MacFUSE - Write to NTFS on OS X

File system compatibility between different Operating Systems has always been a problem. If you are a Mac user you have probably at some stage tried to write to an NTFS (Windows) formatted hard drive or partition (external storage or even a Boot Camp partition) only to be prompted by an error. This is because, by default, OS X can only read NTFS and not write to it.

Thankfully there is a simple solution to this problem.

MacFUSE is a free application that allows you to extend Mac OS X's native file handling capabilities via 3rd-party file systems. Although the product is free to download and use, it is also bundled with corporate applications like VMWare Fusion. However, the bundled installation is often out of date due to the rapid development maintained by the MacFUSE team.

FUSE, or Filesystem in Userspace, is a loadable kernel module for Unix Operating Systems, that allows users to create their own file systems without having to change the kernel code. This is achieved by running the file system code in userspace, with the FUSE module providing a bridge to the actual kernel interfaces.

The Steps:

First download and install MacFUSE.

Next download and install NTFS-3G which is a free NTFS driver that runs on top of MacFUSE. NTFS-3G is not made by the MacFUSE team, however is an incrediably fast and stable driver that is frequently updated with new features and performance improvements. To learn more about NTFS-3G be sure to check out their website.

Once both applications are installed you are ready to read/write to any NTFS file system. If you have a Windows Boot Camp partition you can test by writing a file to that drive (which should be shown on your desktop). Otherwise simply plug in an NTFS formatted external hard drive or USB stick.