Knowing that NTFS is read-only on Mac, you're probably looking for free NTFS software for Mac to write to your NTFS-formatted drives. This may have led you to Hasleo NTFS for Mac, a free NTFS for Mac tool. But Is it reliable?
This article will review Hasleo NTFS for Mac and introduce a better alternative - iBoysoft NTFS for Mac - for users seeking data safety, performance, and stability.
Hasleo NTFS for Mac review
Hasleo NTFS for Mac is a completely free NTFS driver for macOS. It's a menu bar utility that enables you to open or eject NTFS drives on Mac through its menu bar icon and drop-down menus.
That being said, it doesn't have a traditional desktop interface, unlike other professional NTFS for Mac software, which has both the menu bar shortcut and an intuitive interface. It also lacks advanced features like formatting drives to NTFS on Mac or repairing NTFS drives on Mac.
Overall experience:
The installation process is smooth. I downloaded Hasleo NTFS for Mac and granted it full disk access to the files on my Mac during the installation. (Since macOS 10.14 Mojave, apps no longer have full access privileges to all disks by default. Instead, you need to manually enable full disk access to the app you trust.)
When I launch it, it appears on the right side of the menu bar. I then plugged in my NTFS drive to test if it can mount the disk in read/write mode. Since my NTFS volume was automatically mounted by macOS as read-only, I ejected it and remounted it using Hasleo NTFS for Mac as required.
This resulted in a short hang with the spinning wheel showing up. During the experiment, I also encountered a network error when opening an NTFS external drive, and sometimes, Hasleo couldn't detect any NTFS volumes. After some bumps, it did allow me to write to my NTFS volume.
In general, It's worth trying if you're working with an NTFS drive temporarily and are aiming for free NTFS for Mac software only. However, if it's an NTFS drive being used to save important data, you might want a more reliable NTFS driver for Mac.
- Pros:
- Completely free
- Compatible with macOS 15 Sequoia ~ macOS 10.13 High Sierra
- Make NTFS writable on Mac for free
- Cons:
- May not detect NTFS volumes
- May give network errors
- Doesn't support macOS 26 Tahoe and later
- Doesn't allow repairing on NTFS volumes
- Can't format drives to NTFS on Mac
- NTFS disks need to be ejected and remounted using Hasleo before you can have full read-write access
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Hasleo NTFS for Mac vs. other NTFS drivers
If you require consistent daily performance, high-speed file transfers, or advanced disk management tools, review the breakdown below:
| Feature / Boundary | Hasleo NTFS for Mac | Native macOS (Built-in) | iBoysoft NTFS for Mac |
|---|---|---|---|
| License / Type | Free Utility | Built-in OS Feature | Commercial |
| Read Access | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Write/Edit/Delete | Yes (Manual mount required) | No (Read-Only) | Yes (Automatic high-speed) |
| macOS 26 Tahoe | Unverified / Unsupported | Native Read-Only | Fully Supported |
| Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3) | Limited | Native Read-Only | Fully Supported |
| Auto-Mount on Insertion | Intermittent | Yes (Read-Only) | Yes (Automated) |
| Format Drive to NTFS | No | No | Yes |
| NTFS Disk Repair | No | No | Yes (Check & Repair) |
Best alternative to Hasleo NTFS for Mac
If your workflow demands an official, legitimate NTFS driver with automatic mounting, the best alternative to Hasleo NTFS for Mac is iBoysoft NTFS for Mac. It's a professional NTFS for Mac driver that can automatically mount any NTFS drives in read/write mode. It's read-only, freeing you from the worry of data security. Besides, it's compatible with macOS 10.13 High Sierra and later versions.
This NTFS driver for macOS can be accessed from its menu bar icon or the main interface.
With it, you can write to NTFS drives on Apple Silicon M1/M2/M3 Macs and Intel-based Macs freely. Apart from the basic function of mounting NTFS-formatted disks with full read and write access, it also enables you to unmount, open, repair, and format NTFS drives on Mac, as well as format non-NTFS disks to NTFS.
If you have an NTFS Boot Camp partition, it can not only enable write access to it but also allow you to start from the Boot Camp partition. You can trust it with any type of storage device formatted in NTFS, such as external hard drives, SD cards, SSDs, HDDs, CF cards, USB flash drives, etc.
- Pros:
- Grant full read/write access to NTFS on Mac
- Compatible with macOS 26 Tahoe ~ macOS 10.13 High Sierra
- Repair corrupted NTFS drives on Mac
- Format drives to NTFS on Mac
- Support writing to or starting from Boot Camp NTFS partition
- Fast file transfer speed
- Automatically mount NTFS disks on Mac
- Support all types of storage devices
- Cons:
- Doesn't support BitLocker-encrypted NTFS drives
- No phone support
Here are the simple steps to write to NTFS on Mac:
Step 1: Download and install iBoysoft NTFS for Mac for free.
Step 2: Select your NTFS drive and click Open.
Step 3: Choose to manually or automatically mount NTFS drives in read/write mode.
On top of Microsoft NTFS for Mac by iBoysoft, there are other alternatives to Hasleo, including Paragon, Tuxera, EaseUS NTFS for Mac, etc. You can have a try if needed.
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FAQs
- QDoes Hasleo NTFS for Mac work without disabling System Integrity Protection (SIP)?
-
A
Yes. Hasleo NTFS for Mac operates using standard macOS security frameworks and app permissions (such as Full Disk Access). You do not need to disable System Integrity Protection (SIP) to install or run it.
- QDoes Hasleo NTFS for Mac work with BitLocker-encrypted drives?
-
A
No. Hasleo NTFS for Mac only supports standard, unencrypted NTFS volumes. If your drive is protected with Windows BitLocker, standard NTFS drivers will fail to mount it. Accessing encrypted drives requires a dedicated utility, such as iBoysoft BitLocker for Mac.
- QWhy is my NTFS drive still Read-Only after installing Hasleo?
-
A
This usually occurs for two reasons:
Missing Full Disk Access: macOS requires you to manually allow the app under System Settings > Privacy & Security > Full Disk Access.
Auto-mount failure: macOS natively grabs NTFS drives as read-only upon insertion. You often need to open the Hasleo menu bar icon, manually eject the drive, and then click Mount in Read/Write mode.
- QWhy are file transfers so slow when copying files to an NTFS drive using Hasleo?
-
A
Hasleo relies on basic, lightweight mounting scripts rather than a custom-engineered, kernel-level file system driver. As a result, write speeds are limited, especially when transferring large files or folders containing thousands of small files—and are prone to temporary I/O timeouts compared to commercial alternatives.
- QHasleo NTFS vs. Mounty vs. iBoysoft vs. Paragon NTFS: Which one is better?
-
A
Hasleo & Mounty (Free Utilities): Best for occasional, light file transfers on older macOS versions where cost is the main priority and manual remounts or slower speeds are acceptable.
iBoysoft NTFS & Paragon NTFS (Commercial Drivers): Best for daily professional workflows, large media transfers, Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4) performance, and seamless background auto-mounting. They also include built-in disk repair tools and full support for the latest macOS releases.