Written by
Henrique Vieira7 Best NTFS for Mac Free Software - 2023 Updated Checklist
Summary: This post introduces and compares the best 7 NTFS drivers that can help you have full read and write access to Windows NTFS drives on Mac, M1 Mac, and M2 Mac. iBoysoft NTFS for Mac is ideal and you can free download it now.
Update: Sadly, Apple has changed the entire mount process on macOS Ventura. It removed the previous kernel-based architecture - /System/Library/Extensions/ntfs.kext. It means all free NTFS drivers for Mac including Mounty for NTFS and others and terminal commands will not function on macOS 13 Ventura and macOS 14 Sonoma anymore.
This post compares 7 Microsoft NTFS for Mac software, including freeware and paid apps. A third-party NTFS driver will help you read NTFS drive on Mac and enable Mac NTFS writing support, solving your Mac external hard drive read-only problem.
How we picked and tested Microsoft NTFS for Mac apps:
To test and compare the 7 top-rated Mac NTFS driver tools, we created a virtual machine with macOS Ventura and other 6 clones to make sure all apps were installed and operated in the same system environment.
Then we connected an NTFS drive and tried to move 400 files that contain different file types (documents, audio, images, videos, etc.) into the NTFS drive to test if the drive was successfully mounted in read-write mode. Then we conducted a few same write operations to the NTFS drive to test if the most common NTFS write functionalities were supported.
iBoysoft NTFS for Mac, Paragon NTFS for Mac, and Tuxera NTFS for Mac were also tested on a 2020 MacBook Air 13.3" to compare their performance and compatibility with Apple Silicon.
Mac NTFS reading and writing software Review Summary
| 🔢 Number of tested tools | 10 |
| ⌛ Overall test time | 2 weeks |
| 💻 Device we tested on | 2017 MacBook Air 13.3", 2020 MacBook Air 13.3" |
| 💻 macOS version we tested on | 12.2.1 Monterey, 13.0 Ventura |
| 💰 Average cost | $0 |
Table of Contents:
- 1. iBoysoft NTFS for Mac
- 2. Mounty for NTFS
- 3. NTFS-3G
- 4. FUSE for macOS
- 5. SL-NTFS
- 6. Paragon NTFS for Mac
- 7. Tuxera NTFS for Mac
- 8. What is NTFS for Mac?
- 9. Why do you need a free NTFS driver for your Mac?
- 10. FAQs
Let's share these wonderful NTFS for Mac Free software with others!
iBoysoft NTFS for Mac
iBoysoft NTFS for Mac is the ultimate Microsoft NTFS solution to mount Microsoft NTFS drives in read-write mode on your Mac including all Mac models such as MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Pro, and Mac Studio. Now it can run on macOS 14 Sonoma Beta and 13 Ventura.
Update: iBoysoft NTFS for Mac V4.2 is the first solution worldwide to the issue that Microsoft NTFS disks won't mount on macOS Catalina (10.15.7) after the security update 2022-003. Know more information about the NTFS drive not mounting on macOS Catalina issue.
#NTFS for M1 Mac #NTFS for M2 Mac #Monterey#Ventura#Sonoma Beta
- Pros:
- Support macOS from High Sierra to Sonoma Beta
- Fully compatible with Apple M1, M1 Pro, M1 Max, and M2 Mac
- Repair NTFS file system errors
- Erase NTFS volume for data cleanup
- Format drive to NTFS
- Cons:
- No support by phone
How to use iBoysoft NTFS for Mac for free
1. Free download this software, install and launch on your Mac.
2. Connect the read-only Microsoft NTFS drive to your Mac.
3. It will automatically mount all NTFS partitions in read-write mode. Then you can write, delete, modify, and copy files to the NTFS drive on Mac smoothly.
Overall experience
Compared with other Microsoft NTFS driver software, iBoysoft NTFS for Mac tops the list. After a free download and a simple installation process, it allows users to use the NTFS drive and manage Mac NTFS files directly.
Full Review
This small menu bar utility uses an intuitive interface, showing a list of detected NTFS volumes and disk management tools. NTFS drive for Mac computer by iBoysoft makes it simple, fast, and efficient to write to NTFS drives on M1 Mac and Macs with M2 and Intel chips.
With NTFS driver for Mac software, users can copy and modify files on NTFS drives for free. It enables you to write or edit to your WD My Passport drive simply, as long as you install this iBoysoft WD NTFS driver for Mac.
Additional features: iBoysoft's tool is highlighted with simple disk management foreground, including one-click to open volume, clean NTFS partition, repair NTFS file system corruption, unmount NTFS disk, erase other disks to the Microsoft NTFS, etc.
Sum-up: User-friendly interface, plug-and-play usability, easy-to-use, and technical support make iBoysoft's NTFS driver the top NTFS driver.
Editor's Review: We find iBoysoft NTFS for Mac very impressive in our testing. Firstly, it performs very fast while transferring files from Mac computers to Microsoft-formatted external drives. Secondly, it adds additional disk management features, making it possible to reformat, check and repair an NTFS drive without any hassle. What struck us most is that the software works in full auto mode and you can't even feel its existence. - CravingTech.com
Surprised by the excellent Microsoft NTFS drivers? Share with your friends and families right now!
Mounty for NTFS
Mounty for NTFS is another NTFS driver for Mac free software that helps write NTFS drives on your Mac.
#Freeware#Big Sur
- Pros:
- 100% Free
- Runs on Apple Silicon M1 Mac
- The latest version supports Maverick to Monterey
- Fast and free download the full version
- Cons:
- Not supported on Ventura
- Rather than slow write speed
- Unstable and data-risky
- No technical support
- Not show volumes in Finder
Overall experience
Mounty for NTFS is a free program accessed from both a DMG installer and Homebrew. It's exclusively prepared for remounting NTFS formatted hard drives in read-write mode on Mac computers. This freeware makes it easy to share files between Windows and macOS platforms.
Full Review
Mounty for NTFS comes with a frugal appearance. It is very easy to install and launch Mounty, and this utility will be a menu bar utility with a plain interface, only showing the list of remounted NTFS drives. This free NTFS reading and writing software works in a flow of Mac mounting NTFS drives in read-only mode first, and a notification pops up when it's ready, then remounting the disk with write access in the Finder window.
As an NTFS reader and writer freeware, it is common to encounter issues such as missing files and uneditable files.
Other Highlights: Mounty for NTFS won't install a third-party driver but makes use of the mechanisms built in macOS - native Mac NTFS free write support.
Sum-up: Though Mounty for NTFS is free and simple, you need to bear the risk of data loss, disk failure, and slow transfer speed. Anyhow, it's good enough for freeware.
Editor's Review: It uses the built-in capability of OS X and will not install any additional drivers. This makes Mounty a small and handy utility for your daily file-sharing workflow. - MacUpdate.com
NTFS-3G
NTFS-3G is a completely free NTFS for Mac program by Tuxera to read and write NTFS drives on macOS, Linux, Android, FreeBSD, and other operating systems.
#Open source#Freeware#Command line operation
- Pros:
- Freeware
- Support macOS 10.12 - macOS Big Sur
- Cons:
- Not supported on Ventura, Monterey, and Apple silicon Mac
- Complicated installation
- Command-line based
- Noticeably slow write speed
- No technical support
Overall Experience
Set aside its advantage of being free, NTFS-3G receives many complaints because of its poor performance and poor usability. It is basically a code source and requires extensive knowledge of command lines, FUSE for macOS, Homebrew, or Xcode to be able to compile the code, which makes the installation process unfriendly.
Editor's Review: NTFS-3G for Mac adds drivers to your OS X installation that allows you to read and write to NTFS-formatted thumb and external hard drives as if you're using a Windows machine. The software comes free of charge and features several advanced options such as caching and filename normalization. Overall, it performs well, with speeds approaching those you would get in Windows. - download.cnet.com
FUSE for macOS
FUSE for macOS (OSXFUSE) allows you to extend Mac's native file management capabilities through a third-party universal file system including SSHFS, NTFS-3G, EXT, and OXFS. Installing this Mac NTFS free driver package is actually installing a compatibility layer to macOS, allowing users to use any fully functional file system written atop it to work with NTFS files.
#Open source#Freeware#Monterey
- Pros:
- Free tool
- Support macOS from OS X 10.9 to macOS 13
- Fully compatible with Apple Silicon M1 Mac
- Available in multiple languages
- Cons:
- Can't auto-mount NTFS partitions
- Complicated to use
- No technical support
Overall experience
FUSE for macOS is more cumbersome and less secure to mount NTFS partitions in read-write mode as every time you need to manually mount the NTFS partitions to write NTFS drives on Mac. This NTFS driver for Mac free resource also requires familiarity with Xcode and command lines to install a universal file system on it.
Full Review
Sum-up: A lot of feedback from forums and the official page shows there are some compatibility issues with this free NTFS support tool. It also requires a tech background in command lines. It's recommended for developers who are aware of the risks and benefits well.
User's Comment: It was sometimes necessary for older mac OSX to have access to other file systems. there were (older) applications that needed this. Nowadays you normally do not have a need for it. Modern OSX does not like it very much. I would advise you to uninstall it. If you still have an app that protests after de uninstall, you can use a modern version of that app or replace it with another app. - discussions.apple.com
SL-NTFS
SL-NTFS represents Snow Leopard NTFS and it is just a free interface on Apple Mac computer to enable NTFS writing. It is a very basic Microsoft NTFS for Mac tool that can only enable write access and mount/unmount NTFS disks.
#Free app#OS X
- Pros:
- Write NTFS drives free
- Writable access to an NTFS volume
- Simple to install with a small file size
- Cons:
- Not supported on Ventura to Catalina and Apple silicon
- Not support large files and volumes
- Failure in writing to NTFS external HDDs
- Conflict with other NTFS support software
- No maintenance since 2010
- No technical support
Overall experience
Generally speaking, the usage and installation of SL-NTFS are relatively simple. Once the archive is unzipped and launched, all internal and external NTFS volumes will be listed with the status of reading and writing. Then, just tick the box under “Write permission” to enable Mac NTFS free write access.
Full Review
Sum-up: SL-NTFS is the least recommended free app that supports NTFS reading and writing because of its poor compatibility and untrusted performance. For one-time use, you may have a try.
Editor's Review: This is basically an interface that allows you to configure Apple's NTFS driver. The app is free of charge and the installation is super easy. - techsviewer.com
Paragon NTFS for Mac
Paragon NTFS driver is a file system driver, which allows macOS to write to Windows NTFS-formatted hard drives, SSD, USB thumb drives, etc. It claims to grant full read-write access to Microsoft NTFS on a Mac computer.
#10-day free trial#NTFS for M1 Mac#NTFS for M2 Mac#Ventura#Monterey
- Pros:
- 10-day free trial
- Support macOS from High Sierra to Ventura
- Repair NTFS file system errors
- Fast read/write access
- Friendly and modern UI
- Cons:
- Advertising updates and notifications
- Extremely hard to uninstall
- Charge for upgrading
- Loss of users' login account and password
Overall experience
This tool works well in mounting an NTFS volume in the read-write mode most of the time. Like most products that support NTFS writing, you need to download, install, and connect NTFS formatted disks to your Mac to make it effective. It's a commercial NTFS driver but you can try it free for ten days. However, after that trial period, it's a different story to uninstall it from your Mac.
Full Review
Sum-up: Microsoft NTFS support by Paragon allows users to write, edit, copy, move, and delete files on Microsoft NTFS volumes from their Mac. But it's not recommended if you are just a bonus hunter who wants to try a free product. You nearly are unable to uninstall it from your Mac after a 10-day trial period. Read the full review.
Editor's Review: I was impressed with Paragon's NTFS driver. It's an easy and brief install procedure that provides much-needed support for writing to NTFS volumes from Mac OS X. There is a range of usage scenarios, from switchers to Boot Campers and those who need to share drives between Windows and OS X computers. - MakeUseOf.com
Tuxera NTFS for Mac
Tuxera NTFS driver for Mac is a commercial Microsoft NTFS implementation for macOS built on the base of NTFS-3G.
#15-day free trial#NTFS for M1 Mac#Big Sur#Monterey
- Pros:
- Free trial for 15 days
- Support macOS 12 - Mac OS X 10.4
- Fully compatible with Apple Silicon M1 Mac
- Cons:
- Not supported on Ventura
- Prone to corrupt users' data
- Commercial Windows NTFS add-on driver
- Slower data transfer rate
Overall experience
Speaking of its performance, the Tuxera NTFS driver for macOS does the same work as other free NTFS for Mac alternatives, helping open, copy, move, and delete files on Windows drives with NTFS format. But a big notice is that it's more likely to corrupt data when you transfer files between Windows PC and Mac using an NTFS flash drive.
Tuxera NTFS for Mac not mounting drive on macOS Monterey/Big Sur
Tuxera NTFS for Mac has difficulty mounting Microsoft NTFS drives sometimes. Find solutions in this post to solve the problem. Read more >>
Full Review
Sum-up: Though not completely free, you can try Tuxera with a generous 15-day trial before paying for a lifetime license key. However, you should always back files up in case of data corruption. Read the full review.
Editor's Review: Most users will notice the quick execution by Tuxera, and with the increased security – there's also one more thing where Tuxera excels. It's the ability to help and prevent file loss even before the error happens. It can preserve files in various cases such as power cuts without damaging the drive itself. - TheSweetBits.com
Conclusion
The comparison table intuitively helps you decide which Mac NTFS driver is the best for you.
| Supported macOS | Auto-mount | Transfer Speed | Price | Modern Interface | Other highlights | |
| iBoysoft NTFS for Mac | macOS 14 Beta - macOS 10.13 | Yes | Fast | Free trial | Yes | 1. Support M2, and all M1 series 2. Clean NTFS 3. Format to NTFS |
| Mounty for Mac | macOS 12 - OS X 10.9 | No | Slow | Free | Yes | N/A |
| NTFS-3G macOS | macOS 11 - OS X 10.6 | No | Slow | Free | No | N/A |
| FUSE for macOS | macOS 13 - OS X 10.6 | Yes | Slow | Free | No | N/A |
| SL-NTFS | macOS 10.12 - OS X 10.6 | No | Slow | Free | Yes | N/A |
| Paragon | macOS 13 - 10.12 | Yes | Fast | Free trial | Yes | 1. Format to NTFS 2. Support M1 & M2 Mac |
| Tuxera | macOS 12 - OS X 10.4 | Yes | Relatively slow | Free trial | Yes | 1. Check NTFS 2. Support M1 Mac |
All Mac NTFS free driver software has obvious flaws or shortcomings (like slow write speed, poor compatibility, and no technical support). Some disadvantages can even put your data at risk. If you don't care about the risks and want to try out the free NTFS reading and writing programs, Mounty for NTFS or FUSE for macOS is better free ones.
Most NTFS for Mac free drivers are for earlier macOS editions, and few of them work smoothly with macOS Big Sur, macOS Monterey, or the latest macOS Ventura, especially on Apple Silicon Macs.
With a little budget, you have a better alternative to Mac NTFS free tools - iBoysoft NTFS for Mac. You can get enough reliability, stability, compatibility, and simplicity. It can provide a lot of Mac NTFS merits that an NTFS free driver app doesn't do including repairing and formatting Microsoft NTFS.
What is NTFS for Mac?
NTFS stands for New Technology File System which is a proprietary file system developed by Microsoft. It is the default file system on Windows devices, but macOS is not fully compatible with it.
What is NTFS for Mac? It is a tool to bridge the gap between Microsoft NTFS and Apple macOS. It is a small-sized utility that lives in the menu bar and runs in the background on Mac. It lets you easily and quickly work with Windows drives formatted to NTFS format on a Mac computer.
An NTFS driver for macOS tool is an NTFS mounter for Mac that allows Mac to recognize your NTFS partitions and remount them in the Finder window, Disk Utility, and Mac's desktop. It is also an NTFS reader for Mac that helps you view NTFS files on Mac. An NTFS support app for Mac is an NTFS writer for Mac that enables NTFS write on Mac.
Why do you need a free NTFS driver for your Mac?
NTFS is a file system developed by Microsoft, a competitor of Apple. It's for the Windows platform, especially used in the system drive. That's why you use Boot Camp to install Windows on Mac but find you can't mount the BOOTCAMP partition in read-write mode.
Up to now, Mac operating systems, both newer versions like macOS Monterey/Big Sur and older versions like OS X Lion, only officially provide NTFS read support but no NTFS write support.
Business is business, but for users, you need Mac to write to NTFS drives, when you use an NTFS disk for file sharing between a Mac and a Windows PC without formatting the disk. Free NTFS driver for macOS software can help you bridge the gap.
Let's share these tools to help more people!
FAQs
A
NTFS drivers generally cost $20 around, but there are four completely free NTFS for Mac software:
1. Mounty for NTFS
2. NTFS-3G
3. FUSE for macOS
4. SL-NTFS
A
Mac can read NTFS drives for free by default. All you need to do is to mount the disk in Disk Utility by:
1. Connect the NTFS drive to your Mac for automatically mounting.
2. Open Disk Utility if the NTFS drive is not mounted.
3. Select the NTFS drive and click on Mount.
4. Mac reads the NTFS drive for free then.
A
There are three best NTFS for Mac software:
1. iBoysoft NTFS for Mac
2. Paragon NTFS for Mac
3. Tuxera NTFS for Mac
A
Free download the professional data recovery software iBoysoft Data Recovery for Windows and have a try.
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