Apple Silicon · macOS 14+
The 3.1.3 line targets M-series Macs running Sonoma or newer. Intel Macs and macOS 13 or earlier are outside this release's system requirements.
3.1.3 beta channel · Open source · Apple Silicon
ntfsmac by BinaryBears
Mount NTFS drives read/write from a focused native menu-bar app, with a modern macOS helper, isolated networking and diagnostics written for people.
Latest published release on GitHub
Beta channel: checking availability…
Choose the stable release for everyday use. Beta downloads are optional and appear separately when a public preview is available.
Apple SiliconM-series Mac
macOS 14+3.1.3 system requirements
Standard onlyLegacy deprecated in 3.1.3
Compatibility
Built for Apple Silicon.
One Standard installer for the 3.1.3 line, with system-specific behavior and clear diagnostics when you need help.
System-aware features
Newer macOS features are enabled where available, with compatible paths for earlier systems. The filesystem runtime requires access to Apple's hardware virtualization.
Compatibility details
The README records exact macOS versions, hardware and verified operations, distinguishing native Macs from virtual machines. Consult it for the coverage relevant to your configuration.
Share your experience: report the app version/build, macOS version, chip family, filesystem and operations completed. Successful tests are welcome alongside bug reports. Use backed-up or disposable media. Hold Command (⌘) while clicking Diagnose to export JSON, review it, then attach it to your report. Nothing is uploaded automatically. Community reports are tracked separately from maintainer verification.
A lighter footprint
So light, it practically disappears.
ntfsmac slows its background work when the menu is closed and wakes only when you need it. Explore the measured footprint in three everyday moments.
At rest
Barely there.
The menu stays ready while ntfsmac settles into a slower background rhythm.
CPU
<0.002%
measured average
Memory
~30 MB
physical footprint
Battery
Near-zero
estimated impact
CPU activity<0.002%
00.01%
Share of test Mac memory0.12%
01%
Quiet by design. Enough headroom that ordinary use stays comfortably below one percent of a CPU core and system memory.
How we measured
Local 10- and 30-minute samples on a 24 GB Apple Silicon Mac. CPU is a time-based process average; mounted memory includes ntfsmac and its private filesystem runtime. Battery wording is an estimate based on measured CPU activity and wakeups, not a battery-life guarantee. Values are rounded up for a clear, conservative summary. These historical 3.1 measurements have not been repeated for the 3.1.3 candidate.
Small app, serious boundary
Your NTFS drive in the menu bar.
ntfsmac runs the filesystem in a lightweight Linux virtual machine and exposes the result locally to macOS. The interface keeps mount state, safety checks and recovery close at hand.
- Modern macOS helper in the standard installer
- One Standard installer in 3.1.3, with migration from Legacy
- Plain-language diagnostics with clear OK, idle and attention states
- Safe Quit confirmation whenever a drive is still mounted
- Per-mount isolation, verified copy and complete uninstall
The 3.1 interface
Useful detail, without the internals.
Diagnose groups the real checks into four readable outcomes. Settings keeps navigation, version and update check on one line. When storage is active, Quit makes the safe choice explicit instead of silently leaving services behind.
Installation
Three deliberate steps.
The 3.1.3 beta ships one Standard DMG for Apple Silicon, targeting macOS 14+. Legacy is deprecated. Check the compatibility evidence above and the requirements of the actual published release before installing.
Download
Get the latest signed Apple Silicon DMG from GitHub Releases.
Move
Drag ntfsmac to Applications and open it.
Authorize
Allow ntfsmac in Login Items and grant Full Disk Access when macOS asks.
Upgrading to the Standard build verifies its modern helper first, then removes the retired Legacy helper. macOS may ask you to approve access again.
Security & privacy
No telemetry. No silent updater.
The app checks GitHub at most once every 24 hours for the latest published release. It never downloads or installs updates on its own. Automatic network errors stay silent and mount operations do not depend on the check.