How to Mount NTFS Drive Read-Write on Mac (Sonoma)– 3 Ways

Cassie

Last updated: Dec 29, 2023

Summary: This post teaches you how to mount NTFS drives in read-write status on Mac (Sonoma/Ventura) in 3 ways. Namely, use an NTFS for Mac software program, use Mac Terminal, or format the NTFS drive to exFAT/APFS.

If you connect an external NTFS drive (USB, HDD, SSD, etc.) to your computer, macOS will automatically mount it in read-only mode. You may find that you can’t copy or write files to the NTFS drive from your Mac. Mac only supports reading the NTFS drives. How to mount the NTFS drive in read-write on Mac? Below are the possible 3 ways.

Also Read: Fix External NTFS Hard Drive Read-Only on Mac (Sonoma) – 6 Tips

1. Mount NTFS Drive Read-Write on Mac with NTFS for Mac Software

The easiest way to mount an NTFS drive in read and write mode is to use an NTFS for Mac tool. You can find some free or paid NTFS for Mac software applications in the market. Here we introduce BuhoNTFS - a free Mac NTFS application - to you.

BuhoNTFS enables you to mount NTFS drives in read & write mode on your Mac and lets you smoothly read and write data on the NTFS drive from your Mac.

Step 1. Download and install free BuhoNTFS on your Mac from its official website.

Download

For macOS 10.13 and above

Step 2. After installation, open the app and you should see a list of connected drives. Find and click the target NTFS drive that you want to mount in read-write.

Step 3. Tick the "Allow Read & Write permission" option to change the disk permission to Read-Write status. You should now be able to read and write files on the NTFS drive on your Mac.

2. Mount NTFS Drive Read-Write on Mac with Terminal

You can also use the Mac Terminal app to enable the NTFS write support on your Mac. Check the steps below.

Step 1. Open the Terminal app by searching it with Spotlight.

Step 2. Type the command sudo nano /etc/fstab and press Return.

Step 3. Type the command LABEL=NAME none ntfs rw, auto, nobrowse, and press Return. Replace “Name” with the exact name of the target NTFS drive.

Step 4. Now the NTFS disk should be in read & write mode, you can find and open the NTFS drive from Finder to start using it.

However, this method is not recommended by Apple Company since it may cause some disk corruption. If you insist on doing it, you should back up all important data on the NTFS drive to another safe place beforehand.

3. Format NTFS Drive to exFAT/APFS

Although the best way to mount external NTFS drives to read-write status is to use an NTFS for Mac app, if the NTFS disk is blank, you can reformat it to exFAT, FAT32, or APFS to make it writable.

Step 1. You can search for the Disk Utility app via Spotlight to open it.

Step 2. Find and choose the target NTFS drive from the left panel.

Step 3. Click the Erase button. Choose a preferred file system format that is compatible with Mac like exFAT, FAT32, or APFS. Follow the instructions to format the drive. If you need to use the NTFS hard disk on both Windows or Mac computers, it’s advised you choose exFAT or FAT32 since it is supported by both Mac and PC.

Bottom Line

This post provides 3 possible solutions to help you mount an NTFS drive in read-write mode on your Mac. Hope it helps.

If you need a Mac cleaner tool to manage and release Mac disk space and speed up your Mac, you can try BuhoCleaner.

Cassie

Cassie has been writing about technology for her entire career life - over 10 years. She enjoys diving into how Apple products work and then breaking it down in a way that anyone can understand.