NTFS for Mac is macOS Big Sur compatible and already available for Apple Silicon

IBoysoft NTFS for Mac features. Microsoft’s NTFS drive is a stranger to your Mac. However, there’s an app that can make them friends. IBoysoft NTFS for Mac is an easy assistant with a full read/write support for NTFS drives. Mount and unmount, manage disks, and share NTFS drives across Windows and Mac.

Microsoft NTFS is one of the primary file systems of Windows. If you work on a Mac computer and need to read or write files from HDD, SSD or a flash drive formatted under Windows, you need Microsoft NTFS for Mac by Paragon Software.

1. Microsoft NTFS for Mac by Tuxera brings reliable read-write compatibility for all NTFS-formatted USB drives on your Mac. Try free for 15 days.
2. Microsoft NTFS for Mac by Paragon Software takes the best of Apple’s Disk Utility and moves it to the next level, augmenting Microsoft NTFS volume operations and advanced mount options. Mounting is entirely under your control with advanced options.
3. My NTFS disk diapppears for Desktop when using Mounty. Unfortunately this is by design. Mounty is using the Apple kernel driver. It allows read/write mount of NTFS drives only with the 'nobrowse' option. The mount point becomes hidden and disappears from Desktop and Finder menu.

Write, edit, copy, move and delete files on Microsoft NTFS volumes from your Mac! Fast, seamless, easy to use. Mount, unmount, verify, format or set any of your Microsoft NTFS volumes as a startup drive.

New! Ready for macOS 11.0 Big Sur

Write files to Microsoft NTFS drives on your Mac

Can’t write, copy, edit or delete files on Microsoft NTFS-formatted drives from your Mac? It’s because macOS has limited support for Windows volumes — that is, you can only read data, but can’t write or delete anything. Microsoft NTFS for Mac by Paragon Software provides blazing fast, unlimited read/write access to Microsoft NTFS hard drives, SSDs or thumb drives formatted for Windows computers!

• A no-brainer upgrade for those installing macOS 10.14 Mojave, Paragon NTFS for Mac remains the best cross-platform utility money can buy, especially now that it plays nice with Apple’s new dark mode.

  MacWorld US, Editors’ Choice 2018
  www.macworld.com

• Whether you’re a hardcore Boot Camp user or just need to occasionally write to Windows-formatted media, this update keeps things working at peak performance…

  MacWorld US, Editors’ Choice 2018
  www.macworld.com

• Running a Mac and having NTFS formatted external disks, you definitely need NTFS for Mac. It is well priced <…> and enables read and write access to your NTFs drives no matter what size.. The speed at which you can read and write the data on these drives is the best of any competitor if there really is one. Anyone who needs to use Mac and Windows computers, needs this app for easy data transfer. The interface is best of any application found, and the application itself offers additional drive tools for taking full control. The latest version also supports Mojave and APFS format to complete a perfect application. It is without real competition and deserves a full 5 star award. This utility makes your external storage usable on any computer system Windows or Mac. So your data remains interchangeable and is fully adapted for macOS MOJAVE.

  MacSoftReview
  www.macsoftreview.com
  September 2018

• Microsoft NTFS for Mac by Paragon Software is a great upgrade to an exceptional cross-platform utility that’s easily worth the money, especially if you own the previous version 14, in which case this one’s free.
  The user interface is tastefully designed, with buttons for mounting, unmounting, verifying, or erasing the selected volume. Dual-boot users also have the option to reboot into a compatible mounted Mac or Windows startup volume. There’s even a lovely color-coded space indicator like the one introduced with Mac OS X El Capitan, displaying content by Audio, Video, Apps, Images, and Other categories.

  MacWorld, USA, August 2017,
  macworld.com

• Microsoft NTFS for Mac by Paragon Software, the excellent third-party file system driver that enables writing to Windows-formatted volumes at native speeds.

  MacWorld, USA, June 2017,
  macworld.com

• Microsoft NTFS for Mac by Paragon Software is the best such software solution: reliable, fast, and now affordable as well…
  Fast, seamless, and easy to use, Microsoft NTFS for Mac by Paragon Software is required for those who need to write to Windows volumes. And now it’s more affordable than ever.

  MacWorld, USA 2016,
  macworld.com

• A very specialized product that does its job in a very unobtrusive way. You just install it and it works. When you plug an NTFS disk into your Mac, it just mounts on the desktop like any other disk, and when you copy a file to it, it just works, no muss, no fuss. This utility is also invaluable if you find yourself in a situation where you need to format a disk as NTFS, and it performs this task with an equal lack of drama

  Apple Press, DVMUG

• Microsoft NTFS for Mac by Paragon Software is an essential installation for anyone working with Macs and PCs, as it helps to break down the barriers that exist between the two operating systems

  Mac World UK,
  macworld.com

• It’ll install cleanly and easily on macOS 10.12 Sierra and “just work”, so it’s a good option

  How-to-Geek

• Microsoft NTFS for Mac by Paragon Software does exactly what we expect from it, by offering a seamless NTFS disk management. It’s good performances even allow working directly on the Windows partition, including for heavy applications such as video or photo processing.

  mac4ever.com

• WOW….Ive been struggling with the whole MAC/Windows NTFS issue for some time and have a number of external drives that I need to swap between Mac/PC all the time. I’ve always had a headache with NTFS drivers etc. I bought and downloaded your Microsoft NTFS for Mac by Paragon Software today and WOW. Amazing. Everything just works. Brilliant product. Worth every penny. Thank you.

  Robinson Philip

• It is pretty fast with NTFS transfers (slightly slower than OSX extended partitions obviously) and I’ve never had any problems mid-transfer or anything. For me, it’s always done what it said on the box, and now with V14 it’s got El Capitan compatibility, so no complaints here. If you’re looking for a way to have plug-and-play NTFS drives on your mac, there really isn’t a better alternative to Microsoft NTFS for Mac by Paragon Software. Highly recommended for all Mac users!

  M. Doyle

• If you have a Mac and you need to access volumes that are formatted NTFS, this is the best solution out there. Why Apple hasn’t just baked in support for NTFS after all these years still remains a mystery. I’ve been using Microsoft NTFS for Mac by Paragon Software for several years now and have never had any problems with it.

  H. Jaynes

Blazing Fast

Microsoft NTFS for Mac by Paragon Software is up to six times faster than any of its closest commercial competitors!

Fully Compatible

Supports macOS Big Sur
and older macOS
See Specifications

Powerful Features

Safe data transfer, hassle-free work, easy to use, seamless user experience

How it Works

Simple as 1-2-3

Install

Download and install Microsoft NTFS for Mac by Paragon Software onto your Mac.

Done!

Microsoft NTFS volumes connected to your Mac are available in the Finder.

All operations just a click away!

If you need more than just a blazing fast and reliable Microsoft NTFS driver, our lightweight menubar and full-featured Microsoft NTFS for Mac by Paragon Software apps are always at your service.

Access all of your Microsoft NTFS drives and perform the most common volume operations like mount, unmount and verify.

Quickly restart your Mac in Windows from the menubar (assuming it’s installed on your mounted Microsoft NTFS drive).

Seamless User Experience

If you’ve ever used Apple’s Disk Utility, you already know how to use Microsoft NTFS for Mac by Paragon Software. If you haven’t, it will only take a few moments to get acquainted.

Microsoft NTFS for Mac by Paragon Software takes the best of Apple’s Disk Utility and moves it to the next level, augmenting Microsoft NTFS volume operations and advanced mount options.

Mounting is entirely under your control with advanced options

Mount in Read-Only: select this option if you need to access sensitive data without modifying any files.

Do not mount automatically: select this option if you want to manually control access to a volume.

Outstanding performance at blazing fast speed

6x times faster*

*Tested on 2016 MacBook Pro with SSD drive, view benchmarks here.

Fresh review: check out the video review by European Motion Picture Association.

Latest award: 5-star review of the Mojave-ready edition.

Features

Paragon Technology Center

Want to learn more about the technology behind Microsoft NTFS for Mac by Paragon Software? Check out the Paragon Technology Portal!

Frequently Asked Questions

Ensure multi-platform access - activate required file system drivers based on your IT park, regardless of OS, in any proportion.

Resources

NTFS for Mac build for Apple Silicon

Apple has announced a two-year transition to ARM-based processors known as “Apple Silicon.” Since the new Apple Silicon-based Mac computers are just around the corner, we proactively took on this project. We are delighted to offer Mac users our new NTFS for Mac build for Apple Silicon, which is available for download below.

This offer may be of particular interest for Developer Transition Kit users. If you currently participate in the Universal App Quick Start Program or are just planning to enroll, right now you can download and begin using the new NTFS for Mac build for Apple Silicon on your DTKs.

By Nathan E. Malpass, Last updated: September 14, 2019

Mac operating systems can read NTFS drives formatted on Windows. However, they don’t have the ability to write to them directly. In this article, we’ll give you both free and paid methods of getting total read/write access to that of NTFS drives.

This guide can be helpful when you wish to write to a Boot Camp partition within your Mac as partitions for the Windows system must utilize NTFS. If you need something for external drives, it is recommended that you use exFAT instead of NFTS. macOS can directly read and write to drives using exFAT like Windows do.

Three Options to Consider When Writing to NTFS Drives on Your Mac

There are multiple options you should consider when writing to NTFS drives using your Mac device. We will dig into these options later on. Take note that with some options, we’ll give you more than one method of doing it.

Third-Party Drivers (Paid)

Third-party NTFS drivers can be used on your Mac device. Usually, you need to install these drivers and they work perfectly. These paid solutions can be installed easily. Plus, they have better performance relative to free options.

Third-Party NTFS Drivers (Free)

To allow Mac support for writing to NTFS drives, you can opt for free, open-source drivers. They can be difficult to install compared to the paid versions. This is because of Mac’s System Integrity Protection feature. Free drivers are slower compared to paid versions. Plus mounting NTFS partitions automatically in read-write mode can be a threat to your security.

Experimental Apple Support For NTFS-Write

The operating system of Mac offers you experimental support for writing to that of NTFS drives. By default, this support is deactivated. You have to dig into the Terminal to activate it.

Using this method is not guaranteed. Plus, you can even mess around with your NTFS file system and cause issues. Some people who’ve tried it resulted in corrupt data. Thus, it is not recommended to use this method. There’s a reason for it being deactivated by default.

Ntfs Mount For Macbook Pro

It is recommended that you purchase a third-party driver to write to NTFS drives on Mac as other solutions might be very tedious or dangerous.

Best Paid Third-Party NTFS for Mac: FoneDog’s PowerMyMac

FoneDog’s PowerMyMac is a multifunction tool that allows you to perform a variety of activities on your Mac. Aside from being able to clean your Mac of junk, it can also help youwrite files to NTFS drivesusing your beloved Apple computer.

Ntfs Mount For Mac Os

Below are the steps on how to use this tool to write to NTFS drives on Mac:

Mount Ntfs Mac High Sierra

Step 01: Download, install and launch PowerMyMac on your computer and select Toolkit.

Step 02: Select NTFS.

Step 03: Press the Write button in order to copy, delete, edit, or perform other instructions on your files from Windows-formatted SDD, HDD, or flash drive.

It is important to remember that when a pop-up window labeled “Fail” is displayed on your screen, it is because you still have to install Osxfuse and NTFS – 3g on your Mac device. This is a prerequisite to using the NTFS tool.

Step 04: Now, you will be able to see USB information located on the left side of the screen. The right column lists the USB’s files and folders. You have to drag the file(s) you wish from the USB to the blank location on the interface.

Step 05: Press the button labeled Write. Now, the files you have dragged into the blank space will be transferred to your USB. Once a message pops up saying the process is complete, then writing to NTFS drives is now done.

Step 06: Unmount the USB drive from your Mac computer.

Now, that’s an easy way of writing to NTFS drives using your Mac. PowerMyMac by FoneDog is our top option as it’s the easiest to use. Let’s get into another paid driver before delving into the free methods for writing to NTFS drives.

Runner-Up Paid Third-Party NTFS Driver: Paragon NTFS for Mac

This tool can be purchased for USD 19.95 and provides you with a free trial for 10 days. It will easily and cleanly install on most recent versions of the Mac OS. For instance, it can be installed on Mac OS X El Capitan version 10.11 and macOS Sierra version 10.12.

It really works and does its job. Thus, it’s our second choice if you’re willing to shell out a small amount of cash to get its feature. With Paragon, you don’t need to fuss about terminal commands just to mount partitions manually, automatically do an insecure mount partition, or handle possible corruption as you might experience with free drivers shown below.

If you really need to write to NTFS drives on a Mac, it is best to pay for the software we have mentioned in this article. We are stressing out that it will definitely be worth it. Also, if you bought a Seagate drive, you can actually have a free download of Paragon NTFS for Mac. Thus, you don’t have to buy anything extra as Seagate offers it for free.

Another option would be Tuxera NTFS for Mac. This tool costs USD 31.00. Plus, they can give you a free trial for 14 days. However, PowerMyMac and Paragon do the same things for more features or cheaper costs.

How to Write to NTFS Drives for Mac For Free: Using FUSE for macOS

This is a free method that requires a bit of effort. Plus, it is less secure. To make your Mac device mount NTFS partitions automatically within a read-write mode, you have to deactivate System Integrity Protection temporarily. Plus, you also need to replace an Apple tool built into the system with a binary. This binary is highly vulnerable to malicious attacks. Thus, doing this is a risk to your security.

But, you can also use FUSE in order to “manually” mount NTF partitions within a read-write mode. This is the case if you’re willing to use the Terminal. This is more secure compared to the one above. However, it requires more work.

The first thing to do is to go to FUSE for macOS website and download it. After then, install the tool on your Mac. During the installation process, select the default options. Then, you’ll also need the command line developer tools of Apple. You can install this by going to Finder and then visiting Applications. After which, select Utilities and launch the Terminal window. In the said window, type the following command:

After this, click Install to begin the installation process.

In addition to the first two installations, you’ll also need to download homebrew if it isn’t in your Mac yet. This is a package manager designed for Mac OS X. Use the Terminal window again to install this package manager. Just type in the following command and then press Enter to start installing it:

After this, press Enter. If it asks for authentication, then type in your password. The script will download and then install Homebrew automatically on your Mac device. Once Homebrew and developer tools are installed using the Terminal window and run the following again in order to install Ntfs-3g:

Now, you can mount NTFS partitions within reading or write mode manually. Run the command below using a Terminal window. In this way, you will create a mount point located at /Volumes/NTFS. This will be done once only.

Once you connect your NTFS drive to the Mac computer, run the command below using Terminal in order to list the disk partitions:

Now, you will be able to determine the device name of your NTFS partition. You simply have to look for the said partition that has the Windows NTFS file system. It is probable that your Mac device has already mounted the NTFS partition automatically. Thus, you have to unmount it before doing anything else.

Run the command below. Replace the /dev/disk3s1 with the actual name of your NTFS partition device.

After unmounting it, you should mount the drive again. To do this, run the command below. Similar to the one above, you should replace /dev/disk3s1 with the NTFS partition device name.

By now, you’ll notice that the file system will be mounted at the location /Volumes/NTFS. It will also be displayed on your desktop as a regular mounted drive. If you wish to unplug the drive, you can eject it through the usual method of doing so.

If you think the above method works for you, then you don’t have to continue reading. However, if you want to use another free method, then read on.

If you want your Mac device to mount NTFS drives automatically within reading or write mode, you have to deactivate System Integrity Protection.

A Word Of Caution

You might not want to perform this method. The official instructions of the software state that this is a risk to your device’ security. When you do this, you will replace your Mac’s NTFS mount tools with that of the NTFS-3g tools. This will run like that of the root user. Because of the actual way Homebrew installs software on your device, the malware within your Mac can overwrite the said tools. It’s not worth it. However, we’ll still explain how to implement this method if you are willing to take risks.

First, you have to reboot your Mac device. Once you are doing so, press and hold the keys Command + R. It will display the recovery mode environment. Go to the utility menu within recovery mode and open the Terminal. Run the command below:

After this, reboot the Mac device again normally. From the desktop, launch Terminal again. Run the commands below in order for NTFS-3g to function:

Finally, reactivate System Integrity Protection. To do this, you simply reboot the Mac, press, and hold the keys Command + R. In this way, your recovery mode will be launched. Open the Terminal within recovery mode and run the command below:

Then, reboot your Mac computer once again. By now, the support for writing to your NTFS drive should be functioning.

In order to undo all changes you have made and also uninstall everything, you have to deactivate System Integrity Protection first. After doing this, run the commands below:

Then, you can simply uninstall FUSE by going to its panel within System Preferences. After this, you should reactivate System Integrity Protection. By now, you’ve realized why we recommend using PowerMyMac’s NTFS tool instead.

Experimental Support for NTFS-Writing by Apple(Free)

This method is the least tested. That’s why we seriously don’t recommend you to do it. We’ve warned you. So, do not put the blame on us or even on Apple especially if you run into issues in the future. This method is unstable and it might never be. The method is just included here for educational purposes.

First, you have to make sure that the drive has a label that uses a single word only. This is for convenience. If it has two words or more, then change it. This will ensure that the process becomes easier.

Mount Ntfs Mac Fuse

Visit Finder and then go to Applications. Then, go to Utilities and open Terminal. Type the command below using the Terminal. In this way, the /etc/fstab file will be opened. The said file will be used to edit within a nano text editor.

The line below should be added to nano. Replace the word “DEVICENAME” with your NTFS drive’s label:

Once you’re finished, press the keys Control + O in order to save the said file. After this, press Control + X to exit nano. If you wish to write to more than one NTFS drive, simply add another line for each one.

Now, you should connect the NTFS drive to your computer. If it is already connected, just unplug it and plug it back again. You should be able to see it within the directory “/Volumes.” To do this, use a Finder window and press Go. After this, click Go To Folder. Type out “/Volume” within the box to gain access to it. Typically, it will not be automatically displayed within Desktop like that of normal drives.

Later, you can simply undo the change you’ve made. Simply repeat the process above to launch the /etc/fstab file within nano. The line, you’ve placed in the file? Just delete it and save the new changes.

In Conclusion

This guide is here to help you learn how to write to NTFS drives on Mac. Both free and paid methods were outlined here. It is recommended that you opt for the paid methods (e.g., PowerMyMac) in order to get this feature. In this way, you don’t have to risk the performance of your Mac and even potentially face file corruption.