> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://book.bsdcn.org/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://book.bsdcn.org/ask/flat/chapter-26-other-file-systems/di-26.1-jie-windows-wen-jian-xi-tong.md). # 26.1 Windows File Systems FreeBSD currently requires the user-space driver ntfs-3g for NTFS read/write, and the user-space driver fusefs-exfat for exFAT read/write; FAT32 is natively supported by the kernel for both reading and writing. ## NTFS File System NTFS is a file system developed by Microsoft, commonly used in Windows operating systems. FreeBSD provides full read/write support for NTFS through the **fusefs-ntfs** package (corresponding to Port **filesystems/ntfs**), facilitating access to and modification of NTFS-formatted storage devices. ### Installing ntfs-3g Install using pkg: ```sh # pkg install fusefs-ntfs ``` Alternatively, build through the Ports system: ```sh # cd /usr/ports/filesystems/ntfs # make BATCH=yes install clean ``` ### Configuring ntfs-3g Insert an NTFS-formatted device, such as a USB flash drive, into the computer. The device name can then be identified, for example `da0` (corresponding to the device file **/dev/da0p1**). Edit the **/etc/rc.conf** configuration file to add the fusefs kernel module to the system startup load list: ```sh # sysrc kld_list+="fusefs" ``` The above command makes the configuration persistent. To apply it immediately, run: ```sh # kldload fusefs ``` ### Manual Mounting To manually mount an NTFS partition: Use ntfs-3g to mount **/dev/da0p1** to **/mnt**, set read/write permissions, and specify appropriate owner and permission mask for files: ```sh # ntfs-3g /dev/da0p1 /mnt -o rw,uid=1000,gid=1000,umask=0 ``` Perform some read/write operations: ```sh # ls /mnt System Volume Information di-17.2-jie-linux-wen-jian-xi-tong.md di-17.1-jie-windows-wen-jian-xi-tong.md di-17.3-jie-macos-wen-jian-xi-tong.md # rm /mnt/di-17.3-jie-macos-wen-jian-xi-tong.md # touch /mnt/test1 ``` ### Automatic Mounting NTFS partitions can be configured to mount automatically at boot. Edit the **/etc/fstab** file and add the following mount information: ```sh /dev/da0p1 /mnt ntfs mountprog=/usr/local/bin/ntfs-3g,rw,uid=1000,gid=1000,umask=0,late 0 0 ``` Verify the mount status: ```sh # df -h /dev/da0p1 58G 88M 58G 0% /mnt ``` Then view the file contents: ```sh # ls /mnt/ System Volume Information di-17.2-jie-linux-wen-jian-xi-tong.md di-17.1-jie-windows-wen-jian-xi-tong.md test1 ``` ### Appendix: Formatting a New Device as NTFS First, a partition table must be created: the device can be set up with either an MBR or GPT partition table. MBR partition tables are older, so the GPT scheme is used in the following demonstration. #### Creating an MBR Partition Table ```sh # gpart create -s mbr da0 # gpart add -t ntfs da0 ``` #### Creating a GPT Partition Table ```sh # gpart create -s gpt da0 # gpart add -t ms-basic-data da0 ``` ### Formatting an NTFS Partition > **Warning** > > `mkntfs` will format the specified partition, and all data on the partition will be permanently lost. Please confirm the device path is correct. Create an NTFS file system on the **/dev/da0p1** partition: ```sh # NTFS_USE_UBLIO=0 mkntfs -vf /dev/da0p1 ``` Parameter description: * `-f`: fast format * `-v`: verbose output * `NTFS_USE_UBLIO=0`: UBLIO (User space Block I/O) is a user-space block I/O library used to improve FUSE file system performance. However, in the FreeBSD environment, UBLIO may cause file system corruption and data loss when working with ntfs-3g. In this example, without this parameter to disable UBLIO, the command will become unresponsive. #### References * [Bug 206978](https://bugs.freebsd.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=206978) * [Bug 194526](https://bugs.freebsd.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=194526). ## FAT32 File System The FAT file system is simple and reliable. Although it falls behind modern solutions in performance, reliability, and scalability, it remains a common choice for data exchange between devices due to its availability across multiple operating systems. When using the `gpart show` command, FAT32 file systems are typically displayed as the `ms-basic-data` type. The following command displays detailed information about the `nda1` disk and its partitions, including start position, size, and type: ```sh # gpart show -p nda1 => 34 41942973 nda1 GPT (20G) 29360128 4194304 nda1p3 ms-basic-data (2.0G) # FAT32 ……other irrelevant output omitted…… ``` > **Note** > > The file system type must be explicitly specified for mounting. Mount the **/dev/nda1p3** partition as an msdosfs file system: ```sh # mount -v -t msdosfs /dev/nda1p3 /mnt /dev/nda1p3 on /mnt (msdosfs, local, writes: sync 1 async 0, reads: sync 512 async 0, fsid 7d00000032000000, vnodes: count 1 ) ``` * The `-v` parameter is used for verbose output; * The `-t` parameter is used to specify the file system type. List the contents of the mount directory: ```sh # ls /mnt/ me test1 test2 ``` When no longer needed, unmount the file system: ```sh # umount /mnt ``` ## exFAT File System exFAT (Extended File Allocation Table) is a lightweight file system optimized for flash storage devices (such as USB drives and SD cards). It supports large-capacity files and is widely used across multiple platforms, making it suitable for external storage devices. To use exFAT on FreeBSD, install the filesystems/exfat package, load the FUSE kernel module, and mount the file system as follows: ### Installing the exFAT Package Install the exFAT package using pkg: ```sh # pkg install fusefs-exfat ``` Install using Ports: ```sh # cd /usr/ports/filesystems/exfat/ # make install clean ``` ### Loading the fusefs(4) Kernel Module Before using FUSE file systems, the fusefs(4) kernel module must be loaded: ```sh # kldload fusefs ``` Use sysrc(8) to configure the module to load automatically at boot: ```sh # sysrc kld_list+="fusefs" ``` ### Formatting a Disk as exFAT File System The Port **filesystems/exfat-utils** must be installed separately; it provides the `mkexfatfs` tool for formatting disks to exFAT format. * Create a GPT partition table ```sh # gpart create -s gpt ada1 ``` * Create a partition containing all remaining space ```sh # gpart add -t ms-basic-data ada1 ``` * Format as exFAT ```sh # mkexfatfs -n "Mytest" /dev/ada1p1 ``` The `-n` option specifies the volume label `Mytest`. * Verify the file system used by the **/dev/ada1p1** partition: ```sh # fstyp /dev/ada1p1 exfat ``` ### Test Mounting an exFAT Volume Mount the exFAT volume by specifying its FreeBSD partition name and an existing mount point. The following example mounts **/dev/ada1p1** to **/mnt**: ```sh # mount.exfat /dev/ada1p1 /mnt ``` Verify the exFAT volume mount status: ```sh # df -hl Filesystem Size Used Avail Capacity Mounted on /dev/ada1p1 20G 2.7M 20G 0% /mnt ……irrelevant output omitted…… ``` Try reading and writing some files: ```sh # cd /mnt # touch test # mkdir -p test2/test2 # ls -al total 73 drwxrwxrwx 1 root wheel 32768 May 29 17:39 . drwxr-xr-x 20 root wheel 22 May 29 17:04 .. -rwxrwxrwx 1 root wheel 0 May 29 17:39 test drwxrwxrwx 1 root wheel 32768 May 29 17:39 test2 ``` ## References * FreeBSD Project. ntfs-3g manpage\[EB/OL]. \[2026-03-25]. . Official technical documentation for ntfs-3g, describing parameter configuration and usage. * Stephen Sherratt. NTFS on FreeBSD\[EB/OL]. \[2026-03-25]. . A systematic explanation of the technical implementation for mounting NTFS file systems on FreeBSD. * FreeBSD Forums. Why fstab file does not recognize NTFS commands?\[EB/OL]. \[2026-04-19]. . 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