No kernel extension
Mountee runs as an FSKit file system extension in user space. Your Mac stays at Full Security — no kext approval, no Recovery Mode, no SIP changes, no reboot.
Read the security modelFeatures
NTFS read/write, with fewer moving parts.
Mountee adds write access to Windows drives without a kernel extension, a macFUSE install, or a security downgrade. It is deliberately small: mount, unmount, eject, reveal, and get out of the way.
Core benefits
Everything you need. Nothing you don't.
No accounts, subscriptions, background sync, or proprietary cloud. The app's job is to mount a local volume safely and make it usable in Finder.
No macFUSE, no Homebrew
The ntfs-3g engine is compiled into the app. Install one DMG and you are done. There is no separate driver, package manager, or terminal setup.
How it works without macFUSERead-only by default
Every volume mounts read-only until you explicitly choose Mount Read/Write. Dirty or Windows-hibernated volumes are never mounted read/write.
Safety modelNative where it matters
Mounted drives appear under /Volumes and in Finder like any other disk. The menu bar app handles mount, unmount, eject, reveal, and diagnostics.
See all featuresFree and open source
GPL-3.0, with a pinned and SHA-256 verified ntfs-3g build. Read the source, audit the safety gates, or build it yourself. No account or subscription.
About the projectHonest about limits
Unsupported operations return ENOTSUP; nothing reports a false success. Known limitations are documented instead of hidden. Mountee never formats, repairs, or erases.
Known limitationsWrite safety
Write access is a deliberate action.
Every volume mounts read-only first. To write, you explicitly choose Mount Read/Write for that volume. There is no global “always write” switch that quietly applies to every disk you plug in.
Mountee refuses read/write access when NTFS reports the volume as dirty or when Windows left it hibernated. That is not an error to bypass; it is the main protection against corrupting a Windows filesystem.
Why a drive is read-onlyThe safety checklist
- Read-only by default
- Explicit per-volume read/write opt-in
- Dirty and hibernated volumes stay read-only
- Never formats, repairs, or erases
- NTFS metadata files cannot be unlinked
- Unsupported operations return
ENOTSUP
Workflow
Native where it counts.
Finder integration
Mounted volumes appear under /Volumes and in Finder like any other disk. Open files with the apps you already use.
Menu bar controls
Mount, unmount, eject, reveal in Finder, and inspect volume details from a compact menu bar window.
Useful diagnostics
Copy a troubleshooting report covering extension state, FSKit modules, the mount table, and detected volumes.
Read-only access
For sensitive or untrusted disks, mount read-only. Browsing and copying files works without enabling writes.
No runtime dependencies
The ntfs-3g engine ships inside the app. No Homebrew, no macFUSE, no package updates at runtime.
No reboot
Install, enable the extension once, and connect the drive. No Recovery Mode or Startup Security changes.
Scope
What Mountee does not do.
A narrow scope is a feature. Mountee does not try to be a disk utility, a repair tool, or a backup application.
No format, repair, or erase
Mountee never modifies the volume structure. Use Windows chkdsk or a dedicated tool for repairs. If a drive is failing, stop and recover data first.
No permission mapping or links
POSIX permissions are not mapped from NTFS descriptors, ownership is ignored, and symlinks, hard links, and extended attributes are unsupported. These limitations are documented, not hidden.
Compatibility
Built for a specific Mac, not every Mac.
macOS 26 or later on Apple Silicon. Intel Macs and macOS 15 or earlier are not supported.
macOS 26.6.2 verified macOS 27.0.1 verifiedApple Silicon arm64No macFUSENo kernel extensionGPL-3.0
Need older macOS or Intel support? See Mounty and Paragon comparisons for alternatives.
Your Windows drive is one install away.
Download Mountee, enable the file system extension once, and mount your NTFS volume read/write. Free, open source, and no macFUSE required.
macOS 26 or later · Apple Silicon · 4.25 MB