How to Mount NTFS Drive Read-Write on Mac – 3 Ways
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.
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. Popular tools include Paragon NTFS for Mac, Tuxera NTFS for Mac, iBoysoft NTFS for Mac, EaseUS NTFS for Mac, macFUSE (free), NTFS Tool (free), etc.
Step 1. Download and install a preferred NTFS for Mac tool from its official website.
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. Click the Mount button to mount the NTFS drive on your Mac. 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.
Step 4. If you want to make the NTFS drive always mount in read-write mode, you can tick the option "Automatically mount for read and write access" or alike options in the software.
Related: Best Format for Mac External Hard Drive
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.
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.
