How to move files to NTFS hard drive?

[PNGento]

I have an MBP...first Apple I've ever owned...and WOW...why has it taken me so long to move to the "dark side" LOL. Now, I'm thinking I'll have to migrate my desktop to a Mac as well. Very happy with the switch I made...and I know there is a lot more to learn about all things Apple, but for now......

I need to know how to move docs between my MBP and my desktop or to another hard drive. I have 2 portable HDs...one is formatted in Mac OS extended (journaled) and the other is NTFS. I can see both of them when plugged into my MBP, but can't just drag and drop to the NTFS one. Is there a solution?

TIA

 

[simsaladimbamba]

See below:

FAT32 (File Allocation Table)

• Read/Write FAT32 from both native Windows and native Mac OS X.
• Maximum file size: 4GB.
• Maximum volume size: 2TB

NTFS (Windows NT File System)

• Read/Write NTFS from native Windows.
• Read only NTFS from native Mac OS X
  [*]To Read/Write/Format NTFS from Mac OS X: Install NTFS-3G for Mac OS X (free)
  
• Some have reported problems using Tuxera (approx 33USD).
• Native NTFS support can be enabled in Snow Leopard, but is not advisable, due to instability.
• AirPort Extreme (802.11n) and Time Capsule do not support NTFS
• Maximum file size: 16 TB
• Maximum volume size: 256TB

HFS+ (Hierarchical File System, a.k.a. Mac OS Extended)

• Read/Write HFS+ from native Mac OS X
• Required for Time Machine or Carbon Copy Cloner backups of Mac internal hard drive.
• To Read/Write HFS+ from Windows, Install MacDrive
• To Read HFS+ (but not Write) from Windows, Install HFSExplorer
• Maximum file size: 8EiB
• Maximum volume size: 8EiB

exFAT (FAT64)

• Supported in Mac OS X only in 10.6.5 or later.
• Not all Windows versions support exFAT. See disadvantages.
• exFAT (Extended File Allocation Table)
• AirPort Extreme (802.11n) and Time Capsule do not support exFAT
• Maximum file size: 16 EiB
• Maximum volume size: 64 ZiB

 

[duncanbrodie1]

Macs can not write to NTFS drives. They can only read them.
You need to backup the NTFS drive somewhere else, using your windows machine. Then format the drive to FAT-32. This is the format needed for cross-platform use

 

[simsaladimbamba]

Macs can not write to NTFS drives. They can only read them.
You need to backup the NTFS drive somewhere else, using your windows machine. Then format the drive to FAT-32. This is the format needed for cross-platform use

FAT32 has its limitations, see above. And Mac OS X can write to NTFS formatted volumes via an add on, again, see above.

 

[Timur]

Paragon NTFS is another option (faster and less CPU intensive than Tuxera last time I checked).

 

[PNGento]

Macs can not write to NTFS drives. They can only read them.
You need to backup the NTFS drive somewhere else, using your windows machine. Then format the drive to FAT-32. This is the format needed for cross-platform use

Ok...I backed up everything on the portable drive, then reformatted to Mac OS extended...I didn't realize that the drive compatibility issue didn't work in both directions. NOW, the drive, after having been reformatted to Mac OS extended, is not even SEEN by the windows machine. What I guess I need to do, is reformat it again, but this time to Fat-32. At least then, I can use it from both my MBP and my home desktop windows machine. But, since the windows machine can't even recognize it, I can't use the windows machine to reformat it to Fat 32.

Is there a solution...is this drive now and forever, going to be only useable on my MBP? In other words, since it doesn't look like I can use a windows machine to reformat it, can I do it in some other manner?

TIA

 

[-tWv-]

Install NTFS-3G, its free and I have used it for over a year to read/write to NTFS drives on my mac


And if you want to be able to format it on a windows machine, either delete the partition and leave it as free space or format the drive to FAT32. I would suggest using either HFS+ or NTFS for the format, because FAT32 has problems with larger files, which is probably what you are backing up on the drive. If you want to use NTFS, install the driver I linked above on your mac. If you want to use HFS+, install MacDrive on your PC to give it read/write ability for HFS+ formatted drives. FYI, MacDrive is shareware, so you will have a free trial to try it out but you have to pay for it after that expires.

 

[PNGento]

Install NTFS-3G, its free and I have used it for over a year to read/write to NTFS drives on my mac


And if you want to be able to format it on a windows machine, either delete the partition and leave it as free space or format the drive to FAT32. I would suggest using either HFS+ or NTFS for the format, because FAT32 has problems with larger files, which is probably what you are backing up on the drive. If you want to use NTFS, install the driver I linked above on your mac. If you want to use HFS+, install MacDrive on your PC to give it read/write ability for HFS+ formatted drives. FYI, MacDrive is shareware, so you will have a free trial to try it out but you have to pay for it after that expires.

I downloaded and extracted the NTFS 3G...but now have no idea how to install it or then use it. Is this as complicated as it looks? Or am I making something that should be simple, harder than it needs to be?

Any advice on the installation or use of NTFS 3G would be appreciated by this newbie.

 

[-tWv-]

I downloaded and extracted the NTFS 3G...but now have no idea how to install it or then use it. Is this as complicated as it looks? Or am I making something that should be simple, harder than it needs to be?

Any advice on the installation or use of NTFS 3G would be appreciated by this newbie.

Did you download the Mac OSX Version here?

I think you might have clicked on one of the links to download it for linux or another OS. It's very simple on the mac.

Just download the .dmg file and double click on it to mount it. Then double click on the "install tuxera NTFS" package and it will install.

EDIT: just realized that ntfs-3g is no longer free, the company that bought the software, tuxera, has now made it a shareware program as well. I'm going to search for a free solution

EDIT 2: Download the free NTFS-3G here, this is basically the same program, but Tuxera claims that their commercial product has better performance, it probably won't really make a difference

 

[piwikiwi]

Great info guys, this solves a lot for me.

Thank you!

 

[tabishb]

My Macbook is able to write on NTFS partition without any other software

Hey guys,

I just noticed that I was able to delete and copy a file on a NTFS portable drive which is shared on my Windows 7 PC. I was using my macbook pro 10.8.2 to copy files.

So i guess it is possible to do that. But if you connect the external drive directly to the macbook it does not copy.

 

[GGJstudios]

Hey guys,

I just noticed that I was able to delete and copy a file on a NTFS portable drive which is shared on my Windows 7 PC. I was using my macbook pro 10.8.2 to copy files.

So i guess it is possible to do that. But if you connect the external drive directly to the macbook it does not copy.

That's right. You can write to NTFS drives shared on a network, but not external drives connected directly to your Mac, unless you use something like Paragon.

 

[simsaladimbamba]

Hey guys,

I just noticed that I was able to delete and copy a file on a NTFS portable drive which is shared on my Windows 7 PC. I was using my macbook pro 10.8.2 to copy files.

So i guess it is possible to do that. But if you connect the external drive directly to the macbook it does not copy.

That is because the network layer does not care about file systems that much and the Windows PC was doing the writing, in a way.