Paragon NTFS for Mac only offers a 10-day trial version. You should pay for it after the trial period expires. Thus, you may wonder whether you can extend the trial period and find guides online claiming to reset or extend the trial by deleting license files or modifying system data.
However, these methods are unreliable for the latest Paragon NTFS for Mac versions. They violate the software license agreement, often stop working after updates, and can even cause driver or macOS stability issues.
If your trial has expired, purchasing a valid license key or switching to another affordable and legitimate alternative is a much safer solution.
Also, you can check the free NTFS for Mac options, like Mounty for NTFS and macOS-3G; the drawback is that they are command-line dominated and not suitable for ordinary users.
Can you actually reset the Paragon NTFS for Mac trial?
Strictly speaking, it depends on which version of Paragon NTFS for Mac you use.
Only for the older Paragon NTFS for Mac 15 (released in 2017), Paragon officially gives users up to 3 times to extend the trial period by sharing NTFS for Mac 15 on Facebook after the trial period expires. (Check Paragon's official documentation.)
If your app's main interface shows the "Expires in 0 days. Extend?" prompt, you are using Paragon NTFS for Mac 15. You can click it to extend the trial. Once the 3 chances have been used up, the sharing option will be blocked.
However, this is almost impossible for most users nowadays, as the current version of Paragon NTFS for Mac is version 17. Paragon NTFS for Mac 17 doesn't support extend trial.
You may find methods online that claim to reset the trial period, but that doesn't mean they are workable, reliable, or safe. Most so-called "trial reset" methods attempt to make the software believe it is being installed for the first time. They may involve:
- Removing application preferences and cached files
- Deleting licensing or activation data
- Reinstalling the software
- Modifying hidden configuration files
- Running third-party scripts that automate these changes
None of these methods is officially supported. They violate or circumvent software licensing and are illegal. Instead of solving the problem permanently, they often create new issues that are much harder to troubleshoot later, such as system crashes, unstable performance, virus attacks, or others.
Why is resetting the Paragon NTFS for Mac rial risky?
When your Paragon NTFS for Mac trial expires, don't just look for ways to reset it. Learn the biggest risks you should consider first.
1. Violate the software license agreement
The trial-reset methods generally bypass the developer's intended trial restrictions and may violate the software's End User License Agreement (EULA).
If licensing issues occur later, you lose access to official support and may face liability for tort.
2. Updates may stop the workaround from working
Trial resets are usually temporary solutions.
Paragon regularly releases updates to improve macOS compatibility, fix bugs, strengthen security, and update its licensing system. A workaround that works today may fail after a software or macOS update.
As a result, users may need to repeat the reset process or search for new methods. Instead of providing a long-term solution, trial resets often create an endless maintenance cycle.
3. Cause NTFS driver problems
Paragon NTFS for Mac is not just a regular application. It installs a system-level NTFS driver that allows macOS to read and write NTFS drives.
Removing or modifying licensing files, application components, or hidden configuration data incorrectly can leave the driver in an unstable state.
Possible issues include:
- NTFS drives are not mounting automatically
- Loss of NTFS write access
- Driver loading failures after macOS updates
- Activation or initialization errors after reinstalling
These problems can be tricky and hard to resolve.
4. Affect system stability
Many trial-reset tutorials require users to run Terminal commands, remove hidden files, disable security settings, or execute unknown scripts.
Without understanding what these changes do, users may accidentally interfere with macOS system protections or the NTFS driver environment.
Potential problems include:
- Driver instability
- Unexpected disk mounting failures
- Conflicts after macOS upgrades
- Unreliable NTFS file access
This risk becomes more significant with newer macOS versions, as Apple continues improving system security and restricting unauthorized modifications.
5. Lose official support and updates
Using a modified or unsupported installation can make troubleshooting much harder.
If Paragon NTFS stops working or encounters any other problems, official support may not be able to assist because the software environment has been altered.
You may also miss important benefits, including:
- Compatibility updates for new macOS releases
- Driver improvements and bug fixes
- Security updates
- Official troubleshooting resources
For software that directly manages file system access and external drives, reliability and stability are usually more important than extending a trial period through unofficial methods.
What to do after Paragon NTFS for Mac trial expires?
If you've decided that resetting the trial period isn't worth the potential risks, you still have several legitimate ways to continue read-write accessing NTFS drives on your Mac.
Option 1: Purchase a Paragon NTFS for Mac license
The price of Paragon NTFS for Mac starts from $29.95. If you're satisfied with Paragon NTFS for Mac and simply need uninterrupted NTFS read and write support, purchasing a license is the most straightforward solution.
A licensed copy provides some benefits over unofficial trial-reset methods:
- Continue receiving compatibility updates for new macOS releases
- Access bug fixes and security improvements
- Receive official technical support when needed
Option 2: Find more affordable alternatives (with better performance)
There are many Paragon NTFS for Mac alternatives in the market. Here we recommend the best Paragon NTFS for Mac alternative - iBoysoft NTFS for Mac.
This NTFS for Mac tool's yearly subscription is only priced at US$19.95. Besides the low price, it also features:
- Dual mode - Advanced Mode and Simple Mode.
Simple Mode allows you to immediately mount NTFS disks in read-write mode on Mac without extra steps to enable system extension (Most NTFS for Mac tools require this).
Advanced Mode enables the connected NTFS drive to automatically mount in read-write mode every time it is connected to the Mac.
- Fast NTFS read-write speed. You can check the report: NTFS read/write speed test with iBoysoft NTFS for Mac.
- Easy to operate. No complicated setup steps required.
- NTFS disk error check and repair.
- Erase external drives to NTFS.
Solution 3: Back up data and reformat the NTFS drive to a macOS-compatible file system
If you don't want to pay for any NTFS for the Mac app, you can reformat the Windows NTFS drive on Mac.
Just back up the data on the NTFS drive to your Mac. Reformatting a disk will erase all files on it, so it is very necessary to back up everything before you erase your disk.
And then, reformat your external hard drive with exFAT (both compatible with macOS and Windows) in Disk Utility.
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FAQ
- QIs resetting the Paragon NTFS trial worth it?
-
A
For most users, probably not.
Although you can find guides claiming to reset the Paragon NTFS for Mac trial period, these methods are unofficial, unreliable, and often become ineffective after future updates. More importantly, they may introduce licensing, compatibility, and stability issues that are far more frustrating than simply choosing a supported solution.
If your goal is to continue reading and writing to NTFS drives on macOS without unnecessary risk, it's usually better to switch to a more cost-effective NTFS driver or purchase a legitimate Paragon license instead.
- QDoes reinstalling Paragon NTFS for Mac reset the trial?
-
A
Generally, no. Simply uninstalling and reinstalling the software does not necessarily restart the trial period because licensing information may be stored outside the application itself. Whether the trial can be restarted depends on the software's licensing mechanism, and reinstalling alone is not an officially supported way to extend the evaluation period.