Best NTFS Apps – Write to NTFS Drives For Mac

NTFS stands for New Technology File System, designed by Microsoft. Some of the modern features of NTFS include setting access rights for files, recording data changes, creating backup copies, encryption, and setting disk quota limits. Unfortunately, when it comes to Windows NTFS-formatted USBs or external hard drives, Macs are built only for reading.

In this post, I want to introduce the three most popular and effective add-on drivers in this section: Tuxera NTFS, iBoysoft NTFS for Mac and Paragon NTFS. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, so choose the one that best meets your needs.

Microsoft NTFS for Mac by Paragon

Paragon NTFS for Mac is the only NTFS driver on the market that provides full read/write NTFS access with the same high speed as native HFS + files. Also, it is the first NTFS driver to support Snow Leopard 32 and 64-bit modes.

Paragon NTFS for Mac allows quick and secure access to NTFS partitions from macOS 10.13 High Sierra. In particular, its features include:

iBoysoft NTFS for Mac

Boysoft NTFS for Mac is a light-weight app that grants users full read-write access to Windows NTFS-formatted volumes on Mac computer. The app is fully compatible with a large range of Mac OS, especially in macOS 11 Big Sur and macOS 10.15 Catalina.

Tuxera NTFS for Mac

Tuxera NTFS uses the same external USB drives for both Mac and Windows PCs so that you can switch drives in the simplest way possible. Fast transfer speed supported by advanced technology helps save your time. It allows you to enjoy speedy saving and copying files process between your Mac and USB drives without waiting for too long.

Another advanced technology used in Tuxera NTFS is fail-safe technology. You do not have to worry about data loss since it makes sure that all your information (videos, pictures, documents, etc.) is safe.

Comparison Between Tuxera And Paragon NTFS

How To Write On NTFS Without Using Software

1. Use terminal and command line

First, you need to use Finder to open Terminal. Click Go → Utilities → Terminal

Start Terminal and then type the code:

sudo umount /Volumes/NAME
sudo mount -t ntfs -o rw,auto,nobrowse /dev/disk3s1 ~/ntfs-volume

or

sudo nano /etc/fstab

Add “LABEL=NAME none ntfs rw,auto,nobrowse” to fstab.

This is a bit confusing for those who are not familiar with command line. However, don’t worry and follow the instructions. I believe it is clearly stated so that you can easily follow the process.

2. Use 3G-NTFS

3G-NTFS is open source software, supported on Android, Mac and other operating systems. Here, I give you specific instructions on installing and using 3G-NTFS.

Most of the distributions have 3G-NTFS as its default software. If it is the old version, you can install a new one from the source code. Remember to install the two basic tools: gcc compiler, libc-dev libraries before. Type:

./configure
make
make install #

or

'sudo make install'

Now you have installed 3G-NTFS successfully. What to do next? Follow these steps. If the NTFS volume is mounted during the installation process, unmount it by typing the following line at the end of the /etc/fstab file:

/dev/sda1 /mnt/windows ntfs-3g defaults 0 0

For more information about 3G-NTFS and its usage, you can visit here.