ntfs-3g

ntfs-3g [options] device mount_point

-o option
    Specify mount options. Multiple options can be comma-separated.

-o defaults
    Use default mount options.

-o ro
    Mount the file system in read-only mode.

-o rw
    Mount the file system in read-write mode (this is the default).

-o uid=value
    Set the ownership of all files and directories to the specified user ID.

-o gid=value
    Set the ownership of all files and directories to the specified group ID.

-o umask=value
    Set the umask for all files and directories. Permissions are ORed with 022 by default.

-o fmask=value
    Set the umask for files only.

-o dmask=value
    Set the umask for directories only.

-o locale=value
    Set the locale to be used for filename encoding and decoding.

-o remove_hiberfile
    Remove the hibernation file. Use with caution if Windows is hibernated.

-o force
    Force mount, even if the file system is inconsistent or a hibernation file exists.

-o noatime
    Do not update file access times (atime) on the file system.

-o relatime
    Update access times relative to modification or change times. (Default on many Linux systems).

-o windows_names
    Forbid characters invalid in Windows filenames (e.g., :, *, ?, <, >, |).

-h, --help
    Display a help message and exit.

-V, --version
    Display version and copyright information and exit.

ntfs-3g is a stable, open-source driver that enables Linux, macOS, and other Unix-like operating systems to read and write to Microsoft Windows NTFS formatted partitions. It provides full read and write access, including creating, deleting, renaming, and moving files and directories, as well as managing file permissions and ownership. Unlike older drivers that offered limited or read-only support, ntfs-3g was specifically developed to handle complex NTFS features like journal replay, access control lists (ACLs), and data streams robustly, making it a reliable solution for interoperability between Windows and Linux environments.

It typically uses FUSE (Filesystem in Userspace) to operate in user space, enhancing stability and security. It is the de-facto standard for NTFS support on Linux systems.

If a Windows system is hibernated (or has 'Fast Startup' enabled), mounting the NTFS partition in read-write mode without the remove_hiberfile or force option can lead to data loss or corruption on the NTFS volume, as the file system is not properly unmounted. Always ensure Windows is fully shut down before mounting with read/write access. Default mount options might not preserve full NTFS permissions or ownership, often presenting all files as owned by the mounting user/group; use uid, gid, umask or permissions options for more granular control.

To automatically mount an NTFS partition at boot time, you can add an entry to the /etc/fstab file. A typical entry would look like:

device mount_point ntfs-3g defaults 0 0

Replace device with the partition's UUID or path (e.g., /dev/sda1) and mount_point with the desired directory (e.g., /mnt/windows). You can also include specific options like uid=1000,gid=1000,umask=0022 to set permissions.

While ntfs-3g offers excellent compatibility and stability, performance might be slightly lower compared to native Linux file systems (like Ext4) due to the overhead of running in user space via FUSE. For typical daily usage, this difference is often negligible, but for extremely I/O intensive tasks, a native Linux file system might be preferred if interoperability is not a strict requirement.

ntfs-3g was initially developed by Szabolcs Szakacsits and first released in 2006. It quickly gained popularity due to its robust read/write capabilities for NTFS, which was a significant improvement over previous, more limited drivers. It rapidly became the de-facto standard for NTFS support in Linux, often bundled as a default component in most major distributions. Its reliance on the FUSE (Filesystem in Userspace) architecture allowed it to develop rapidly and independently of the kernel, providing a safer user-space environment for complex file system operations while maintaining high stability.

mount(8), umount(8), fdisk(8), mkfs.ntfs(8), lsblk(8), fuse(4)