How to Mount NTFS Partition in Linux

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 or root 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.

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.

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.

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.