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[Karon Howey]

How to Write to NTFS Drives on Mac

If you have a Windows-formatted NTFS drive that you want to use with your Mac, you might be frustrated by the fact that macOS only allows you to read from it, not write to it. This means you can't create, edit, or delete files or folders on the NTFS drive, which can be inconvenient if you need to transfer or backup data between different operating systems.

Fortunately, there are some solutions that can enable you to write to NTFS drives on Mac without formatting or erasing them. In this article, we will show you three methods that can help you achieve this goal: using a third-party software, using a built-in command-line tool, and using an external service.

Method 1: Using a Third-Party Software

One of the easiest and most reliable ways to write to NTFS drives on Mac is to use a third-party software that can mount the NTFS drive as a writable volume. There are several options available on the market, such as Paragon NTFS for Mac, Tuxera NTFS for Mac, iBoysoft NTFS for Mac, etc. These software usually offer a free trial period and then require a license fee to continue using them.

To use a third-party software to write to NTFS drives on Mac, you need to download and install the software on your Mac, then connect your NTFS drive to your Mac. The software will automatically detect and mount the NTFS drive as a writable volume. You can then access and modify the files and folders on the NTFS drive as if it were a native Mac drive.

Method 2: Using a Built-in Command-Line Tool

Another method to write to NTFS drives on Mac is to use a built-in command-line tool called ntfs-3g that is part of the macOS system. However, this method is not recommended for beginners or casual users, as it involves some technical steps and risks. You need to have some knowledge of Terminal commands and be careful not to damage your system or data.

To use ntfs-3g to write to NTFS drives on Mac, you need to disable System Integrity Protection (SIP) on your Mac first. SIP is a security feature that prevents unauthorized modifications to system files and folders. To disable SIP, you need to boot your Mac into Recovery Mode by holding down Command+R during startup, then open Terminal from the Utilities menu and enter the following command:

csrutil disable

Then reboot your Mac normally and connect your NTFS drive to your Mac. Open Terminal again and enter the following command to find out the device name of your NTFS drive:

diskutil list

You will see something like /dev/disk2s1 under the IDENTIFIER column. This is the device name of your NTFS drive. Next, enter the following command to create a mount point for your NTFS drive:

sudo mkdir /Volumes/NTFS

You can replace NTFS with any name you want. Then enter the following command to mount your NTFS drive as a writable volume using ntfs-3g:

sudo /usr/local/bin/ntfs-3g /dev/disk2s1 /Volumes/NTFS -olocal -oallow_other

You need to replace /dev/disk2s1 with the device name of your NTFS drive and /Volumes/NTFS with the mount point you created. You will be asked to enter your administrator password. After that, you can access and modify the files and folders on your NTFS drive from Finder or any other application.

To unmount your NTFS drive safely, enter the following command:

sudo umount /Volumes/NTFS

You need to replace /Volumes/NTFS with the mount point you created. Then disconnect your NTFS drive from your Mac. You can also re-enable SIP by booting into Recovery Mode again and entering the following command:

csrutil enable

Method 3: Using an External Service

A third method to write to NTFS drives on Mac is to use an external service that can convert your NTFS drive to a compatible format without losing data. One such service is DiskInternals Linux Reader, which is a free

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