Introduction:
Sharing files between a MAC and another computer (Mac/PC/etc) can be very helpful. For testing sharing files between the base OS and the virtual machine will help make testing faster because files don’t have to be emailed or transferred in a long, slow process.
Requirements:
MAC, Windows or another OS
Procedure:
Share from PC to Mac
If you would like to share a folder on a PC to a Mac then use the following steps to set it up.
Create a folder or find a folder you want to share in Windows. Right click on the folder and click on Properties. Click on the Sharing tab and click on the Share… button then click Share. A confirmation will be displayed along with the share link displayed below is: \\CARL\Shared from Win8
Go back to Mac and click off of any open windows and click on Go from the top menu bar. Click on Connect to Server and enter in the share link formatted as follows – smb://Carl/Shared from Win8
You might be prompted for a username / password for the computer you are connecting to on the network. Enter in the username for the computer and the password then click OK.
Once connected Finder should open allowing you to click on the new share. Click on the shared folder and you should see the folder that you shared. If you shared other folders they might also display. See the image below as an example.
If you want to share more folders with your Mac machine just repeat the steps at the beginning of this guide when you shared your first folder.
Share from Mac to PC
If you would like to share a folder on a Mac to the PC then use the following steps to set it up.
Open the MAC machine and click on the Apple icon in the top left of your screen then click on System Preferences.
Click on Sharing then click the checkbox for File Sharing.
Click on Options and check the checkbox for Share Files and folders using SMB (Windows). Make sure you click the checkbox for the Account as shown in the image below.
Make a note of the Computer Name of your Mac installation as found on the Sharing screen.
Open up the Network in your Windows machine and you should find your Mac’s computer name in the list. Double click the computer name to view the folders that have been shared with the Windows machine.
At this point the folders and files that are shared are only able to be read but not modified. To fix this go back to the Sharing screen and change the settings for Everyone to Read & Write.
Note: If a folder has subfolders the permissions will not propagate to the subfolders. To fix this right click on the folder and click on Apply Permissions to Enclosed Items then click OK on the dialog box that pops up. See below image for assistance.
If you go back to your Windows machine you should be able to access all files and subfolders in the shared Mac folder.