Software⏱️ 3 min read📅 2026-06-19

How to Fix: Why can't I setup an SSHFS share? "OSXFUSE file system is not available" error

SSHFS share setup issue on MacBook Pro with CentOS VirtualBox

Quick Answer: Ensure osxfuse is loaded by adding the following command to your .bashrc file: sudo kextload com.github.osxfuse.filesystems.osxfusefs

The error 'OSXFUSE file system is not available' occurs when attempting to set up an SSHFS share on a MacBook Pro laptop running OSX 10.9.3, which affects users who want to mount remote filesystems from their local machine.

This issue can be frustrating for users as it prevents them from accessing shared files and folders remotely, hindering productivity and collaboration.

🔍 Why This Happens

  • The primary reason for this error is that the osxfuse kernel extension is not properly loaded on the MacBook Pro laptop. This extension is required for SSHFS to function correctly.
  • Another potential cause could be an issue with the installation of sshfs or osxfuse, which may lead to a missing or corrupted kernel extension.

🔧 Proven Troubleshooting Steps

Enabling osxfuse

  1. Step 1: Open the Terminal app on the MacBook Pro laptop and run the command `sudo kextload com.github.osxfuse.filesystems.osxfusefs` to load the osxfuse kernel extension.
  2. Step 2: Next, run the command `sudo kextunload -b com.github.osxfuse.filesystems.osxfusefs` to unload any existing osxfuse extensions, and then reload them with the new version.
  3. Step 3: After reloading the osxfuse extension, try mounting the SSHFS share again using the same command as before (`sshfs -o IdentityFile=~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub remote_user@XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX:/ /mnt/Share`)

Installing sshfs and osxfuse from Homebrew

  1. Step 1: Open the Terminal app on the MacBook Pro laptop and run `brew install --cask sshfs` to reinstall sshfs.
  2. Step 2: Next, run `brew install --cask osxfuse` to reinstall osxfuse, ensuring that both packages are up-to-date and properly installed.

✨ Wrapping Up

By following these steps, users should be able to resolve the 'OSXFUSE file system is not available' error and successfully set up an SSHFS share on their MacBook Pro laptop.

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