Introduction
NTFS stands for New Technology File System. This file-storing system is standard on Windows machines, but Linux systems also use it to organize data.
Most Linux systems mount the disks automatically. However, in dual-boot setups, where file exchange is required between two systems with NTFS partitions, this procedure is performed manually.
This article will show you how to mount an NTFS partition in Linux with read-only or read-and-write permissions.
Prerequisites
- A system running Linux
- A user account with
sudo
orroot
privileges - Access to a terminal window / command line (Activities > Search > Terminal)
Mount NTFS Partition with Read-Only Permission
Follow the steps below to mount an NTFS partition with read-only access.
Note: A read-only partition allows users to read files. To enable writing to an NTFS partition, refer to the second section of the article.
Identify NTFS Partition
Before mounting an NTFS partition, identify it by using the parted
command:
sudo parted -l
In the example above, two NTFS partitions are on the /dev/sdb
disk. Note the partition number you want to mount before you proceed.
You can also use the fdisk
and grep
commands to show only NTFS partitions on a disk:
sudo fdisk -l | grep NTFS
Create Mount Point and Mount NTFS Partition
In this example, we will mount the /dev/sdb1
partition with read-only permission.
First, create the mount point with the mkdir
command:
sudo mkdir /mnt/ntfs1
Next, mount the partition to the directory you created. Use the mount
command and the partition path you noted earlier:
sudo mount -t ntfs /dev/sdb1 /mnt/ntfs1
Use the disk free tool to check the details of all filesystems and verify you mounted the partition successfully:
df -hT
The /dev/sdb1
partition shows as mounted at the bottom of the list. You now have read-only access for this NTFS partition.
Mount NTFS Partition with Read-and-Write Permissions
To mount an NTFS partition with read-and-write permissions, you need to install fuse and ntfs-3 on your system.
Follow the steps below to complete the mounting process.
Note: Some Linux distributions may have fuse and ntfs-3g already installed by default.
Update Package Repositories
Run the following command to download and update the package repositories:
sudo apt update
Install Fuse and ntfs-3g
To install fuse on your Linux system from the default repository, use the appropriate package manager. In our example, we use apt
in Ubuntu.
sudo apt install fuse
When the installation completes, install ntfs-3g by running:
sudo apt install ntfs-3g
In case both fuse and ntfs-3g are already installed, the output looks similar to the one below:
Mount NTFS Partition
After you install the fuse and ntfs-3g software packages, mount your NTFS partition.
First, create a mount point by using the mkdir
command :
sudo mkdir /mnt/ntfs2
Next, use the mount command to mount
the partition you want. For example, /dev/sdb2
:
sudo mount -t ntfs-3g /dev/sdb2 /mnt/ntfs2/
To check if the partition is mounted, run the df
command:
df -hT
You now have the read/write permissions for the NTFS partition you mounted.
Note: Linux kernel version 2.6.20 or newer is recommended for mounting a partition via ntfs-3g. Learn on how to update the kernel on Ubuntu or how to update the kernel on CentOS.
Conclusion
After reading this article, you should have learned to mount an NTFS partition. Partition manipulation is crucial in a Linux system, and next, we recommend learning how to delete a partition in Linux and how to format disk partitions in Linux.
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Author
Nevena Pavlicic
Nevena Pavlicic is an aspiring Technical Writer at PhoenixNAP with experience in writing user manuals and blog posts. She has always enjoyed researching and building knowledge on cutting edge technologies, but she is also passionate about simplifying complex concepts.