How to Open an NTFS-Formatted Drive on a Mac
NTFS (New Technology File System) is a Windows file format that macOS can read natively but cannot write to without additional tools. If you have an NTFS-formatted external drive, such as a USB or hard drive, you can open and view its contents on your Mac immediately. However, to edit or write files, you’ll need a workaround. This guide explains how to open an NTFS drive on your Mac and options for enabling full access.
What Is an NTFS-Formatted Drive?
NTFS is a file system developed by Microsoft for Windows, widely used for external drives due to its support for large files and better performance compared to older formats like FAT32. While macOS can read NTFS drives out of the box, writing to them requires extra steps because Apple does not have a license for full NTFS support.
How to Open an NTFS-Formatted Drive on a Mac (Read-Only)
macOS natively supports reading NTFS drives, so you can open and view files without any additional software.
- Connect the Drive: Plug your NTFS-formatted drive into your Mac’s USB port.
- Open Finder: The drive should automatically appear in the Finder sidebar under “Devices.”
- Access the Drive: Click the drive’s name to open it and view its contents.
If the drive doesn’t appear, you can manually access it:
- Open Finder, click Go > Go to Folder, and type /Volumes/NAME (replace “NAME” with your drive’s name, e.g., /Volumes/MyDrive).
- Click Go to open the drive.
You can now view and copy files from the drive to your Mac, but you cannot edit, delete, or add files directly on the drive.
How to Enable Read/Write Access for an NTFS Drive on a Mac
To modify files on an NTFS drive, you’ll need to enable write support. Here are two reliable methods:
Method 1: Use a Third-Party NTFS Driver
Third-party tools can enable full read/write access to NTFS drives on macOS. A recommended option is iBoysoft NTFS for Mac, known for its reliability and compatibility with macOS Sequoia and Apple silicon Macs.
- Download and Install: Download iBoysoft NTFS for Mac from its official website and install it.
- Connect the Drive: Plug in your NTFS drive. The software will automatically detect it.
- Mount the Drive: The app will mount the drive with read/write access. You may need to grant “Full Disk Access” in System Settings > Privacy & Security.
- Access via Finder: Open the drive in Finder to read, write, edit, or delete files as needed.
Other tools like Paragon NTFS for Mac or Microsoft NTFS for Mac by Tuxera are also effective but may require a purchase after a trial period.
Method 2: Reformat the Drive to a Compatible Format
If you don’t need to keep the NTFS format, you can reformat the drive to exFAT, which is natively read/write compatible with both macOS and Windows.
Note: This will erase all data on the drive, so back up important files first (e.g., on a Windows PC).
- Open Disk Utility: Go to Finder > Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility.
- Select the Drive: In Disk Utility, select your NTFS drive from the sidebar.
- Erase the Drive: Click Erase, choose exFAT as the format, and set the scheme to GUID Partition Map.
- Confirm and Erase: Click Erase to reformat the drive. Once done, the drive will be fully compatible with your Mac for reading and writing.
Troubleshooting: If the NTFS Drive Doesn’t Mount
If your NTFS drive doesn’t appear in Finder, try these steps:
- Check Disk Utility: Open Disk Utility and see if the drive is listed. If it is, select it and click Mount.
- Use Terminal: Open Terminal (Finder > Applications > Utilities > Terminal), type diskutil list to find your drive’s identifier (e.g., /dev/disk2s1), then type diskutil mount /dev/disk2s1 to mount it.
- Check for Corruption: If the drive still doesn’t mount, it might be corrupted. Use Disk Utility’s First Aid to repair it, or reformat as a last resort after backing up data.
Why Consider exFAT Over NTFS?
While third-party tools work well, they rely on external software that may not always be updated for new macOS versions. Reformatting to exFAT eliminates this dependency, as it’s natively supported by both macOS and Windows. exFAT also supports files larger than 4GB, unlike FAT32, making it a better choice for most users.
Opening an NTFS-formatted drive on a Mac is straightforward for reading, thanks to macOS’s native support. For full read/write access, using a tool like iBoysoft NTFS for Mac is the easiest solution, or you can reformat the drive to exFAT for seamless compatibility. Always back up your data before making changes to avoid accidental loss.
