Enable Mac to write NTFS

Hey guys,

i tried plugging in my NTFS external hard disk to my mac and found that i was able to read teh files but cant write (copy or paste any files). Do u maybe know if there is a way to get around this?

 

You would need third party software in order to write NTFS.

See this as an example : Apple - Downloads - System/Disk Utilities - NTFS-3G

 

thanks for the reply. out of curiosity, does it cause any issues with the OS?

 

Here's how to get read/write support for NTFS drives in Snow Leopard:

1. In Terminal, type diskutil info /Volumes/volume_name, where volume_name is the name of the NTFS volume. From the output, copy the Volume UUID value to the clipboard.
2. Back up /etc/fstab if you have it; it shouldn't be there in a default install.
3. Type sudo nano /etc/fstab.
4. In the editor, type UUID=, then paste the UUID number you copied from the clipboard. Type a Space, then type none ntfs rw. The final line should look like this: UUID=123-456-789 none ntfs rw, where 123-456-789 is the UUID you copied in the first step.
5. Repeat the above steps for any other NTFS drives/partitions you have.
6. Save the file and quit nano (Control-X, Y, Enter), then restart your system.

 

None that I read about.

 

kool thanks guys

 

If this works, why does not Apple document the practice? Instead, they recommend NTFS-3G. Why?

 

Offering a (free) program is rather easier than telling people to do all that terminal crap. Plus it looks like it has more features. It probably does virtually the same thing.

 

did that work ??

 

interesting info, DBoogie.

 

From what we do learn about Apple this happened to be something we went over.

 

Using the CLI appears to work, however you have to do it manually for every NTFS volume that you have. Using NTFS-3G is much easier and hassle-free.

 

I like Paragon NTFS.

very much trouble-free.

 

There are ways to enable Snow Leopard to read and write NTFS drives, just google it.

Also, ever since Apple allowed exFAT, I've formatted all my drives to that, as it's way easier.

 

Great tip, no more 4GB limitation and compatible over the most common OS'es (OSX - Linux - Windows Vista & 7)

Rep +1

 

I find that copying movies and the like from my MBP to my Windows desktop is very slow since Mac OS X has to use the NTFS-3g driver to write to NTFS. Performance is very slow as a result. What kind of transfer rates do you see on exFAT?

 

NTFS performance for me is native, so as exFAT, about 50m - 60m

Here is how to enable snow leopard to write NTFS natively.
Guide: Enable native NTFS Read/Write in Snow Leopard - MacRumors Forums

 

^ i already posted how to do that

 

and is native support any faster than Tuxera NTFS or Paragon NTFS?

 

Read this.
Cody Konior Tuxera NTFS vs Paragon NTFS Mac Benchmarks

 

I just tried using exFAT, but the printing computers at my university use Windows XP, which does not natively support exFAT. The wiki page for this FS will show that it is only native to Vista and later. Just everyone's FYI.

 

thanks for that confirmation. I knew there was a reason I liked Paragon 8 more than Tuxera or NTFS-3G. Smoother and faster. not to mention Tuxera would occasionally cause CPU spikes.

 

Yea Id recommend the Paragon over the Tux any day, glad to be of help

 

ntfs mounter works flawlessly for me & is free

 

I also converted all my drives to exFAT a few hours after I realized I could. Works perfectly now. I always had issues getting files around between windows and mac. No more.