How to Read NTFS on Mac for Free? 3 Best Solutions Available

Are you looking for a method to access and read NTFS on Mac? This page will show you the complete process of how to read NTFS and work with Windows NTFS drives on Mac successfully. Let's start.

Can I Copy Files from NTFS to Mac?

Yes, to make use of Windows NTFS drive files on a Mac computer, you'll first read files on an NTFS drive. Then gain write access to the drive.

The reason why you can't directly read and write an NTFS drive on a Mac computer is that Apple developed its unique file system formats for storage devices. As a result, NTFS is not officially supported by macOS and Mac OS X. 

So can macOS read NTFS and work with NTFS formatted external hard drives or USB drives? Sure! Follow these solutions in the following, you'll get the NTFS drive readable and writable on Mac for free. 

How to Enable NTFS Read Access on Mac? 3 Free Solutions

Can you change the read-only state NTFS disk to readable and writable on Mac? Here we collected 3 free solutions that you can follow to enable your Mac to read files from NTFS drives with ease.

3 Ways to Read NTFS on Mac:

Quick Guide: For the easiest solution to read NTFS on Mac, take EaseUS NTFS for Mac in Method for help. 

Method 1. Read NTFS Drive on Mac Using EaseUS NTFS for Mac - Easiest

1-Click Solution for Adding Mac

Unlike NTFS for Mac driver software, third-party NFTS read and write access tool - EaseUS NTFS for Mac doesn't require adding extra drivers to Mac and reboot Mac computers.

It's fully compatible with all macOS and Mac OS X, like Monterey, Catalina, Big Sur, etc. You can also use it on the latest new M1 Mac computers. What's more, it's also free within 7 days after registration. 

You can simply make the drive readable and even writable on Mac within 1 click. Let's see the details:

#1. 1-Click to Open and Read NTFS Drive Content

Step 1. Launch EaseUS NTFS for Mac and click "I already have a license" to activate it.

Step 2. Connect your NTFS drive to Mac, EaseUS NTFS for Mac will automatically detect and display the device. Click "Open" to open it on Mac.

Step 3. Click "OK" to allow NTFS for Mac to access and open NTFS drive on Mac computer.

Step 4. Now, you can view and check saved files in the NTFS drive on Mac.

#2. 1-Click to Make NTFS Drive Writable on Mac

Step 1. Launch and activate EaseUS NTFS for Mac. Click "I already have a license" to unlock this software.

Step 2. Connect an NTFS drive to Mac, EaseUS NTFS for Mac will automatically detect the device. Select your drive and you'll see it's now marked as 'Read-only". Click "Enable Writable" to add read and write rights to the drive.

Step 3. When the state of NTFS drives turns into "Writable".

Step 4. EaseUS NTFS for Mac will pops up a window to help Mac get access to the NTFS drive:

1. 1. Select "Full Disk Access", click the Lock icon and enter admin password to unlock it.
2. 2. Select the two icons of NTFS for Mac.
3. 3. Drag them to the "Full Disk Access" list.
4. 4. Click " Quit & Restore" to re-launch EaseUS NTFS for Mac.

Step 5. When EaseUS NTFS for Mac restarts, you can then open to check, read, write, and even modify saved data on the NTFS device.

Aside from making external NTFS drive readable and writable on a Mac computer, EaseUS NTFS for Mac also enables you to directly:

• Mount or unmount external storage devices. （Automatically mount NTFS drive after mounted for one time.）
• Safely eject external hard drive without formatting or affecting its content. 

Method 2. Make NTFS Drive Readable on Mac via Terminal Command - Medium

Medium Complex Solution to Add Read Access to NTFS Drive

The terminal is a free and macOS built-in solution that enables most Mac users to make their NTFS drives readable on Mac computers. It's a medium yet bit complex method that requires users to be extremely careful with following this method to add read right to their NTFS drives. 

Follow the guide here to make the NTFS drive readable now:

Step 1. Connect the external hard drive to the Mac computer, click "Go" > "Utilities".

Step 2. Double-click to launch "Terminal" from the Utilities folder.

Step 3. Type sudo nano /etc/fstab and press Return.

This requires you to enter your Apple password.

Step 4. Next, type LABEL=NAME none ntfs rw, auto, nobrowse, and press Return.

Replace NAME with the name of your NTFS drive.

Step 5. Press Ctrl + O, and Press Ctrl + X, to save and exit Terminal.

Step 6. Now open and read content in your NTFS drive by following: 

Go > Go to Folder > Type "/Volumes" and click "Go" > Click to open your NTFS Drive and view its content. 

Method 3. Add NTFS Drivers to Mac with FUSE of macOS - Risky

Workable But Risky Solution

According to some Mac administrators, they don't suggest that all Mac users try this solution as it's risky somehow on some old Mac OS X computers. Some Mac users reported that this method brought a security risk by adding NTFS drivers to Mac computers so to access the NTFS Drive. 

For a risk-free solution, take EaseUS NTFS for Mac help as recommended in Method 1. Also, be sure that you'll follow the tutorials here carefully to make the NTFS drive readable on Mac:

Step 1. Install FUSE for macOS:

Download FUSE for macOS and install on Mac: https://github.com/osxfuse/osxfuse/releases

Step 2. Install Xcode:

1. 1. Go to Finder > Applications > Utilities > Double-click to open Terminal.
2. 2. Type: xcode-select --install in Terminal and press Return.
3. 3. Click "Install".

Step 3. Install Homebrew:

1. 1. Open Terminal and type: /usr/bin/ruby -e "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/master/install)", press Return. 
2. 2. Terminal will automatically download and install Homebrew on Mac. 

Step 4. Install NTFS-3g:

Type: brew install ntfs-3g in Terminal and press Return.

Step 5. Mount NTFS drive on Mac with the two command lines:

• sudo mkdir /Volumes/NTFS
• diskutil list

Press Return each time.

Step 6. Unmount and remount NTFS drive to make it readable on Mac:

Type the next two command lines in Terminal and press Return each time:

• sudo umount /dev/disk2s1
• sudo /usr/local/bin/ntfs-3g /dev/disk2s1 /Volumes/NTFS -olocal -oallow_other

Replace disk2s1 with the drive number of your external disk.

Wait for the operation to complete, then you could be able to view and read the content saved inside the NTFS drive on a Mac computer.

For a Risk-Free Solution, Use EaseUS NTFS for Mac to Read NTFS Drives On Mac

Due to macOS and Mac OS X limits, we've known that Method 2 and Method 3 could cause some unknown security issues on your Mac computer. 

Among these 3 methods above, EaseUS NTFS for Mac is the only risk-free solution that all macOS and Mac OS X computer users can make the drive work on Mac computer without any accessing issues.

Full Guide of Using EaseUS NTFS for Mac: