How to Use NTFS Drive on Mac: Easy Guide

Learn how to read and write NTFS drives on your Mac using methods like Disk Utility, third-party apps, Terminal, BootCamp and iCloud.

Priya BhadaurjaJuly 30, 2024

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Are you Want to use NTFS drive on Mac? Great news! This guide will show you how and it’s easier than you might think. Stick with us, and you’ll learn how to use those Windows-formatted drives on your macOS.

There’s always a debate about whether Windows PCs or MacBooks are better, but one thing is clear: Windows computers are more common. That’s why many external hard drives and USB sticks come formatted with NTFS, a file system created by Microsoft.

NTFS, or NT File System, was developed by Microsoft in 1992. It’s designed for Windows machines, making it easy to use drives with Windows. However, since NTFS is proprietary, Apple can’t fully support it on Macs without a special license. This means your Mac can read NTFS drives, but you can’t write or make changes to the files.

So, what if you want to do more than just view files on an NTFS drive? With that, we can help. To make the most of NTFS drives on your Mac, check out our great tips and tricks. This article will explain many techniques like reformatting drives to a universal file system or utilizing third-party software. Now let’s get going!

Methods to Use NTFS Drive on Mac

Format to FAT32

If you have an NTFS drive, you can reformat it to FAT32 using macOS’ Disk Utility. This allows your drive or USB stick to be used on both Macs and PCs.

Note: FAT32 only supports files up to 4GB. This might be an issue if you need to store large files like videos.

Here’s how to format your drive:

Open Spotlight by clicking magnifying glass icon at the top right of your screen.
Type ‘Disk Utility’ & open it.
Enter your NTFS drive or USB stick.
Choose your drive from list on left in Disk Utility.
Click on “Erase” tab.
Select “MS-DOS (FAT)” from drop-down menu labeled “Format.”
(Details optional) Give drive new name.
Select “Erase.”

Warning: This will delete all data on drive. Make sure to back up any important files first.

After formatting, you can move and edit files on your drive from both Mac and a PC.

Use a Third-Party App

Since macOS doesn’t natively support NTFS drives you can use third-party apps to read and write to NTFS drives on your Mac. These apps are useful if you often use drives with both Macs and PCs, especially if your files are larger than 4GB.

One popular option is Microsoft NTFS for Mac by Paragon, which offers a free ten-day trial. After installing it, you can easily read, write, and modify files on your NTFS drives.

Currently, there are no free macOS programs that support writing to NTFS drives, which might be a concern for users on a budget.

Enable NTFS Write Support in Terminal

If you can’t reformat your NTFS drive you can enable write support using macOS Terminal. This method is experimental and could risk data loss, so make sure to back up everything before you start.

Here’s how to do it:

Open Terminal:

Click the Spotlight icon at the top right of your screen.
Type ‘Terminal’ and open it.

Connect Your NTFS Drive.

Enter This Command:

   sudo nano /etc/fstab

This opens the list of drives recognized by macOS.

Add a New Line:

Scroll to the end of the list using the arrow keys.
Add this line, replacing ‘NAME’ with your NTFS drive’s name (e.g., USB1). You can find the drive name in Disk Utility:
bash LABEL=NAME none ntfs rw,auto,nobrowse

Save and Exit:

Press Ctrl+O to save.
Press Ctrl+X to exit.

Access Your NTFS Drive:

Open Finder.
Click ‘Go’ > ‘Go to Folder’.
Type /Volumes/NAME, replacing ‘NAME’ with your NTFS drive’s name.
Click ‘Go’ to access the drive. You should now be able to edit and add files.

Be careful as this feature is still experimental and might cause file corruption.

Use BootCamp

BootCamp is a built-in tool on macOS that lets you install Windows on your Mac and it’s a great way to use NTFS drives. With macOS 10.14 Mojave and later, you can run Windows 10 on your Mac just like you would on a PC.

Here’s a simple way to get started:

Prepare:

Make sure you have an internet connection.
Get a Windows 10 DVD.
Have USB stick with at least 8GB of space.

Set Up BootCamp:

BootCamp will guide you through shrinking your macOS installation to make room for Windows.
After setup you can boot into either macOS or Windows.

Use NTFS Drives:

Once Windows is installed, it can read and write to NTFS drives.

Note:

You need to buy a Windows 10 license to keep using it after 90 days.
Files saved in Windows can’t be accessed when you’re in macOS, and vice versa.
You may need to use Microsoft apps instead of Mac-specific ones like iMovie, though you can use iCloud to access iWorks apps online.

Move to the Cloud

If you only need to work on or share a few files, consider moving them to the Cloud instead of using drives.

Here’s how to use iCloud Drive:

Check iCloud:

Make sure you’re signed in to iCloud. Go to System Preferences > iCloud and enable iCloud Drive if it’s not already on.

Move Files:

Open your Windows drive in Finder.
Copy and paste the files you want to work with into iCloud Drive.

Sync and Share:

Your files will automatically sync to Apple’s servers.
To share a file: right-click on it, hover over Share, and choose how you want to send link (e.g., via Mail).

iCloud Drive offers 5GB of free storage and lets you edit and share files easily, even if they were originally on an NTFS drive.

Conclusion

To use NTFS drives on your Mac: you can reformat drive to FAT32 using Disk Utility, use third-party apps like Microsoft NTFS for Mac, enable NTFS write support through Terminal (risky), install Windows with BootCamp for full NTFS access or transfer files to iCloud Drive for easy access and sharing.

FAQ

How to Read and Write NTFS Drive on Mac:

Reformat to FAT32: Use Disk Utility to change drive format. This lets you read and write on both Macs and PCs but limits file sizes.
Use Third-Party Apps: Install applications such as Paragon’s Microsoft NTFS for Mac to have complete read and write access.
Enable NTFS Write Support via Terminal: Use Terminal to enable writing, but this is risky and experimental.
Install Windows with BootCamp: This allows full NTFS support by running Windows on your Mac.
Use iCloud Drive: Transfer files to iCloud for easy access and sharing.

Can Mac OS X Read NTFS Files?
MacOS can read NTFS files but it requires additional software to write to them.

Does Mac Support NTFS?
macOS can read NTFS drives but writing requires additional software or Terminal workaround.

How Do I Access My NTFS Drive in Mac OS X?
Connect NTFS drive and it will show up on your desktop or in Finder. You can view files but writing requires extra steps.

Priya BhadaurjaJuly 30, 2024

0 228