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Can't copy files to an external USB drive formatted in Windows NTFS?

I'm trying to copy a bunch of files to an external USB drive formatted in NTFS but am unable to. Apparently, I can read the NTFS drive but can't write to it. Is there any way to change the permissions on the NTFS drive on Mac?

Best Answered by

Jenny Zeng

Answered on Tuesday, August 27, 2024

As you've already noticed, NTFS is a Windows proprietary file system that's read-only on Mac. To copy files to an NTFS drive on Mac, you'll need a reliable NTFS for Mac driver.

Based on my experience with NTFS drives on my MacBook Air, I highly recommend you try iBoysoft NTFS for Mac. It can automatically mount your NTFS drives on Mac, saving you the time to relaunch the software after every reboot or reconnection.

With it, you have full read and write access to NTFS drives on macOS. Just plug your NTFS drive in, and then you can freely copy files to it or perform other actions that require write permissions, such as deleting or editing files. Plus, you're allowed to format drives to NTFS or repair NTFS drives on Mac.

This NTFS for Mac driver is compatible with both Intel-based and Apple Silicon Macs that run macOS High Sierra or later. You can count on it to write to NTFS drives on Mac.