How to Enable NTFS Write Support on macOS
This guide covers enabling NTFS Write support on macOS. By following this guide, you'll be able to read, write, and format the drives (whether internal or external) using the NTFS File System. This works for all OS X/macOS versions.Overview
Microsoft File System (NTFS) in short, is a File System developed by Microsoft Corporation. Different Operating Systems have their different File System so that it can be more suited for that particular Operating System. For example, Microsft uses NTFS, Linux uses EXT4 and when it comes to macOS, it uses HFS+ (prior to High Sierra). Since the introduction of macOS High Sierra, Apple introduced a new File System called APFS which is the current File System for all the recent lineups.Although, these Operating Systems do support certain other File Systems (such as FAT/FAT32) up to an extent. However, as the Windows Operating System is widely used,
There is NTFS support on the macOS side too but partially only, meaning the NTFS drives can be read but you cannot write any single byte on any NTFS formatted drive/partition/volume. This also means that you cannot format a drive with the NTFS format.
This becomes difficult for users who share data between a Mac and Windows Computer. Of course, the network file sharing can be done using the local network. But not everyone uses that as when you need speed, the networking can not only get complex but expensive too.
Method #1: Using Tuxera NTFS
Using Tuxera NTFS, you have all the NTFS power within a single app. Yo can share the data between Mac and Windows seamlessly. Tuxera NTFS gives you the ability to read, write, erase, and format storage devices and supports Internal Drives as well as external USB based storage devices. You can perform all the NTFS related function just like in Windows, meaning you can edit, copy, move or delete files on the NTFS drives on your Mac. In addition, you can verify and repair the possible NTFS File System errors. Moreover, this supports Apple's new Mac lineup i.e. Apple Silicon Macs, whether it is M1 or M2 or the pro chip, and is fully compatible.
Tuxera, being a commercial software, has a price tag. Whether you have a personal use, a business, or some educational institution, Tuxera has got you covered. For a personal license, Tuxera costs $15 only for a lifetime license with all the features and future updates and releases. If you have custom requirements for the number of licenses, you can contact Tuxera NTFS and ask them for a quote. If you just want to try out Tuxera NTFS to check whether it meets your needs, you also have the option. Tuxera offers a 15-day trial license to the new customers.
Speaking of the performance, the Tuxera NTFS driver is based on NTFS-3G and delivers the same amount of performance as other free NTFS for Mac alternatives, helping you to open, copy, move, and delete files on drives with NTFS format. As Windows supports Hibernation, there could be an issue mounting the NTFS Volumes when you boot to Mac. You can simply purge the data or reboot back to Windows and purge the data within Windows. Besides this, no caveats found in our tests. However, it should be noted that you must have enough backups, no matter what Operating System you're using and regardless of the redundancy.
Tuxera NTFS is supported on OS X 10.4 (Tiger) to macOS 14 (Sonoma). The installation instructions are very simple.
Method #2: Using Paragon NTFS
Method #3: Using NTFS-3G
Method #4: Using FUSE
Method #5: Using iBoysoft NTFS
Conclusion
If you're still confused regarding what software to use, here's a quick comparison table to help you decide which NTFS driver is best for you.| Software | Supported macOS | Auto Mount | Transfer Speed | Price | UI/UX | Features |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuxera NTFS | OS X 10.4-macOS 14 | Yes | Normal | Free trial | Modern Interface | Erase, Format, Copy, Paste, Move, Delete, Verify and repair |
As it's not a native driver built into the macOS itself, it may have flaws or shortcomings (like slow read/write speed, poor compatibility, and bad technical support). These are some of the disadvantages which can put your data at risk. If you don't care about the risks and want to try out the free NTFS driver which supports the read-and-write feature, we suggest using Mounty or FUSE.
Alternatives to NTFS
One of the alternatives to NTFS is ExFAT but we don't recommend using it as that's highly unreliable and has a high chance of data corruption. Up to an extent, it's usable but if you have regular use, the data can be corrupt at any given random day and if you have something that is going to be delivered to the client, that's very risky. However, if you have different Macs, you can definitely consider switching to HFS+ and/or APFS for compatibility and reliability.If you want to be compatible in terms of data, use FAT32. But you can only use the files with the maximum size of 4GB. For higher file size(s), you'll need to make a switch!
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