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NTFS stands for New Technology File System, an exclusive file system format for Microsoft Windows. As a result, activating the experimental NTFS write support feature on Mac OS X is not officially supported by Apple, so you have to enable this feature for testing purposes
Since this feature is not officially supported by Apple, NTFS is not considered a reliable file system platform for sharing data and files between Mac and Windows computers. Users may need to format drives into the FAT file system for optimal compatibility between Mac and Windows, supporting full read and write functionality (this is a better solution for users using Samba network and directly sharing files over the local network between Windows and Mac).
Mytour provides a guide on activating NTFS write support on Mac OS X using two methods.
Use UUID to Activate NTFS Write Support Feature on Mac OS X
While this approach may seem a bit complex, it offers higher accuracy.
Connect the NTFS drive to your Mac, then use the command string below to find the UUID for the NTFS partition:
Explore /Volumes directory
If you want to spot the NTFS drive on your desktop screen (assuming your computer displays it), you can craft a Finder alias with a link icon:
sudo ln -s /Volumes/DRIVENAME ~/Desktop/DRIVENAME
In addition to using UUID, you can also enable data writing to the NTFS drive by using the drive name.
Activate the experimental feature for writing data to NTFS drive using the drive name
Speaking of precision, UUID is an excellent choice, but you can also activate the data writing feature to the NTFS drive experimentally using the Windows drive name, using the following command:
sudo echo 'LABEL=DRIVE_NAME none ntfs rw,auto,nobrowse' >> /etc/fstab
Since you are using the sudo command, you need to enter the Admin password to execute the entire command correctly. This command string appends the drive name to the end of the /etc/fstab file, as /etc/ is a system directory, so you need superuser access to write files in that directory, hence the sudo prefix requirement.
For instance, to activate the experimental NTFS write support on Mac OS X with the name WINDOWS8, utilize the following command:
sudo echo 'LABEL=WINDOWS8 none ntfs rw,auto,nobrowse' >> /etc/fstab
If the NTFS drive name is too complex, you can use the UUID method mentioned above or rename the NTFS drive on Windows before mounting the write support feature.
You will need to access /Volumes/ to find the recently mounted Windows NTFS drive with read and write support. Additionally, as mentioned earlier, you can create a link icon on the Mac OS X screen for easier access to the mounted NTFS drive:
sudo ln -s /Volumes/DRIVENAME ~/Desktop/DRIVENAME && open ~/Desktop/DRIVENAME
There are other useful tools that automate the above process; however, these tools have become outdated. NTFS Mounter utility ceased functioning on Snow Leopard and modern versions of Mac OS X from Mountain Lion to Mavericks. Instead, command-line utilities are recommended.
Third-party paid applications also support enabling NTFS drive write support on Mac OS X.
While converting FAT32 to NTFS on Windows is relatively straightforward, activating NTFS support and converting FAT32 to NTFS on Mac can be challenging. Therefore, readers should carefully follow the steps outlined above to activate the experimental NTFS drive write support on Mac OS X.
When using a USB for Windows installation, users often find themselves having to format the USB to NTFS. Mytour has provided a detailed guide on how to format USB to NTFS; if you haven't succeeded yet, you can follow the instructions and do it yourself.
