NTFS (New Technology File System) is the file system Microsoft introduced with Windows NT and still uses on Windows drives. It supports access control lists, journaling, large volumes, and files far beyond the FAT32 4 GB limit.
Why it matters
NTFS controls who can read or change each file through permissions, so it underpins Windows security. Its journal helps it recover after crashes. Other systems can often read NTFS, but writing support varies, which matters for external drives and dual-boot machines.
It also provides features such as hard links, compression, and alternate data streams.
Example
C:\> icacls C:\inetpub\wwwroot
IIS_IUSRS:(RX)
Administrators:(F)The icacls command lists NTFS permissions. Here the IIS group can read and execute, and administrators have full control.
Common mistakes
- Assuming Linux or macOS can always write to an NTFS drive; check the driver support.
- Setting Everyone: Full Control to fix a permission error instead of granting the right account access.
- Forgetting that NTFS filenames are case-insensitive by default, unlike ext4.
Related
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