NTFS support

Hi, when I was new to Mac I met the same problem. And here is how i did:

1. Download a NTFS for Mac driver. What I am using is iBoysoft Drive Manager (https://iboysoft.com/mac-drive-manager/). It Provides 7-days free trial. But I purchased it after 7 days as I found it works like a charm.
2. During the 7-days free trial, you can fully access your NTFS drive on Mac natively. So, you can have a backup of your files on this drive. copy-paste your files to another drive or whatever.
3. After you have backupped your files on this drive, you can go ahead to Disk Utility to reformat it as FAT or exFAT (both of them will work for your Mac and Windows)

if you don't know how to perform these operation, I personally would recommend the article (https://iboysoft.com/ntfs-for-mac/how-to-solve-external-hard-drive-read-only-mac-without-formatting.html ) written by iBoysoft to you which covers everything in detail.

Also, if you don't worry about data loss, you can reformat it directly, or you can search for some information about "Apple macOS experimental native NTFS support"

You might consider FAT or exFAT.

FAT:

Compatibility: Works with all versions of Windows, Mac, Linux, game consoles, and practically anything with a USB port.

Limits: 4 GB maximum file size, 8 TB maximum partition size.

Ideal Use: Use it on removable drives where you need maximum compatibility with the widest range of devices, assuming you don’t have any files 4 GB or larger in size.

exFAT:

Compatibility: Works with all versions of Windows and modern versions of Mac OS X, but requires additional software on Linux. More devices support exFAT than support NTFS, but some—particularly older ones—may only support FAT32.

Limits: No realistic file-size or partition-size limits.

Ideal Use: Use it when you need bigger file size and partition limits than FAT32 offers and when you need more compatibility than NTFS offers. Assuming that every device you want to use the drive with supports exFAT, you should format your device with exFAT instead of FAT32.

https://www.howtogeek.com/235596/whats-the-difference-between-fat32-exfat-and-ntfs/

Ha--you're right. I guess I failed to mention the reason I was taken aback was because when I went to an apple store I specifically asked about any issues with external hard drives that I had been using with my Windows computer, and they assured me there would be no problem. 'Suppose I didn't know all the right vocabulary to ask the question properly.

There really isn't a problem. You can copy the files off of them, then reformat the drive for use on a Mac.

Or, you can reformat as ExFAT to use on both.

The drive will work fine regardless of what computer you use them with.

Please do not try the experimental macOS support for NTFS especially on Mojave it does not work.

Please read this article, https://www.howtogeek.com/236055/how-to-write-to-ntfs-drives-on-a-mac/

I use the Fuse for Mac method, it is free and works well, yes it is a bit of a faff and you need to be

fairly confident using Terminal. As a newcomer to Mac that might not be the ideal solution for you

but perhaps you know someone who does have more experience and could help you.

The article I linked to above also states not to use the Macs own experimental NTFS support.

FWIW, Macs have never written to NTFS drives. FWIW, see: How to Write to NTFS Drives on a Mac

Are you also stunned that there is no native support for HFS+ or APFS in Windows?

I'm stunned that I can't put a Ford transmission in a Chevy.

I couldn't agree that more. Never try the experimental macOS support for NTFS. An NTFS for Mac driver would be helpful more for people who are not familiar with the Terminal.