How do I format external media to use the NTFS file system?

You can use Apple's own Disk Utility to format volumes with Microsoft's NTFS file system after installing Microsoft NTFS for Mac by Tuxera as long as you are using macOS 10.12.x (Sierra) or later. For Mac OS X 10.11 (El Capitan) and older, or for additional operations such as checking or repairing the file system, we recommend using Tuxera Disk Manager, which is included in the installation.

1. Make sure you have a backup of your data on the storage media, formatting it will erase all of its contents!
2. Open Tuxera Disk Manager (Applications -> Tuxera Disk Manager)
3. Select your storage media from the list on the left side of the window.
4. Go to the Format-tab.
   • File system: Choose Windows NT File System (Tuxera NTFS)
   • Volume name: Give your file system a label that will appear in Finder or on Windows Explorer when you connect your device.
5. Click 'Format' to erase the volume and create a new NTFS file system on it.

See this video guide for reference: