Forum Discussion
"Why Can't I Write to NTFS Drives on Mac?"
Hello everyone, I have encountered a challenge and would appreciate your assistance. I own an external hard drive formatted as NTFS, which functions well on Windows systems. However, upon connecting it to my Mac, I am only able to access files without the ability to modify or write to them.
Upon inspecting the hard drive details using the Mac's "Disk Utility," it indicated a read-only status. Despite researching potential solutions online, none have proven effective. Could someone provide a detailed explanation as to why Mac systems are unable to write to NTFS hard drives? Additionally, I am seeking a straightforward method to enable me to use this hard drive seamlessly on my Mac for both reading and writing purposes.
I am grateful for any insights and assistance you can provide.
1 Reply
If there is no important data on the hard drive or you have backed up the data, you can consider formatting the hard drive to exFAT format. exFAT is a file system that both Windows and Mac support reading and writing. The formatting method is:
- Open "Disk Utility" and select your hard drive.
- Click "Erase", select exFAT format, and then confirm.
