• Mac Read Ntfs
• Ntfs Write Mac High Sierra
• Ntfs Writer For Mac Free
• Ntfs Write Mac Catalina

Read or Write NTFS Drive on Mac with Easy Driver (Safe & Fast) Your Windows NTFS drive is not. 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.

Before you are led to the introduction of free NTFS for Mac, here is some background information in case you don't know.

You can read Windows NTFS drives on Mac. But Mac can't write to NTFS drives, including create, edit, copy, paste, delete, or transfer files on NTFS drive on Mac desktops and laptops. Do you know why?

NTFS is a file system developed by Microsoft, the competitor of Apple. NTFS is used by default on Windows platform, especially for system drive. Additionally, if you use Boot Camp to create a Windows partition on your Mac, you will find you can't mount BOOTCAMP partition with read-write access either. Up to now, Mac operating systems, including macOS Catalina/Mojave/High Sierra/Sierra and Mac OS X El Capitan, only provide NTFS read support but deny NTFS write support.

You know the business, but for users, is there any way to let Mac write NTFS drives? Can you make the NTFS drive fully compatible with macOS or Mac OS X? Sure. The easiest method is to use NTFS driver for macOS software.

If you are looking for a totally free NTFS for Mac software, there are four options: Mounty for NTFS, NTFS-3G, FUSE for macOS and SL-NTFS.

Top 4 NTFS for Mac free software

Some Mac users may have upgraded to macOS Catalina and are digging around for an NTFS driver for macOS 10.15. But it's hard to find a Free NTFS for Mac that supports macOS 10.15 yet. Fortunately, iBoysoft has upgraded their software iBoysoft NTFS for Mac to be compatible with macOS Catalina.

If you are using a Mac running macOS 10.14 and earlier, you can try the NTFS for Mac below and share NTFS drives between Windows and Mac.

1. Mounty for NTFS

Mounty for NTFS is completely NTFS for Mac free software to enable write ability to NTFS drives on your Mac. It has simple design to help users mount NTFS drives with write support on Mac.

As a free utility, Mounty for NTFS does have some highlights:

1. Totally free.
2. Fast download and installation because it is less than 1MB.
3. One-time installation and no additional driver needed.

But Mounty for NTFS dose get complaints because:

1. The write speed to NTFS drive is rather slow.
2. It can't mount the NTFS formatted drives in read-write mode automatically.
3. It can be unstable and fails to mount NTFS drives.
4. It can cause data loss problems.
5. It doesn't provide tech support.
6. The software is not compatible with the latest macOS Catalina or Mojave.

2. NTFS-3G

NTFS-3G is an open-source project from Tuxera, so the public can download this NTFS for Mac free software to write to Windows NTFS drives on your Mac computers

Set aside its advantage for being free, NTFS-3G is complained a lot because of its poor performance. Some main drawbacks of this free NTFS for Mac are listed below:

1. Complicated installation. You have to know how to use Terminal or have already downloaded FUSE for macOS, Homebrew or Xcode.
2. Poor usability. Users have to use the software by command lines in Terminal instead of an interface.
3. Poor compatibility. NTFS-3G only supports macOS 10.12 or earlier. It doesn't support the latest macOS 10.15 and macOS 10.14.
4. Slow write speed. The file transferring is noticeably slow.
5. Tuxera stops maintaining this utility.
6. No technical support. As freeware, no technical support is available when issues occur.

3. FUSE for macOS

FUSE for macOS (was OSXFUSE) is another open and NTFS for Mac free software that can enable write support to NTFS drives on Mac. In fact, FUSE is a file system extension that allows user to read and write disks with the formats that are not fully supported by Apple.

FUSE for macOS is worth trying because:

1. It is free of charge.
2. It is compatible with Mac operating system from Mac OS X 10.6 to macOS 10.14.
3. Multiple languages are available.

As a free NTFS for Mac, FUSE for macOS has some obvious limitations:

1. It can be unreliable sometimes such as file size being reported as 0 bytes.
2. It has no technical support when issues occur.

4. SL-NTFS

SL-NTFS means Snow Leopard NTFS. As a matter of fact, writing to NTFS drive on Apple is possible since Mac OS 10.6 without any third-party NTFS driver, but the NTFS writing support is disabled by default. Therefore, SL-NTFS is used as an interface on the Apple NTFS driver to enable writing to NTFS drives on Mac.

As a NTFS for Mac free app, SL-NTFS has some pros as followings:

1. It is free.
2. It is simple to install.

However, SL-NTFS has some cons to prevent people from using it.

1. It has limited access to a large number of files and a large volume of data.
2. It can't enable NTFS write on some NTFS external hard drives.
3. It can cause conflicts if you have another NTFS enabler installed.
4. It has no technical support.

Generally speaking, despite of being free, those NTFS for Mac free software have various flaws, making them very risky to use.

If you are afraid of using a risky free NTFS utility for Mac, there are two cost-effective alternatives for you. Even though they are not completely free, they can provide a lot of merits that NTFS for Mac free software on't have.

Best NTFS for Mac software

NTFS for Mac free software can be troublemakers because of their low write speed, poor compatibility, no technical support, etc. Nevertheless, you don't have to pay a fortune to get enough reliability, stability and simplicity from a cost-effective NTFS for Mac - iBoysoft NTFS for Mac or iBoysoft Drive Manager.

1. iBoysoft NTFS for Mac

iBoysoft NTFS for Mac is an ultimate NTFS for Mac solution in macOS and Mac OS X that can easily help you mount NTFS volumes on Mac desktops and laptops as regular drives in read-write mode.

iBoysoft NTFS for Mac has quite a few advantages you can take into account:

1. It can mount NTFS volumes in read-write mode automatically.
2. It can unmount and eject NTFS volumes with one click.
3. It can repair NTFS file system errors.
4. It can erase NTFS volumes for data cleanup.
5. It can reformat other file system (except APFS) into NTFS.
6. It is fully compatible with macOS 10.15/10.14/10.13/10.12 and Mac OS X 10.11/10.10/10.9/10.8.
7. It is easy to install and use.
8. Free technical support is provided.

2. iBoysoft Drive Manager

Another great alternative to NTFS for Mac free software is iBoysoft Drive Manager. It is a handy Mac tool that can enable full read-write access to NTFS drives on Mac and help manage multiple external drives/network drives with one click.

Mac Read Ntfs

iBoysoft Drive Manager is a great replacement of a free NTFS for Mac because:

1. It is extremely affordable and offers 7-day free trial.
2. It is fully compatible with macOS 10.15/10.14/10.13/10.12 and Mac OS X 10.11/10.10/10.9/10.8.
3. It is fast to write to NTFS drives and transfer files between NTFS drives and Mac.
4. It is easy to install and use.
5. It provides lifetime free upgrades.
6. Free technical support is provided.
7. Besides powerful NTFS writing support, it can manage external drives and map network drives as local drives in the Finder.

If you want to know any disadvantages that iBoysoft Drive Manager might have, I would say the only one should be - it is not free. But it is really cheap compared with other commercial NTFS for Mac programs, such as Paragon and Tuxera.

We also provide a table to help you find the most preferable NTFS driver:

Now, you have a few options in your hands. If you don't care the risks and want to try out the free NTFS for Mac programs, generally speaking, Mounty for NTFS and FUSE for macOS are better ones. However, if you care about the reliability, technical support and NTFS write speed a lot, or you are specifically looking for an NTFS driver for macOS Catalina, Mojave or High Sierra, iBoysoft NTFS for Mac is your best choice.

People also ask

Q: Is NTFS for Mac free

A: There are four NTFS for Mac free software:

1. Mounty for NTFS
2. NTFS-3G
3. FUSE for macOS
4. SL-NTFS

Q: How can Mac read NTFS for free?

A: By default, macOS Disk Utility can mount NTFS drive in read-only mode.

Ntfs Write Mac High Sierra

Q: What is the best NTFS for Mac?

A: There are three best NTFS for Mac software:

1. iBoysoft NTFS for Mac
2. Paragon NTFS for Mac
3. Tuxera NTFS for Mac

It has been a headache trying to get Windows and macOS to talk to each other over the decades, especially when using an NTFS-formattedexternal drive to transfer files between the two platforms. By default, Apple’s macOS can only read from Windows-formatted NTFS drives, but can’t write to them out of the box.

Do you have an external hard drive formatted to NTFS that you would like to use onyour Mac? The incompatibility is not just an issue for those switching from Windows machines to Mac, but also for those use Boot Camp on Mac. Don’t worry. This guide will walk you through steps to enable NTFS writing support on macOS.

Solution 1: Change the Drive Format from NTFS to exFAT

exFAT and FAT32 are two kinds of drive formats supported by both Windows and Mac. But FAT32 cannot store a single file larger than 4GB. If you have large files to store, exFAT is a better choice. Follow these steps to change a drive format from NTFS to exFAT on Mac:

Note: The following steps will erase all the data on your NTFS drive. If you have important data on it, please back up data before reformatting.

Step 1: Go to Finder > Applications > Utilities and then open Disk Utility.

Step 2: Select the drive to change the format. Click the Erase tab and choose the exFAT/FAT32 option in the drop-down box. Click on Erase.

Now, this drive can now be used to transfer files from a Mac to any Windows PC and vice versa.

Solution 2: Run Command Lines

Actually, macOS includes the writing feature but it’s disabled by default. Fortunately, you can enable this feature in the settings. To enable the NTFS writing feature, you have to do so on a per-volume basis, by editing the system’s hidden fstab file.

Warning: I don’t recommend the method below because the writing ability of Apple’s NTFS driver has not been thoroughly tested. So, the method would not work properly and cause data corruption. Please run these steps with caution.

Step 1: You’ll first need to launch Terminal. Navigate to Finder > Applications > Utilities > Terminal.

Step 2: Type the following command into the Terminal window. The Terminal will show an editor window for the fstab file.

sudonano /etc/fstab

Step 3: Enter the following command in one line. Be sure to change the word NAME to the name of your drive (it’s case-sensitive):

LABEL=NAME none ntfsrw,auto,nobrowse

Step 4: When finished, press Control-O to save the files, followed by Control-X to exit.

Step 5: Unplug our NTFS drive and attach it again. The disk will not immediately appear in the Finder or on desktop, but you can click Go > Go to Folder in the Finder window and type /Volume into the box to access the NTFS volume.

Solution 3: Use Free NTFS Driver

FUSE for macOS is an open-source application that allows the cross-platform implementation of the Microsoft Windows NTFS file system with read-write support. The method is totally free but it is tedious and can get very technical. You might feel uncomfortable in rebooting into Recovery Mode and using Terminal. Here is how:

Step 1: Install Brew in your Mac

First of all, you need the package manager for macOS to continue. If you haven’t already installed it on your Mac, you can open Terminal from Finder > Applications > Utilities and run the following command:

/usr/bin/ruby -e “$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/master/install)”

Step 2: Download and install FUSE for macOS from http://osxfuse.github.io/. Use the default option when installing it.

Step 3: Install xCode.

Then you have to install a command-line tool xCode. Go to Finder > Application > Utilities > Terminal and run the following command line:

xcode-select –install

Click Install when the dialogue appears. Click Agree when the license Agreement appears.

Step 4: Install NTFS-3G by opening Terminal and entering the following command:

brew install ntfs-3g

Step 5: Auto-mount NTFS volume in read-write mode

Even though you have installed FUSE for macOS, newly connected NTFS volumes will still be auto-mounted in read-only mode. To change this, you need to disable SIP (System Integrity Protection).

Warning: SIP is to protect the operating system from unauthorized changes. When you disable it, the computer system might be vulnerable to malware and other badly-behaved programs.

1. Boot into Recovery Mode. Restart your Mac and hold Command+R while it boots.
2. When you enter the recovery environment, click the Utilities menu and select Terminal to openit.
3. Type the following command into the Terminal and press Enter:

csrutil status

4. You’ll see whether SIP is enabled or not. To disable SIP, run the following command and hit Enter:

csrutil disable

5. Reboot the Mac.

Step 6: Once the SIP is disabled, you need to go to Terminal and run command as follows:

sudo mv /sbin/mount_ntfs /sbin/mount_ntfs.originalsudo ln -s /usr/local/sbin/mount_ntfs /sbin/mount_ntfs

Finally, plug in your NTFS drive and it will be automatically mounted in read and write mode.

Note: It’s highly recommended to re-enable SIP after you finish using NTFS drives on Mac. To enable SIP, you just need to reboot the Mac into the Recovery Mode and enter the command line in the Terminal window: csrutil enable.

Solution 4: Use Commercial but Easy-to-use NTFS Driver

The above procedures, however, may require too much work and fail due to any reason. The easiest and most reliable way to write to NTFS drives on Mac is to use paid NTFS for Mac app.

iBoysoft NTFS for Mac is a cheap and easy-to-use tool that breaks down the borders among Windows NTFS file system and macOS. Fully compatible with macOS Catalina and earlier, the software is designed to help users read and write to NTFS-formatted external hard drives, SSDs, SD cards, or USB drives. This software also includes disk management features for easily checking, repairing, and formatting NTFS drives on Mac seamlessly.

Step 1: Free download and install iBoysoft NTFS for Mac.

Step 2: Connect theNTFS external hard drive to Mac and write to the disk after it is mounted successfully.

Conclusion

Ntfs Writer For Mac Free

Writing to NTFS drives on Mac is possible. You have many options to choose from: formatting NTFS drives to exFAT, enabling Apple’s native NTFS support, and installing a third-party NTFS driver. But the first two solutions are risky and very unstable. The most reliable way is to download and install a third-party NTFS driver. There are both free and paid NTFS drivers in the market. I strongly recommend paid NTFS for Mac apps like iBoysoft NTFS for Mac. Compare to free ones, paid NTFS drivers are easier to use and don’t need any extra work.

About Author:-

Ntfs Write Mac Catalina

Laura Yuan is a tech lover who digs IT trends and helps others with practical tips and solutions. Being a part of @iBoysoft, she’s been writing and sharing tons of related articles.