFS drives with the assistance of iBoysoft NTFS for Mac even in macOS Big Sur.