Introduction
NTFS Kit is a native macOS app for NTFS volumes. It reads volume state from diskutil, offers Apple’s read-only NTFS mount, and adds verified read-write, basic repair and formatting when macFUSE and NTFS-3G are installed.
It is a management app, not its own NTFS driver. The write path belongs to NTFS-3G; the app’s job is to detect capabilities, choose the right command, verify the result and stop when a precondition is missing.
The safety-first loop
- Discover. Scan external and internal volumes through
diskutil. The overview shows connected, mounted, writable and ready-to-mount counts. - Inspect. Select a volume and read its device node, UUID, mount point, capacity and current mount mode before changing anything.
- Mount. Choose Apple native read-only, or NTFS-3G read-write when both drivers are present and active.
- Verify. After a write mount, read state back from
diskutil. A command exit code alone is not treated as success. - Maintain. Verify the filesystem, run an explicit basic repair on an unmounted volume, or format with exact-name confirmation.
What it never does
- It does not unmount a volume for a write mount when macFUSE or NTFS-3G is missing. It stops first.
- It does not silently downgrade a requested read-write mount to read-only and call it a success.
- It does not invent repair progress, health percentages or filesystem findings.
- It does not read file contents or file names on NTFS volumes.
- It does not log raw command errors as the only UI message; errors carry stable codes and readable text.
Requirements
| Capability | Requires |
|---|---|
| Volume discovery and read-only mount | macOS 12+ and the built-in NTFS driver |
| exFAT / FAT32 formatting | macOS diskutil; no extra driver |
| NTFS read-write | macFUSE + NTFS-3G, both installed and active |
| NTFS verify / repair | macFUSE + NTFS-3G (diskutil, ntfsfix) |
| NTFS formatting | macFUSE + NTFS-3G (mkntfs) |
The machine used for early development has a real 5 TB Seagate NTFS volume but no write driver. Real discovery and read-only state detection are verified. Real read-write, repair and destructive format paths remain unverified until a disposable volume and explicit authorization are provided. A successful build is not hardware certification.
Where to go next
- Quick start — build, launch and complete a safe first mount.
- Mounting and drivers — the exact driver boundary.
- Verify and repair — what can be proven.
- Format — confirmations and identity checks.