NTFS
Also known as: NT File System, ntfs format, Windows file system
NTFS (NT File System) is the default file system for Windows drives. It supports very large files, file permissions, encryption, and journaling, but Macs can read NTFS drives without extra software while writing to them requires it.
- Default file system for Windows drives
- Supports large files, permissions, encryption, and journaling
- Macs read NTFS but need extra software to write to it
The Windows standard
NTFS has been the default for Windows system drives since Windows XP. It handles huge files and volumes far beyond FAT32’s limits and adds features a modern operating system relies on: per-file permissions, on-the-fly encryption, compression, and journaling that helps the drive recover after a crash.
Because of these features, Windows installs itself onto an NTFS partition, and most internal and external drives used only with Windows are formatted this way.
NTFS on a Mac
macOS can read NTFS-formatted drives out of the box but cannot write to them without third-party software. If you need a drive that both Windows and Mac can fully read and write, format it as exFAT instead of NTFS.