Moving from Windows to the new macOS High Sierra is not easy especially when you want to transfer files between the two computers. By default, macOS High Sierra is set to read and write FAT formatted hard drives. But in the Windows world, New Technology File System (NTFS) drives are the most common. This is not without reason. NTFS drives are available in large volume sizes and have a fast access speed among many other likable attributes. macOS High Sierra can read NTFS formatted files but it cannot write on them. However, with the help of a reliable app, you can be able to read and write on NTFS drives as you wish.
There’s a translation layer to enforce the NTFS permissions that any client (Mac, Windows, Linux) would have to satisfy to get to shared files, but the basic access should be done via an SMB mount from the Mac. Steps below are from Mojave, but should apply for any MacOS system later than about 10.10. https://pugxini.weebly.com/blog/accounting-software-for-mac. Open Finder on the Mac.
There are many applications that claim to be the best Mac NTFS. With these, Mac users are able to add, delete, modify and alter files on NTFS drives. Among the many NTFS for Mac programs, we have chosen the best apps and will give you more details about these. If you have been looking for a good program that will give you total access to NTFS drive.
Best Mac NTFS Software1. Paragon NTFS
This is the fastest Mac NTFS program. With this in your High Sierra, you will be able to read and write on NTFS drives with speeds of up to six times more than the competitors. If you want to control NTFS drives fast then this is the software to get.
Speed is not all the Paragon NTFS 15 boasts of. Using this software you can read and write NTFS drives of unlimited sizes. From a low capacity NTFS flash drive to high capacity NTFS formatted SSDs, you can read and write using Paragon NTFS. All NTFS file systems are supported including the latest.
You will find the new Menu bar that can be accessed via the Finder to be very helpful. With it, you can access all the functions of Paragon NTFS. The interface is also very easy to use and users can choose between using a dark or light theme.
A hot deal just for you. The Paragon NTFS 15 for Mac is sold at $19.95 with a 10-day free trial.
2. Tuxera
With Tuxera you will be able to enable NTFS to write on your Mac with ease. The program does do what it promises which is to enable users delete, rename and add files and folders to NTFS formatted drives. You will be able to do this regardless of the version of macOS you are using including the High Sierra.
With the Tuxera NTFS for Mac also comes a caching layer which protects all the data in the drive. Also, when a person buys Tuxera NTFS for Mac, they get a Tuxera disk manager software which helps maintain all the drives in the Mac.
Before you can put your money to paying for this app, Tuxera NTFS is sold at $31 and gives you the opportunity to try it for a period of 15 days free of charge.
3. Mounty
If you do not want to spend and get the best NTFS for Mac program out there, this is the next best option. It is NTFS for Mac free app and gives users read and write access to all the folders and files stored in NTFS drives. You will also be able to manage files and drives easily using this app.
When you insert a new NTFS formatted drive, you will receive an alert reminding you to activate writing.
Visit Mounty site here.
Writing to NTFS drives on your Mac should not be an issue. All you need is to have the best Mac NTFS Software 2018. Choose from the above and you will be happy. It is important to note that though NTFS for Mac free programs do allow users to write on NTFS drives, they are not nearly as effective and reliable as the paid options. The latter is faster, give you more control and secure the contents of the drive. Some even come with file managers that make it easy to manage all the hard drives in the Mac. When choosing a reliable NTFS write enabling software to consider how fast it works. Paragon NTFS 15 is the fastest with a speed that rivals that of how Macs read and write drives that are natively supported. If you want fast access to NTFS drives, this is the best option. Ensure that you have the priorities clear before you choose the NTFS software to use.
So, you just bought an external hard drive or a portable SSD and wanted to use it on your Mac. But somehow, macOS doesn’t allow you to write data to the drive.
That’s all because it’s been initialized with Windows NT File System (NTFS), which is primarily for PCs. Apple Mac machines support a different file system.
In this post, I’m going to show you how to format your external drive for a Mac compatible file system i.e. Mac OS Extended (Journaled). Just follow this easy step-by-step guide and you’re all set.
What Is Ntfs For Mac Os X
Important note: If you have useful files stored on the external drive, be sure to copy or transfer them to another safe place prior to formatting. The operation will erase all data and your files will be gone for good. You could use a recovery program like Data Rescue to retrieve them, but the odds of recovery vary.
Pro tip: If your external drive has a large volume, like mine – a 2TB Seagate Expansion. I highly recommend you also create multiple partitions. I’ll also show you how to do that below.
Most External Hard Drives Are Initiated with NTFS
During the last several years, I’ve used several removable drives, including a 500GB WD My Passport, 32GB Lexar flash drive, and a few others.
Three weeks ago, I bought a brand new 2TB Seagate Expansion to backup my MacBook Pro before I updated to the latest macOS, 10.13 High Sierra (also see those High Sierra issues I encountered).
When I connected the Seagate to my Mac, the drive icon showed up like this.
When I opened it, the default content was all there. Since I wanted to use it on Mac, I clicked the blue logo with the text “Start_Here-Mac”.
It brought me to a webpage on Seagate’s site, where it clearly indicated the drive was initially set up to work with a Windows PC. If I wanted to use it with Mac OS or Time Machine backup (which is my intent), I’ll need to format the drive for my Mac.
I then right-clicked the external drive icon on Mac desktop > Get Info. It showed this format:
Format: Windows NT File System (NTFS)
What is NTFS? I’m not going to explain here; you can read more on Wikipedia. The problem is that on macOS, you can’t work with files saved on an NTFS drive unless you use a paid app Paragon NTFS for Mac.
How to Format an External Drive to Work with Mac (from NTFS to Mac OS Extended)?
Note: The tutorial and screenshots below are based on macOS Sierra 10.12.5. They might be different if your Mac has a different version.
Step 1: Open Disk Utility.
The quickest way to do this is a simple Spotlight search (click the search icon on the upper right corner), or go to Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility.
Step 2: Highlight your external drive and click “Erase”.
Make sure your drive is connected. It should show up on the left panel under “External”. Select that disk and click the “Erase” button, the one highlighted in red in the screenshot below.
Step 3: Select “Mac OS Extended (Journaled)” in Format.
A new window will pop up asking which file system you’d like to format the external drive to. By default, it’s the Windows NT File System (NTFS). Select the one shown below.
Pro tip: If you want to use the external drive for both Mac and PC, you can also select “ExFAT”. Learn more about the differences between these file systems from this thread.
By the way, you can also rename your external drive.
Step 4: Wait until the erasing process is complete.
For me, it took less than a minute to format my 2TB Seagate Expansion.
You can also check to see if the format was successful. Right-click on the icon for your external drive on Mac desktop, then select “Get Info”. Under “Format”, you should see text like this:
Congratulations! Now your external drive has been formatted to be fully compatible with Apple MacOS, and you can edit, read, and write files to it as you want.
What Is Paragon Ntfs For Mac 15How to Partition an External Hard Drive on Mac
If you want to create multiple partitions on your external hard drive (in fact, you should for better file organization), here’s a step-by-step guide:
Step 1: Highlight your drive and click “Partition” in Disk Utility.
Open the Disk Utility app and highlight your external hard drive. Make sure you select the disk icon right under “External”. Acrobat pro 2017 for mac. If you select the one below it, the Partition option will be greyed out and become unclickable.
Step 2: Add partitions and allocate volume for each one.
After clicking “Partition”, you’ll see this window. Located on the left is a big blue circle with the name of your external drive together with its volume size. What you need to do next is click the add “+” button to increase the number of partitions on your external disk. Then allocate the desired volume to each partition. You can do that by clicking the small white circle and dragging it around.
After that, you can rename each partition and define a file system for it.
Step 3: Confirm your operation.
Ntfs Driver For Mac
Once you hit “Apply”, a new window pops up asking for your confirmation. Take a few seconds to read the text description to make sure it reflects what you intend to do, then click the “Partition” button to continue.
How To Write Ntfs On Mac
Step 4: Wait until it says “Operation successful.”
To check whether the operation is really successful, go to your Mac desktop. You should see multiple disk icons show up. I chose to create two partitions on my Seagate Expansion — one for backup, the other for personal use. You can find more info in this post: How to Backup Mac to an External Hard Drive.
That wraps up this tutorial article. I hope you find it helpful. As always, let me know if you have any issues during the formatting or partitioning process.
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