Apple launches Apple Store app in India

The Apple Store app provides customers with the most personalized way to shop for Apple’s innovative lineup of products and services. Learn more >

You can make a difference in the Apple Support Community!

When you sign up with your Apple Account, you can provide valuable feedback to other community members by upvoting helpful replies and User Tips.

User profile for user: playfairs
playfairs Author
User level: Level 1
4 points

How do I properly format a Disk Drive into NTFS on a Mac?

First I am aware that NTFS Is a Microsoft Format System, so I'm aware formatting it by default means is not an option, but I want to know if there is any method such as maybe using a VM, or using something such as a Third Party app, I read a previous post which asked the same thing, though the methods they were providing were very vague and not the most helpful, I'm also aware that you can purchase a Microsoft app specifically for formatting drives, but because it is Microsoft, it is not free, I do not want to pay for something which should be available to anyone, If i cannot do this on my Mac, with any methods which would be free, am I able to format NTFS on Linux? If so someone please let me know, I would like to format it so I can use it for my Xbox which REQUIRES me to use NTFS.

Mac mini, macOS 15.2

Posted on Jan 19, 2025 10:58 PM

Reply
2 replies
User profile for user: g_wolfman
g_wolfman
User level: Level 4
2,512 points

Jan 20, 2025 5:15 PM in response to playfairs

The short answer - which you are probably not going to like - is that you may not be able to do this without paying for a third-party app.


The reason, to put it as simply as possible, is that NTFS is a proprietary format owned by Microsoft and they control the licensing for NTFS. Reading NTFS - anyone is allowed to do that. Writing to NTFS...expensive and Apple doesn't see a reason to pay for that feature to go into macOS given that they use their own filesystem and use cases like "formatting a disk on my Mac to use on my Xbox" is really pretty rare.


It's even worse on Linux, given the tendency of many Linuxes to fully embrace the GNU "free as in speech, and free as in beer" paradigm and reject most if not all proprietary licensed software.


In theory, as per Rudgar's second link, you can format a disk in NTFS using Terminal...BUT, if you look closely at that link (or any of the many similar ones you will see if you Google your question), you will see that:

  1. The image of the Terminal session all those links will use shows issuing commands to format a disk to NTFS in Terminal but the output says APFS - and it looks like someone modified the command because "NTFS" in teh command is in a slightly different font; and,
  2. They are always from commercial companies that will point out their tool is REALLY a better way to format disks if you would just buy it...


Here is the usual image if you want to see for yourself:


Personally, I use a third-party tool, both for Microsoft NTFS and for Linux EXTFS - but I have a use case that makes it worthwhile.


If this really is a "one shot" format that you aren't going to be doing again once you can attach it to your Xbox...find a friend with a Windows PC and ask them to help you out.

Reply

How do I properly format a Disk Drive into NTFS on a Mac?

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.
Learn more Sign up