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https://github.com/guoquan/mountfs

mouNTFS helps you write to NTFS drives on your Mac
https://github.com/guoquan/mountfs

fuse macos ntfs ntfs-3g

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mouNTFS helps you write to NTFS drives on your Mac

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README 

        
# *mouNT*FS



[![License: MIT](https://img.shields.io/badge/License-MIT-yellow.svg)](https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT)

[![Built-with-AI](https://img.shields.io/badge/Built--with-AI_🤖-blueviolet)](https://github.com/guoquan/mountfs#contributors)

[![Website](https://img.shields.io/badge/HTTPS-mountfs.sh_🌐-blue)](https://mountfs.sh)



## What's *mouNT*FS



*mouNT*FS (pronounced "maun-tee-ef-es") helps you write to NTFS (pronounced "en-tee-ef-es") drives on your Mac. No more "read-only" frustration! Just select your drive, provide your password to confirm, and you're ready to go - with native macOS dialogs that feel right at home.



Currently, *mouNT*FS is just one simple shell script that does one thing well - mounting NTFS drives with write access. We keep it clean and focused.



🤝 This project is an experiment in human-AI collaboration, co-developed with AI buddies.

🤖 All code is written by AI, with 👤 humans focusing on design, review, and direction - no direct human coding.

🥳 This must be a fun ride, and let's see where it goes.



### Features



- 🤖 Co-developed with AI buddies

- 📁 Native file picker for volume selection

- 🔐 Secure password handling through system dialog

- 📊 Detailed volume information:

  - Volume name and device path

  - Current usage and total size

  - File system and mount status

- 🔄 Automatic fallback between mount methods

- ✅ Write access verification



### Under the Hood



The script safely handles NTFS mounting by first unmounting the volume, then trying the `mount_ntfs` with read-write option. If that fails, it falls back to the more reliable `ntfs-3g`. After mounting, it verifies write access and uses native macOS dialogs throughout the process.



## Getting Started



### Requirements



- macOS - so that you lose NTFS read-write access

- [Homebrew](https://brew.sh) - to install macFUSE and ntfs-3g, and a lot of cool stuff for macOS 🍺

- [macFUSE](https://osxfuse.github.io) - FUSE file system support for macOS

- [ntfs-3g](https://github.com/tuxera/ntfs-3g) - NTFS driver with write support ([macOS version](https://github.com/gromgit/homebrew-fuse))



### Installation



0. Make sure you have [Homebrew](https://brew.sh) installed.



1. Install macFUSE and ntfs-3g-mac:



```bash

brew install --cask macfuse

brew install gromgit/fuse/ntfs-3g-mac

```



2. Download `mountfs.sh`:



```bash

cd ~/Downloads  # or any directory you won't get lost

curl -L -o mountfs.sh https://get.mountfs.sh

chmod +x mountfs.sh

```



3. Configure security settings:

   - Trust macFUSE library in Settings → Privacy & Security (signed by "Benjamin Fleischer")

   - macFUSE needs a kernel extension to be enabled, which requires a system restart

   - Grant disk access when prompted



Note: These security settings are required by macOS to allow third-party file system drivers. They only need to be configured once, unless you uninstall or reinstall the drivers.



Refer to [macFUSE wiki](https://github.com/macfuse/macfuse/wiki/Getting-Started#how-to-install-macfuse) for more details.



### Usage



1. **Launch**:

   - Double-click `mountfs.sh` in Finder, *OR*

   - Run in terminal `./mountfs.sh`



2. **Select Volume**:

   - Choose your NTFS volume in the native file picker

   - Non-NTFS volumes will be automatically rejected



3. **Review & Confirm**:

   - Check volume information

   - Confirm the mount operation



4. **Authenticate**:

   - Enter administrator password in the popup dialog



## Using *mouNT*FS



### Notes



- Requires administrator privileges for mounting

- Performs safe unmount before remounting

- Verifies write access after mounting

- Uses the best available mount method



### Troubleshooting



If mounting fails:



1. Ensure the volume is NTFS formatted

2. Check macFUSE and ntfs-3g installation

3. Try safely ejecting and reconnecting

4. Check system logs for errors



## Alternatives



- **[Mounty](https://mounty.app/)** - Popular free GUI app for NTFS mounting

- **[NTFS for Mac by Paragon](https://www.paragon-software.com/home/ntfs-mac/)** - Commercial solution with full NTFS support

- **[Tuxera NTFS](https://www.tuxera.com/products/tuxera-ntfs-for-mac/)** - Another commercial driver with high performance

- Feel free to explore other alternatives!



*mouNT*FS focuses on simplicity and native macOS integration while remaining free and open source. We ❤️ open source!



## Information



### Roadmap



- [ ] GUI interface with native macOS look and feel

- [ ] Better error messages and recovery options

- [ ] System tray integration for quick access

- [ ] Volume monitoring for automatic mounting

- [ ] Localization support for multiple languages



### Contribution



Contributions and suggestions are welcome! Feel free to open issues or pull requests.



As a human-AI collaboration project:



- For **code** contributions, please bring your AI buddy and keep the no-direct-human-coding spirit

- For **other** contributions (docs, testing, reviews, etc.), both humans and AI buddies are more than welcome!



Given wide-spread AI concerns, safety review is welcome.



### Contributors



| 🤖 AI | 👤 Humans |

|-------|-----------|

| 🦾 [Claude](https://anthropic.com/claude) (3.5 Sonnet, via [Cursor](https://cursor.sh))
 🧠 [GPT](https://openai.com/index/gpt-4/) (GPT-4o) | 🐰 [guoquan](https://guoquan.net) |



### License



[MIT License](LICENSE) © 2024 Quan Guo