https://DevOpsCloud.io -- Cloud Monk Losang Jinpa, Ph.D., MCSE/MCT, GitOps DevOps Engineer

Return to NTFS, Ubuntu-Debian

Ubuntu supports NTFS file systems by default with the ntfs-3g driver. If NTFS functionality is not already installed or needs upgrading, follow these steps to add or confirm NTFS support via the command line.

1. **Update the System** Ensure your system is up to date:

  ```
  sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
  ```

2. **Install the ntfs-3g Package** This package enables full read and write support for NTFS drives:

  ```
  sudo apt install ntfs-3g
  ```

3. **Verify Installation** Check if the ntfs-3g package is installed:

  ```
  dpkg -l | grep ntfs-3g
  ```

4. **Mount an NTFS Partition** Identify the NTFS partition using `lsblk` or `fdisk`:

  ```
  sudo lsblk
  sudo fdisk -l
  ```

  Create a mount point (e.g., `/mnt/ntfs`) and mount the partition:
  ```
  sudo mkdir -p /mnt/ntfs
  sudo mount -t ntfs-3g /dev/sdXn /mnt/ntfs
  ```
  Replace `/dev/sdXn` with your NTFS partition identifier (e.g., `/dev/sdb1`).

5. **Configure Automatic Mounting** To mount the NTFS partition automatically on boot, edit the `/etc/fstab` file:

  ```
  sudo nano /etc/fstab
  ```
  Add the following line, replacing `/dev/sdXn` and `/mnt/ntfs` with your partition details:
  ```
  /dev/sdXn /mnt/ntfs ntfs-3g defaults 0 0
  ```

6. **Test the Configuration** Reboot your system or test the `/etc/fstab` entry with:

  ```
  sudo mount -a
  ```

7. **Check Mounted Drives** Verify the partition is mounted correctly:

  ```
  df -h
  ```

These steps ensure NTFS support on your Ubuntu system. For advanced NTFS usage, refer to the ntfs-3g documentation.

To format the USB drive `/dev/sdd` (currently with a partition `/dev/sdd1`) as NTFS in Ubuntu, follow these steps:

—

1. ==Step 1: Unmount the Partition==

Before formatting, unmount the partition to ensure no processes are using it: ``` sudo umount /dev/sdd1 ```

—

1. ==Step 2: Delete Existing Partition==

Use `fdisk` to delete the current partition and create a new one:

1. Start `fdisk`:

  ```
  sudo fdisk /dev/sdd
  ```

  - Type `d` and press Enter to delete the partition.
  - Type `n` and press Enter to create a new partition.
  - Accept the default values (or customize as needed) for the partition size.
  - Type `w` and press Enter to write changes and exit.

—

1. ==Step 3: Format as NTFS==

Format the new partition as NTFS: ``` sudo mkfs.ntfs -f /dev/sdd1 ```

—

1. ==Step 4: Label the Partition (Optional)==

To assign a label to the partition (e.g., `MyUSB`), use: ``` sudo ntfslabel /dev/sdd1 MyUSB ```

—

1. ==Step 5: Mount the Partition==

Create a mount point and mount the USB drive: ``` sudo mkdir -p /mnt/usb sudo mount -t ntfs-3g /dev/sdd1 /mnt/usb ```

—

1. ==Step 6: Verify the Format==

Check the filesystem and mount status: ``` sudo blkid /dev/sdd1 df -h ```

—

1. ==Notes==

• Make sure you replace `/dev/sdd1` with the correct device name if it changes during the process.
• Be cautious when selecting the drive to avoid formatting the wrong disk.

Your USB drive should now be formatted as NTFS and ready for use!