Filed under: Internet, Security, Windows, Macintosh, Web services, Commercial, Freeware
Free Tech Support: How can I share files between a Mac and a Windows PC?
by Marc Perton Oct 4th 2005 at 11:13AM
Welcome to Free Tech Support, a new Download Squad feature where we try
to answer your software questions. From the obvious (we promise we
won't ridicule you) to the obscure (just give us time to track down the
answer), we'll get the answers to your software questions. Just send us
your questions using this form.
We'll answer one question each day. And, of course, our Comments
section remains open, so if you think you have a better answer than we
do, go ahead and post it. We won't take it personally.Today's question:
I have a small home network with both Macs and Windows PCs on it. I want to be able to share files between both platforms. How can I do this?
First, be glad you're living in the 21st Century! This used to be a
pretty complicated affair, at least for home users without access to a
tech support team. Fortunately, it's now extremely easy, on both the
Mac and Windows sides.
To share Mac files with a Windows PC, just enable Windows Sharing in the Sharing Systems Preferences pane. Once that's done, Windows users will be able to access any folders you've configured as Shared. You'll also need to create user accounts for Windows users; be sure to require passwords for those accounts.
Once this is done, you should be able to get into the shared folders from your Windows box simply by typing your Mac's IP address into a Windows Explorer Address field. When prompted for your user name and password, enter them, and you should see your shared Mac folders.
To share in the other direction, make sure Simple File Sharing is enabled (in My Computer/Tools/Folder Options/Views) and right-click on the folder you want to share. Under Sharing, click Share this Folder. Then, on the Mac side, choose Go/Connect to Server in the Finder and enter your PC's IP address.
Neither of these methods is very secure, and if you're on a wireless network, you might want to skip sharing entirely. If you're using Windows XP Pro, you can also consider disabling Simple File Sharing, and setting up Access control Lists for more secure file sharing.
If you want to send files back and forth between the two machines (rather than accessing files in place), you can also consider using FTP with access control, or SFTP for greater security. Another option is to use an internet-based file-syncing service, such as FolderShare, which offers both free and premium services for folder sharing. The advantage to this approach is that you can access your shared files anywhere, not just from within your home network.
To share Mac files with a Windows PC, just enable Windows Sharing in the Sharing Systems Preferences pane. Once that's done, Windows users will be able to access any folders you've configured as Shared. You'll also need to create user accounts for Windows users; be sure to require passwords for those accounts.
Once this is done, you should be able to get into the shared folders from your Windows box simply by typing your Mac's IP address into a Windows Explorer Address field. When prompted for your user name and password, enter them, and you should see your shared Mac folders.
To share in the other direction, make sure Simple File Sharing is enabled (in My Computer/Tools/Folder Options/Views) and right-click on the folder you want to share. Under Sharing, click Share this Folder. Then, on the Mac side, choose Go/Connect to Server in the Finder and enter your PC's IP address.
Neither of these methods is very secure, and if you're on a wireless network, you might want to skip sharing entirely. If you're using Windows XP Pro, you can also consider disabling Simple File Sharing, and setting up Access control Lists for more secure file sharing.
If you want to send files back and forth between the two machines (rather than accessing files in place), you can also consider using FTP with access control, or SFTP for greater security. Another option is to use an internet-based file-syncing service, such as FolderShare, which offers both free and premium services for folder sharing. The advantage to this approach is that you can access your shared files anywhere, not just from within your home network.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Naveen said 12:25PM on 10-04-2005
Wow, thats a great feature ppl!!! Keep up the great community thing!
Reply
Marco said 2:54AM on 10-05-2005
wow!!! was just pondering how to share files between a mac and a pc earlier this morning hehehe!!! thanks guys!!
Reply
Mike Goggin said 4:33PM on 10-04-2005
Actually, to open Windows share from the OS X box, it's necessary to specify the connecting protocol in the address box as well. IE-smb://192.168.1.15 (or whatever your Windows box's IP is.
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Ed Fladung said 5:08PM on 10-04-2005
Hi Guys, great idea! but your directions were a bit overly simple. this may work for a wired home network but I'd suspect that most home networks are actually wireless. and despite security issues, most people are probably trying to share files over a wireless network and failing miserably. Maybe this should be your next mini-tutorial.
Also, pc and mac printer sharing over wireless network. whoa that's a tough one.
Reply
Muller said 6:57PM on 10-05-2005
It is true that any protocol other than Apple Filesharing Protocol (AFP) will have to be specified in the connect to server dialog, i.e. FTP://, SMB://, SFTP:// and so on. If no protocol is specified the connection attempt is taken as Apple Filesharing Protocol.
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