This post shares simple ways to read and write NTFS drives on macOS Ventura. It covers software and free methods that allow you to read and write files on your external storage.
You just plugged your Seagate or Western Digital external drive, which you normally use with your Windows PC, into your Mac running macOS Ventura. You can open folders and view your files without any problem, but the moment you try to copy a document to the drive or delete something, nothing happens. The menu options are greyed out, or a "prohibited" symbol appears.
If you open Disk Utility, the drive shows up as formatted with Windows NT File System, and the mount status says Read-only. This is a common situation for anyone moving files between Windows and Mac. Your Mac can see the drive and read the data, but it won’t let you make changes because it doesn’t have native support to write to NTFS drives. In other words, the system can view your data but does not allow any changes. Fortunately, you can learn to enable full read and write access to an NTFS drive on macOS Ventura in this stepwise guide.
To write to an NTFS drive on macOS Ventura, a free tool like PartitionAssistant NTFS for Mac is the simplest solution. It removes the "Read Only" restriction without costly software or complex commands, letting your Windows drive work like a regular Mac disk.
If you’ve ever seen the prohibited (🚫) sign when trying to copy or delete files, this software gives you full access to write data without a serial number or a license. It handles all the technical tasks in the background, works reliably on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs, and keeps your files safe without needing to reformat the drive.
Once installed, it automatically detects your NTFS drives and mounts them with write permissions. For best results, always mount the drive through the application before making changes, so the software can verify the drive and prevent accidental data loss.
Step 1. Open PartitionAssistant NTFS for Mac and connect your NTFS hard drive that needs to enable full read and write support on Mac. Then the connected, removable, and external drives will be mounted and listed.
Step 2. Select the drive you want to operate and click "Open" if the state is Read & Write. If not, please choose Enable Writable by clicking the three dots.
Step 3. You can copy, delete, move, and rename files on the external hard drive after enabling full read and write for NTFS drive on macOS.
Step 4. After all operations are complete, please click "Eject" to disconnect the external hard drive from your Mac.
The Terminal on macOS is a powerful tool that lets you control system-level functions, including how drives are mounted. If you are not familiar with command-line operations, proceed carefully, as mistakes can affect your system.
Step 1. Open Finder, go to Applications, then open the Utilities folder and launch Terminal. Type sudo nano nano /etc/fstab to edit the fstab file, which controls how drives are mounted. Enter your administrator password when prompted.
Step 2. Add the line LABEL=DISKNAME none ntfs rw,auto,nobrowse to the file, replacing DISKNAME with the name of your NTFS drive.
Step 3. Press Ctrl + O to save the changes, then Enter to confirm. Press Ctrl + X to exit the editor.
Step 4. Disconnect your NTFS drive from the Mac and reconnect it. Open Finder, click Go, select Go to Folder, type /Volumes, and press Enter. You should see your NTFS drive listed with read and write access enabled.
Step 5. If this method does not work on your Ventura version, open Terminal again and type sudo mount -t ntfs -o rw, auto, nobrowse /dev/disk2s2 /Volumes/1, replacing DISKNAME with your drive’s name.
Step 6. Create a mount point by entering sudo mkdir /Volumes/1 in Terminal.
Step 7. Mount the NTFS drive with full read and write access by typing sudo mount -t ntfs -o rw,auto,nobrowse /dev/disk2s2 /Volumes/1 and pressing Enter. Replace disk2s2 with your drive’s device identifier found in Disk Utility.
Once complete, your NTFS drive will function on Mac just like any other drive, allowing full access.
By following the methods outlined in this guide, you can easily enable full read and write access for your NTFS drives on macOS Ventura. Whether you choose a free NTFS utility or use Terminal commands, both approaches allow your Mac to work seamlessly with Windows-formatted drives. This ensures that you can copy, move, edit files, and delete files that won't delete, making file management between Windows and Mac smooth and efficient.
🗨️ How do I check if my external drive is NTFS on Mac?
Open Disk Utility from Applications > Utilities, then select your external drive. Look at the Format or File System field. If it says Windows NT File System (NTFS), the drive is NTFS.
🗨️ Will enabling write access to NTFS damage my files?
If you use a reliable NTFS tool or properly mount the drive via Terminal, enabling write access is safe and will not damage your files. Avoid using untested methods, as mistakes in commands could risk data loss.
🗨️ Can I format an external drive to NTFS directly on Mac?
No, macOS cannot natively format a drive to NTFS. To format a drive as NTFS, you need to use Windows, a virtual machine, or third-party software on Mac that supports NTFS formatting.
🗨️ Can Time Machine back up to an NTFS drive on Mac?
No, Time Machine requires Mac-compatible formats such as APFS or HFS+. NTFS drives are not supported for Time Machine backups.
🗨️ Will my Mac recognize an NTFS drive formatted on Windows 11?
Yes, macOS can read NTFS drives formatted on Windows 11. You can view files immediately, but you will need third-party software or Terminal commands to write to the drive.