NTFS formatted external HDD on Mac??

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catspyjamas

188 posts

Master Geek

#275633 1-Sep-2020 17:27

Hi. I'm considering getting a 16" MBP next, which will be my first venture into the Apple ecosystem. While it seems just about all of my favourite software and apps all work on a Mac too, I'm not so sure about my my external HDDs (USB powered), which out-of-the-box are formatted to NTFS, and so work as plug and play devices on Windows.

I understand they need to be exFAT or FAT32 on a Mac? Unfortunately I can't reformat them at this point as I've already added a load of stuff to them. In addition, the HDDs are 5TB each, and some of the files are larger than 4GB (which google tells is the upper limit for exFAT/FAT32 files).

Is there any software or app I can use on a Mac that will allow my HDDs to be recognised and allow me to open what's already written to the drive? If it helps, most of the files are .mp4

bagheera

539 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2555005 1-Sep-2020 17:42

https://www.mactip.net/enable-ntfs-writing-mac/

catspyjamas

188 posts

Master Geek

#2555010 1-Sep-2020 17:57

Ah thanks! Looks like Paragon might be a good solution, especially as the drives are Seagate brand.

gehenna

8511 posts

Uber Geek

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#2555062 1-Sep-2020 18:17

Paragon is the way to go. NTFS is a licensed format so won't allow native writing on MacOS. Reading is fine though.

JaseNZ

2576 posts

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#2555066 1-Sep-2020 18:28

catspyjamas:

Hi. I'm considering getting a 16" MBP next, which will be my first venture into the Apple ecosystem. While it seems just about all of my favourite software and apps all work on a Mac too, I'm not so sure about my my external HDDs (USB powered), which out-of-the-box are formatted to NTFS, and so work as plug and play devices on Windows.

I understand they need to be exFAT or FAT32 on a Mac? Unfortunately I can't reformat them at this point as I've already added a load of stuff to them. In addition, the HDDs are 5TB each, and some of the files are larger than 4GB (which google tells is the upper limit for exFAT/FAT32 files).

Is there any software or app I can use on a Mac that will allow my HDDs to be recognised and allow me to open what's already written to the drive? If it helps, most of the files are .mp4

I changed from a being a hard line windows user to mac a couple of years ago, Apart from price $4.5k for my macbook pro I have found everything to be now seamless, iPhone and iPad all just work together oh and my iWatch, Despite having all that I am not an apple fanboy (forgot apple tv 4k) really I am not lol. I do find the eco system works well and once you get used to macos you won't regret it 😀

Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding : Ice cream man , Ice cream man

catspyjamas

188 posts

Master Geek

#2556059 2-Sep-2020 22:32

Hey thanks for the input guys. :) Really helpful to hear your experiences.

I'm not sure if I will get a MBP or not yet, but in terms of the actual device, from a hardware POV the 16 inch MBP ticks more boxes than any other device I can find for what I'm after, without having to make either many small, or one or two significant compromises. At this point in time MBP seems to have either the best, or at least one of the best for all the things that matter to me in a laptop. Also I've heard quality control is pretty good, and that Apple are far better to deal with than most manufacturers if something does go wrong...? This is also important to me having been messed about by Dell and HP in regards to quality control issues.

The OS itself is a bit of an unknown at this stage, but I like what I've seen so far when I've had a bit of a play on some display models. I learn pretty quickly so hopefully I should be OK.

nedkelly

659 posts

Ultimate Geek

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#2556109 3-Sep-2020 07:45

As an avid Mac user and technician I always recommend Paragon to people switching from Windows to Mac, or just introducing Mac to the house, well worth the cost.

Behodar

10508 posts

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#2556125 3-Sep-2020 08:39

catspyjamas: some of the files are larger than 4GB (which google tells is the upper limit for exFAT/FAT32 files).

That's true for FAT32 but not exFAT. I can't remember the exFAT limit offhand but it's certainly higher than 4 GB.

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bagheera

539 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2556209 3-Sep-2020 11:11

catspyjamas:

The OS itself is a bit of an unknown at this stage, but I like what I've seen so far when I've had a bit of a play on some display models. I learn pretty quickly so hopefully I should be OK.

as long as you get an intel MBP you could away bootcamp and for the price of windows 10 use windows if you do not like macos, that said, as long as it has the apps / games you want to use, there is nothing wrong with MacOS