You plug a Windows-formatted external hard drive into your Mac. Your files show up, and you can copy them off the drive. But you can’t save anything to it, delete files, or create a new folder. That’s normal macOS behavior for NTFS drives. This guide shows you the three ways to get NTFS write support on a Mac in 2026, and how to pick the right one for your drive.
The short answer: If the drive doesn’t need to stay NTFS, reformat it to exFAT. It’s free and built into macOS, but it erases everything on the drive. If the drive must stay NTFS and you want to keep its data, install a driver.
The free option is Mounty + NTFS-3G + macFUSE, but it’s the most advanced method in this guide and depends on installing a current, compatible macFUSE build. On macOS 27 Golden Gate, Mounty’s developer says that means macFUSE 5.4.0 or later. The paid options are Paragon or Tuxera, both of which offer a free trial and are installed from a single vendor installer.
Quick Reference: Which NTFS Method Should You Use?
| Your situation | Recommended method | Cost | Erases data? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drive only moves files between a Mac and a Windows PC, and it doesn’t need to stay NTFS | Reformat to exFAT in Disk Utility | Free | Yes, so back up first |
| Drive must stay NTFS, you don’t want to pay, and you’re comfortable with an advanced, less consistently supported setup | Mounty + NTFS-3G + macFUSE | Free | No |
| Drive must stay NTFS and you want the simplest, most reliable setup with support | Paragon or Tuxera NTFS for Mac | Free trial, then a paid license | No |
Why Can’t My Mac Write to an NTFS Drive?
NTFS (New Technology File System) is the format Windows uses for its internal drives and for many external drives. macOS ships with read-only NTFS support by design. It doesn’t include NTFS write access out of the box.
On a healthy NTFS drive you can typically open and copy files, but you can’t change anything on it without one of the methods below. If a drive stays read-only even with a driver, other causes can apply, such as a volume Windows left in a hibernated or Fast Startup state, file system damage, or permissions.
You may find older guides that describe a built-in “remount” trick to unlock writing. Don’t rely on it. Mounty’s developer reports that since macOS Ventura, the built-in mechanism that trick depended on is gone. That’s also why the Mounty app now needs companion drivers to work (more on that below).
What Are exFAT and NTFS Drivers?
- exFAT is a drive format that macOS and Windows can both read and write natively, with no extra software. Switching to it means erasing the drive.
- NTFS drivers are add-ons that teach macOS how to write to NTFS. They work on the drive as it is, so your existing files stay put.
Before You Begin
- A Mac running a currently supported version of macOS. This guide was checked against macOS 27 Golden Gate; each driver vendor lists its exact supported versions, so check before installing
- An administrator account on your Mac, so you can install drivers and approve system extensions
- The NTFS-formatted external drive you want to use
- A backup of the drive’s contents if you plan to reformat. A spare external SSD or hard drive works well for this.
- A working cable and port. If you’re on a USB-C-only MacBook, you may need a USB-C hub or adapter.
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Device | Any Mac that can run a currently supported macOS version |
| OS version | Check in Apple menu > About This Mac |
| Account | Administrator access for driver installs |
| Internet | Needed to download drivers and activate licenses |
Step-by-Step Guide
Step 1: Confirm the Drive Is Mounting Read-Only
- Connect the drive to your Mac.
- Open Finder and click the drive’s name in the sidebar under Locations.
- Choose File > New Folder (or press
Shift + Cmd + N).
Expected result: If you can see and copy files but New Folder is greyed out, macOS’s read-only NTFS behavior is the cause. You also won’t be able to drag files onto the drive or move files to the Trash.
Step 2: Decide Whether the Drive Needs to Stay NTFS
Ask yourself one question: Does this drive have to remain NTFS?
- No: For example, it’s a USB flash drive or portable hard drive you only use to shuttle files between your Mac and a Windows PC. Go to Method 1 (exFAT). It’s the simplest, most stable, and totally free fix.
- Yes: For example, it’s a drive pulled from a Windows PC, or you share it with people who only use Windows and expect NTFS. You’ll need a driver. Go to Method 2 (free) or Method 3 (paid).
Tip: If you don’t want to lose the data currently on the drive, and you have nowhere to back it up, skip Method 1. The driver methods don’t touch your existing files.
Method 1: Reformat the Drive to exFAT (Free, Built In)
Step 3: Back Up Everything on the Drive
Warning: Reformatting erases all files on the drive, and you can’t undo it afterward. Copy everything you want to keep to another drive or to cloud storage first.
Your Mac can already read NTFS, so you can drag files from the drive to your Mac or to another drive in Finder.
Step 4: Open Disk Utility and Select the Drive
- Press
Cmd + Space, type Disk Utility, and pressReturn. You can also go to Finder > Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility. - In the sidebar, under External, click your NTFS drive.
Double-check the name and size. You don’t want to erase the wrong disk.
Step 5: Erase the Drive as exFAT
- Click Erase in the toolbar.
- Type a new name for the drive.
- Open the Format dropdown and choose ExFAT.
- Click Erase and wait for the process to finish, then click Done.
Expected result: The drive reappears in Finder, and you can now read and write to it on both macOS and Windows with no extra software. Try creating a folder (Shift + Cmd + N) to confirm.
Method 2: Mounty + NTFS-3G + macFUSE (Free, Open Source, Advanced)
This route costs nothing and keeps your data intact, but it’s the most advanced method in this guide. It has three separate parts to install, and it depends on running a macFUSE version that’s actually compatible with your macOS release.
Mounty’s own documentation says that to work with macOS 27 “Golden Gate” you need macFUSE 5.4.0 or later (Mounty); an older macFUSE install may simply fail to load on a newer Mac. Some users also report additional stability quirks with the free stack compared to the commercial drivers, though that’s based on scattered reports rather than a formal study.
If you’d rather not deal with version-matching or Terminal commands, skip ahead to Method 3 (paid, with a free trial) or use Method 1 (exFAT) instead. Here’s what each part of the free stack does:
- macFUSE: a system layer that lets add-on file systems run on macOS
- NTFS-3G: the open-source NTFS driver that does the actual writing
- Mounty: a small menu bar app that remounts your NTFS drive in read/write mode
Since macOS Ventura, Mounty can’t do the job on its own. It needs both macFUSE and NTFS-3G installed, and on current macOS versions it also needs those components to be recent enough to be compatible.
Warning: Before you write anything important with a free driver, keep a backup of the drive. Always eject the drive properly before unplugging it. If macOS blocks the required extensions and you can’t get them approved, fall back to Method 1 or Method 3 rather than forcing it.
Step 6: Install macFUSE and NTFS-3G
Mounty’s current setup instructions, on its official site, use Homebrew (the command-line package manager for macOS) to install macFUSE and NTFS-3G. If you don’t already have Homebrew, install it first from brew.sh; that’s a single Terminal command plus your administrator password.
- Open Terminal (Finder > Applications > Utilities > Terminal).
- Install macFUSE:
brew install --cask macfuse - Install the NTFS-3G driver:
brew install gromgit/fuse/ntfs-3g-mac - Enter your administrator password if prompted, and confirm each install reports success.
If you’d rather avoid Terminal entirely, both macFUSE and NTFS-3G also publish traditional .pkg installers on their own project pages. Check the macFUSE and NTFS-3G sites linked from Mounty’s documentation for the current download links, since the maintainers primarily document the Homebrew commands above.
Step 7: Trust Both System Extensions
macOS blocks third-party system extensions like macFUSE and NTFS-3G until you approve them. Mounty’s documentation says you need to trust the macFUSE library (signed by “Benjamin Fleischer”) and the NTFS-3G driver in Privacy & Security, and that a restart is probably needed. Installing them does not approve them automatically, and skipping this step is a common reason the free method doesn’t work.
Apple silicon Macs need one extra step first. macFUSE’s documentation says third-party kernel extensions are disabled by default on Apple silicon.
The first time macFUSE’s kernel backend loads, macOS prompts you to enable system extensions, which means restarting into Recovery, choosing Reduced Security, and turning on Allow user management of kernel extensions from identified developers (macFUSE). macFUSE also documents a newer backend built on Apple’s FSKit (macOS 15.4 and later) that doesn’t need this security change, but check whether your NTFS-3G setup supports it before relying on it. If you aren’t comfortable lowering your Mac’s startup security, use Method 1 or Method 3 instead.
The exact prompts vary by macOS version, Mac type, and component, but the general flow looks like this:
- Open Apple menu > System Settings > Privacy & Security.
- Scroll to the Security section. If macOS has blocked one of the components, you’ll typically see a message there with an Allow button.
- Click Allow and enter your password. Repeat if macOS prompts again for the other component, or after a macFUSE update, which macFUSE says can prompt again.
- Restart your Mac. macFUSE’s documentation says you can use it after restarting, and Mounty notes a restart is probably needed for the NTFS-3G driver too.
If macOS refuses to let you approve the extension at all, or your Mac’s macOS version is older than what the current macFUSE release supports, stop here and use Method 1 or Method 3 instead.
Step 8: Install Mounty and Relaunch
- Install Mounty with Homebrew:
brew install --cask mounty. Alternatively, download it directly from mounty.app and drag it into your Applications folder. - Open Mounty from Applications. Its icon appears in the menu bar.
- Mounty itself is an ordinary app, not a system extension. If macOS shows a standard prompt the first time you open a downloaded app, confirm you want to open it.
Step 9: Remount the Drive in Read/Write Mode
- Connect your NTFS drive.
- Click the Mounty icon in the menu bar.
- Select the option to remount your drive in read/write mode.
Expected result: The drive reopens in Finder, and New Folder is no longer greyed out. Test it by copying a small file onto the drive.
Method 3: Paragon or Tuxera NTFS for Mac (Paid, With Free Trial)
Commercial drivers cost money after the trial. Each installs from one vendor installer and comes with vendor support, but you may still need to approve a system extension and restart (Step 11), and support and licensing terms differ between the two. Here’s how they compare on the details that matter for buying.
Pricing, trial length, and licensing terms can change, so confirm the current details directly on each vendor’s site before you buy:
| Paragon NTFS for Mac | Tuxera NTFS for Mac | |
|---|---|---|
| Free trial | 10 days, per Paragon’s product page | 14 or 15 days: Tuxera’s product page says 14 and its trial page says 15 (checked November 2026), so confirm when you download |
| Price | Check Paragon’s site for current pricing | Check Tuxera’s buy page for current pricing |
| Licensing | Paid license after trial | See Tuxera’s licensing FAQ for current terms |
| macOS support | Product page lists macOS 27 Golden Gate; see supported OS versions | Product page lists macOS 27 Golden Gate and earlier releases |
Step 10: Download and Run the Installer
- Go to the official Paragon or Tuxera product page and download the trial.
- Before installing, confirm the build supports your current macOS version.
- Open the installer and follow the prompts. Enter your administrator password when asked.
Step 11: Approve the Extension and Restart
- If macOS says system software was blocked, go to System Settings > Privacy & Security and click Allow, as in Step 7.
- Restart your Mac when the installer prompts you.
Step 12: Reconnect the Drive and Test
- Plug the NTFS drive back in.
- Open it in Finder and create a test folder, or copy a small file onto it.
Expected result: The write succeeds. The exact status display differs between Paragon and Tuxera, so the reliable test is that your test folder or file saves successfully.
Tip: Use the full trial period with your real drives before you pay. If writing works smoothly for your workflow, buy and activate a license before the trial ends.
Configuration
- System extension approval: This is off until you approve it in System Settings > Privacy & Security. macFUSE and NTFS-3G each require separate approval. Paragon and Tuxera likely need similar approval for their system extensions, but check each vendor’s current documentation to confirm.
- Mounty remount: Drives still mount read-only first. You remount each one through Mounty’s menu bar icon.
- License activation (Paragon/Tuxera): The driver starts in trial mode. Paragon says the driver locks after its trial until you activate a purchased license; follow each vendor’s own activation steps, which can differ.
Tips and Troubleshooting
The drive still mounts read-only after installing Mounty
Why it happens: Mounty alone no longer works on macOS Ventura and later. Fix: Install both NTFS-3G and macFUSE via Homebrew (or their individual installers), approve both extensions, restart your Mac, then remount the drive using Mounty’s menu bar icon.
The installer finished, but I still can’t write to the drive
Why it happens: Either macOS hasn’t approved one of the extensions, or you haven’t restarted since installing. Fix: Check System Settings > Privacy & Security for a pending approval on macFUSE and NTFS-3G and click Allow for each. Then restart your Mac and reconnect the drive.
The driver stopped working after a macOS update
Why it happens: Each vendor sets its own supported builds for new macOS releases, so an older driver build may not work on a newly updated Mac. For the free stack specifically, macFUSE has stated that macOS 27 needs macFUSE 5.4.0 or later.
Fix: Check the vendor’s compatibility page and install the latest build that lists your macOS version. For macFUSE, update via brew upgrade --cask macfuse or by downloading the current release directly.
The paid driver suddenly stopped allowing writes
Why it happens: The trial ended. Paragon’s trial runs 10 days, and Tuxera’s pages list 14 or 15 days. Fix: Buy and activate a license, or switch to Method 1 or Method 2.
I lost my files after reformatting
Why it happens: Erasing a drive in Disk Utility wipes all its data, whatever format you choose. Fix: Restore from your backup. Next time, always back up before you click Erase.
The drive doesn’t show up at all
Why it happens: Start with the simple causes: a cable, port, or power problem. Other possible causes include a damaged partition table or file system, an incompatible enclosure or USB bridge, or a driver or security setting that’s blocking it.
Fix: Try a different USB-C cable, a different port, or a powered USB hub. Then check whether the drive appears in Disk Utility (choose View > Show All Devices). If it doesn’t show up there at all, start with the cable, enclosure, and port, since an NTFS write driver can’t help until macOS can see the disk. If Mounty reports the volume as “dirty”, its developer recommends repairing it on a Windows PC with chkdsk.
Are free NTFS drivers safe?
Many people use them successfully, but they’re also the least polished of the three methods and depend on you keeping macFUSE and NTFS-3G versions current with your macOS release. Some users report more stability quirks with the free route than with the commercial drivers, based on anecdotal reports rather than formal testing.
If the drive holds irreplaceable files, keep a backup regardless of which method you use. If you can’t get the extensions approved or kept up to date, a paid driver or an exFAT reformat is the more dependable choice.
Wrapping Up
You can now get your Mac writing to NTFS drives, and you know which method fits your drive. My honest take: most people with a simple transfer drive should just back it up and reformat to exFAT. There’s nothing to install, nothing to update, and nothing to break.
If the drive has to stay NTFS, try the Paragon or Tuxera trial first. Save the free Mounty route for when cost matters more than convenience, and only if you’re comfortable keeping macFUSE and NTFS-3G updated and approved.
| Step | Action | Applies To |
|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | Confirm read-only behavior and decide if the drive must stay NTFS | Everyone |
| 3–5 | Back up, then erase the drive as exFAT in Disk Utility | Method 1 |
| 6–9 | Install macFUSE + NTFS-3G via Homebrew, approve both extensions, install Mounty, remount | Method 2 |
| 10–12 | Install Paragon or Tuxera, approve, restart, test | Method 3 |