CrossDriver XFSFree read-only · 7-day Pro trial · macOS 12 or later · Apple silicon & IntelMulti-terabyte XFS data drives? Plug them into your Mac to browse, copy and edit. The new CrossDriver XFS needs no kernel extension and handles large files with ease.
No kernel extensionNo security downgradeNo restartFree browsing & preview
Open all of these disks
XFS is one of the most widely used Linux file systems for servers and high-capacity storage, yet almost no Mac tools can read and write it directly.
Each data drive in an Unraid array is its own file system, so an XFS data drive taken out on its own opens on your Mac.
RHEL, Rocky, AlmaLinux and CentOS use XFS by default. Copy data straight from a server's data drive on your Mac.
XFS excels at huge files. Copy footage tens of GB in size right in Finder, and open it directly in your editing app.
XFS data drives from lab servers — get your data without logging in to the server.
Take data and backup drives from your Linux workstation home and use them on your Mac.
LUKS-encrypted XFS disks unlock with your password.
XFS disks appear in Finder and editing apps read footage directly — no need to copy it over first.
Got a pile of drives from a server? Open and browse each one with the free version, preview files, and find the one you need first.
XFS may need repair after an unexpected power loss. CrossDriver has check and repair built in, with clear progress and logs.
Prepare new disks for a server or Unraid, right on your Mac.
Unlock with your password or a key file. The free version unlocks read-only; Pro can read and write.
Many NAS devices store data on top of RAID or LVM, so a single drive won't show your files. CrossDriver recognizes this and suggests using NAS Rescue instead.
An XFS partition on the same USB 3.2 SSD. There's no mature user-space XFS read/write solution for Mac, so only the new generation and the kernel edition are compared.
Test setup (illustrative, TBD): MacBook Pro (M3 Pro, macOS 15), Samsung T7 Shield 1 TB (USB 3.2 Gen 2). Sequential read/write uses a single 10 GB file; the small-file test uses 10,000 files of 100 KB each. Each test is run 5 times and the median is reported, with caches cleared beforehand.
| Formats | Metric | Traditional user-space tools | CrossDriver New Generation | CrossDriver Kernel Edition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| XFS | Sequential read (MB/s) | — | 910 | 990 |
| XFS | Sequential write (MB/s) | — | 850 | 930 |
| XFS | Small-file writes (files/s) | — | 980 | 1,200 |
Disks are read and written by the native XFS driver in the Linux 6.18 kernel.
The older XFS v4 format (deprecated by Linux) is not supported.
Disks are read and written by the native XFS driver in the Linux 6.18 kernel; repairs use the official xfs_repair.
| Opens? | Notes | |
|---|---|---|
| XFS v5 (CRC metadata checksums) | ✓ | Default for new XFS file systems on major distributions since around 2015 |
| reflink (fast copies) | ✓ | |
| bigtime (timestamps beyond 2038) | ✓ | |
| sparse inodes · inobtcount · rmapbt | ✓ | |
| POSIX ACLs · extended attributes | ✓ | Preserved on disk for Linux to use |
| XFS v4 (legacy format) | — | Deprecated by Linux, not yet supported |
Until now, these were the only ways to use XFS on a Mac.
| CrossDriver XFS | Mount manually in a Linux VM | Find a Linux computer | Data recovery software | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Read & write XFS | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Mostly read-only extraction |
| Use directly in Finder | ✓ | Requires manual sharing setup | — | — |
| No command line needed | ✓ | — | — | ✓ |
| Check & repair (xfs_repair) | ✓ | Run manually | Run manually | — |
| Format as XFS | ✓ | Run mkfs manually | Run mkfs manually | — |
| LUKS-encrypted drives | ✓ | Run cryptsetup manually | Run cryptsetup manually | Varies by product |
| Setup time | Plug and go | Install and configure a VM | Requires another computer | Just install |
Download and install for free — no restart, no security changes.
Your disk appears in the sidebar automatically. Click "Open Disk".
Browse and copy read-only in Finder for free; upgrade to Pro to write, with a free 7-day trial first.
If it's XFS v5 (XFS created after around 2015), it opens in Finder — no matter the brand or capacity.
Whether a disk opens depends only on its format, not on brand or capacity.
The new CrossDriver reads and writes XFS disks with native Linux file system drivers, running inside an isolated, lightweight Linux environment. Your Mac stays at its factory security level.
No Recovery mode, no lowering security, no restart — and no broken drivers after a macOS update.
The engine only sees the disk you open, fully isolated from macOS and your other disks.
When you click "Eject", the engine writes all changes back to the disk before releasing it, so unplugging won't lose data.
All editions require macOS 12 or later and run natively on Apple silicon and Intel.
The free version opens disks read-only in Finder so you can browse, preview and copy to your Mac — with no time limit. Try Pro free for 7 days.
US$0
US$59.95 Lifetime license · 1 year US$39.95 · 1 month US$19.95
US$79.95 Lifetime license · 1 year US$49.95 · 1 month US$24.95
Shares a license with the Classic kernel edition (XFS For MAC): on the same Mac, you can use both Classic and the new generation. Each license covers 1 Mac and can be deactivated in the app to move it to another. Works offline, no account required. Support & Refund Policy.
Also use NTFS or Ext4? All in One reads and writes NTFS, Ext4, XFS, Btrfs, F2FS and ZFS.
An array of multiple drives? Use NAS Rescue to rebuild RAID, LVM and ZFS read-only.
Ways to open XFS, Ext4, Btrfs and other Linux drives on a Mac, step by step.
How to read drives from Unraid, TrueNAS and QNAP on a Mac.
macOS doesn't support XFS natively, so when you plug one in you'll see "The disk you attached was not readable by this computer." Click "Ignore". Once CrossDriver XFS is installed, XFS disks appear in the sidebar; the free version lets you browse and copy read-only in Finder, and Pro adds writing, repair and formatting. For the steps, see How to open Ext4, XFS and other Linux drives on a Mac.
XFS created by default on major distributions since around 2015 (v5 format) opens fine. The older v4 format has been deprecated by Linux and isn't supported yet.
It's xfs_repair, the official Linux tool — exactly the same as running it on a Linux server, with progress and full logs visible.
Yes. Disks are read and written by the Linux kernel's native XFS driver.
One at a time for now. When you switch to another disk, the current one is saved and ejected first.
Yes, but writing outside the array leaves the parity drive out of sync with the data drive, so run a Parity Check after you put it back. If you just need to retrieve files, opening it read-only with the free version is enough.
Yes. Each data disk in an Unraid array has its own independent file system, so an XFS data disk can be opened on its own with CrossDriver XFS. The parity disk has no file system and doesn't need to be opened.
Yes, it works — and no, you don't. CrossDriver runs natively on Apple silicon Macs such as M1–M6 as well as Intel Macs, on macOS 12 Monterey, 13 Ventura, 14 Sonoma, 15 Sequoia, 26 Tahoe and later. It uses macOS's built-in virtualization framework to run an isolated, lightweight engine that reads and writes your disks — no kernel extension, no disabling SIP, no changes to any security settings, and no restart after installing.
Yes. CrossDriver NTFS, Ext4, XFS and All in One all offer a free 7-day Pro trial in the app — once per Mac, no payment details required. After the trial ends, your disks remain accessible read-only and your files are unaffected.
Classic is CrossDriver's kernel edition: it runs as a kernel extension and is the fastest, but requires lowering system security on Apple silicon Macs. The new generation doesn't rely on kernel extensions, runs at near-kernel speed, gives read-only access in Finder even in the free version, and has repair, formatting and encrypted-disk unlocking built in — at two-thirds the price of Classic. Both generations remain available; if you've already bought Classic, please refer to the Classic product page.
Click "Eject" in the sidebar or on the disk page. CrossDriver writes your changes back to the disk first, then lets you know it's safe to unplug.
No. An All in One Pro license also covers CrossDriver NTFS, Ext4 and XFS.
Yes. Whether a disk opens depends only on its format, not on brand, capacity or connection: external hard drives, portable SSDs, USB flash drives, SD cards, and SATA / NVMe drives in an enclosure all work, over USB or Thunderbolt.
Download CrossDriver XFS and open your drives for free.
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