While there are numerous ways to share files between Windows and Mac, probably the easiest one is to use SMB sharing which is built-in on both Windows and Mac. All you need is both computers under the same WiFi network. In this article, we’ll set up shared folders on Windows and access it from a Mac. Let’s begin.
On an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. To share folders in iCloud Drive on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod. Sharing a folder on Mac OS X isn’t quite as straightforward as it is with Windows, but it’s still pretty easy to do. Here’s how: Advertisement.
After following this article, you will be able to share the folders from your Windows computer and access it from a Mac. You would also be able to copy and delete the files directly from your Mac without needing to get up from your table. Alternatively, if you want to share the files from your Mac and access on Windows, follow this guide on how to Access Mac Shared folders from Windows.
Access Windows Shared folders from a Mac
![Shared Folders For Mac Shared Folders For Mac](/uploads/1/2/4/8/124838293/762235643.png)
![Shared folder for mac Shared folder for mac](/uploads/1/2/4/8/124838293/988588532.png)
How to Delete Shared Folders on My MacBook. The file-sharing preferences on your MacBook make it easy to transfer files. The 'Shared Folders' feature allows other users to securely copy digital files from your computer's hard drive. Remove the shared folders if you no longer want to offer the files for. File sharing must be activated on the Mac where the shared files/folders reside; it doesn’t have to be activated on the Mac that’s accessing the files/folders. If file sharing is turned off on your Mac, others won’t be able to access your folders, even if you’ve assigned permissions to them previously. Set up sharing on your PC. To get this going, make sure your PC is set up for file sharing.In Windows, choose the folder you want to access from your Mac, and right-click to get to its Properties.
Step 1. Enable File Sharing On Windows 10
The first thing you need to do is enable File sharing on your Windows which will allow everyone on your Network access to those. You can either plug in a LAN cable or connect your devices to the same Wi-Fi network to ensure high-speed data transmission. Sure, the speeds won’t be as high as the ethered connection but it would still be better than using Google Drive or flash drives.
The first step is to turn on File Sharing on your Windows computer, you can skip to the next step if it is already enabled. Download shoutcast for mac. Go Settings and open ‘Network and Sharing Center’.
Pro Tip: Keep all the devices on the same network for easy access in the future.
It would open a new window, look on the left pane and click ‘Advanced Sharing Settings‘ to open Sharing Settings.
Read: How to install Chrome OS on any Windows computer
On this page, you’ll see three different Network Profiles; Private, Public, and All Networks. Turn Network Discovery and File Sharing on all the three profiles. If you’re worried about your privacy then you can do this on your current profile and it should still work. Click ‘Save Changes‘.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t work if your Windows PC has no password on it. In such case, you will have to set a new password by going to a user account in the Settings of your Windows.
Also Read: 12 Best Photo Viewer for Windows 10 (2020 Edition)
Step 2. Share a Folder on Windows
Now that the File Sharing is turned on, we’ll share a folder. Open your Windows computer and navigate to the directory which you want to be shared. To demonstrate, I’ll share a folder from C drive but you can share any folder of your choice.
Right-click on the folder, and click Properties.
Go to the Sharing tab and click the Share button under Network File and Folder Sharing.
Here you can add people who can access the shared folder. If the folder you want to share doesn’t have sensitive data, type “Everyone“, click ‘Add‘ and then click ‘Share‘. Your folder is now shared with every user on the network.
Make sure you’ve allowed reading and writing to the shared folder in Windows. That way, you can save and delete files to it from your Mac later on.
You can see the folder is shared in the image below. The phrase underlined in red is the hostname for your Windows computer. Note it down somewhere because we’ll need it later on to establish a connection.
Must Read: How to Share Hotel Wi-Fi With Multiple Devices
Step 3. Access Shared folder On Mac
To access the shared folder on a Mac computer, open Finder and on the menu bar on the top, click on Go > Connect to Server. Press CMD+K on the keyboard.
Enter the hostname we note down earlier while sharing the folder on the Windows. Type “smb://WINDOWS-HOSTNAME” and press enter.
It would prompt you to enter the credentials, enter the username and password of your Windows computer and click ‘Connect‘.
It would show you all the folders that are shared, choose one that you want to mount of your Mac.
There you go, you can now access all the files of the shared folder. Simply open up your finder and look for your Windows PC name in Finder’s sidebar. Clicking on it will bring up your Windows folder. However, you will get an error message if the Windows Computer is locked or powered off.
You will see your Windows folder where you can drag and drop files or even delete it, depending on the permission you have set while setting up Windows sharing for that folder.
If you want to mount other folders, simply repeat the Second portion of this article. To make it even more seamless, just add the mounted folder to login items so that the Network Drive is automatically mounted every time you restart your computer.
Go to System Preferences> Users and Groups> Login Items> Add the Mounted Drive.
Wrapping Up: Sharing Folders
That was a quick way to set up sharing and accessing Windows shared folders from a Mac. It is a convenient and reliable way of accessing large files over the network when you don’t move around a lot. We use it for sharing Rendered video files that reduce the dependency on Google Drive and flash drives. Alternatively, there are plenty of apps that let you share files over the local network. Go ahead map the drives and let me know if you face any problems. You can comment down below or reach me on Twitter.
When you create and share a folder in iCloud Drive, participants can access all the files in that folder. If you add a file to a shared folder, it's automatically shared with all participants, too. You can also add or remove participants, edit sharing permissions, or stop sharing a folder anytime. Here's how.
On an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch
To share folders in iCloud Drive on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, you need iOS 13.4 or iPadOS 13.4 or later.
How to share a folder
- Open the Files app.
- In the Browse tab, go to Locations, then tap iCloud Drive.
- Tap Select, then tap the folder you wish to share.
- Tap Share , then tap Add People . You may need to swipe up.
- Tap Share Options to edit who can access the folder and the permissions. You can share the folder with only people you invite, or anyone with the link. You can also give permission to make changes or view files only. Then choose among the icons how you'd like to send your invitation.
How to invite participants, remove participants, or change sharing settings
- Tap Select, then tap the shared folder in iCloud Drive.
- Tap Share , then tap Show People .
- From here, you can do these things:
- Invite participants: Tap Copy Link, Add People, or Send Link (if access is set to anyone with the link), then select how you want to send the invitation: Mail, Messages, or Airdrop, for example, then choose how you'd like to send your invitation.
- Remove participants: If 'Only people you invite' can access your shared folder, tap the participant's name, then tap Remove Access. Then tap OK to confirm.
- Change sharing settings: To change sharing settings for everyone, tap Share Options. If 'Only people you invite' is selected, you can control sharing settings for each participant. Just tap the person's name, then change the permissions.
- Stop sharing: Tap Stop Sharing, then tap OK to confirm. You can also simply move or delete the folder from iCloud Drive, and participants will no longer be able to access the folder or its files.
On a Mac
To share folders in iCloud Drive on your Mac, you need macOS Catalina 10.15.4 or later.
How to share a folder
- In the Finder, select iCloud Drive from the sidebar.
- Select the folder you wish to share.
- Click Share , then choose Add People .
- Select how you want to send the invitation: Mail, Messages, Copy Link, or Airdrop, for example.
- To edit who can access the folder and the permissions, click Share Options. You can share the folder with only people you invite, or anyone with the link. You can also give permission to make changes or view files only.
- Click Share, then add the relevant contact information of the people you want to share with.
How to invite participants, remove participants, or change sharing settings
Shared Folders Macos Vmware
- Control-click on the shared folder in iCloud Drive, then click Share in the dropdown menu. You can also highlight the shared folder, then click Share.
- Click Show People .
- From here, you can do these things:
- Invite participants: Click Add People , then choose how you'd like to send your invitation.
- Remove participants: Hold the pointer over the participant's name, then click More . Then choose Remove Access.
- Change sharing settings: Click the triangle next to Share Options. If 'Only people you invite' can access your shared folder, you can control sharing settings for each participant. Hold the pointer over the person's name, then click More to change the permissions.
- Stop sharing: Click the triangle next to Share Options, then click Stop Sharing. You can also simply move or delete the folder from iCloud Drive, and participants will no longer be able to access the folder or its files.
On a PC
To share folders in iCloud Drive on your PC, you need iCloud for Windows 11.1.
How to share a folder
- Open iCloud Drive from the Navigation pane of File Explorer.
- Right-click the folder you wish to share.
- Select iCloud Sharing.
- In the People field, enter the email addresses of the people you want to share with.
- Under Sharing Options, edit who can access the folder and the permissions. You can share the folder with only people you invite, or anyone with the link. You can also give permission to make changes or view files only.
- Click Apply.
How to invite participants, remove participants, or change sharing settings
- Right-click the folder in iCloud Drive.
- Select iCloud Sharing
- From here, you can do the following:
- Invite participants: Enter the email addresses of the people you want to share with in the People field, then click Add.
- Remove participants: Click the participant's name, then select Remove. Click Apply.
- Change sharing settings: Under Sharing Options, edit the settings. If 'Only people you invite' can access your shared folder, you can control sharing settings for each participant. Under People, click the participant's name, then edit their permissions.
- Stop sharing: Click Stop Sharing. You can also simply move or delete the folder from iCloud Drive, and participants will no longer be able to access the folder or its files.
On iCloud.com
How to share a folder
- Sign into iCloud.com and open iCloud Drive.
- Select the folder you wish to share.
- Click Add People at the top of the screen.
- Choose a sharing option: Email or Copy Link.
- To edit who can access the folder and the permissions, click Share Options. You can share the folder with only people you invite, or anyone with the link. You can also give permission to make changes or view files only.
- If you select Copy Link, enter the email addresses of the people you want to share with.
- Click Share.
How to invite participants, remove participants, or change sharing settings
- Select the shared folder in iCloud Drive.
- Click Show People .
- From here, you can do the following:
- Invite participants: Click Copy Link, Add People , or Send Link (if access is set to anyone with the link), then choose how you'd like to send your invitation. Then click Share.
- Remove participants: If 'Only people you invite' can access your shared folder, hover the pointer over a participant's name, then click More . Then choose Remove Access.
- Change sharing settings: If 'Only people you invite' can access your shared folder, you can control sharing settings for each participant. Hover the pointer over a participant's name, then click More to change the permissions.
- Stop sharing: Click Share Options, then click Stop Sharing. You can also simply move or delete the folder from iCloud Drive, and participants will no longer be able to access the folder or its files.
Delete a shared folder
To delete a shared folder in iCloud Drive, select the folder that you don't want anymore and tap Delete .
- If the owner of a shared folder deletes the folder, a sub-folder, or file in the shared folder, it deletes from both their devices and all participants' devices. If you change your mind or accidentally delete a folder, you have 30 days to get it back.
- On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch: In the Browse tab, go to Locations > Recently Deleted. Then select the folder that you want to keep and tap Recover.
- On your Mac: Go to Trash, then drag the folder to your desktop or another location.
- On a PC: Go to the Recycle Bin, then drag the folder to your desktop or another location.
- On iCloud.com: Go to iCloud Drive and check Recently Deleted.*
- If a participant of a shared folder deletes the folder, it removes their access to the shared folder. The participant can regain access to the shared folder by clicking the original sharing invitation link.
- If a participant of a shared folder deletes a sub-folder or file within that shared folder, that sub-folder or file deletes from all participants' devices, and recovery is not available.
If you're worried about losing a file, be sure to keep a local copy in addition to the shared copy in iCloud Drive. Learn more about deleting files in iCloud Drive and how to recover deleted files on iCloud.com.
Add Shared Folder Mac
* If Recently Deleted doesn't restore your files as expected, you can sign in to iCloud.com, click Account Settings, and under Advanced, click Restore Files. If you empty your Trash or use Delete All in Recently Deleted, you can't recover your files.
Learn more about folder sharing
Access Shared Folder On Mac
- Participants need an Apple ID to view or edit files in a shared folder. If you invite someone without an Apple ID, they'll be prompted to create an Apple ID. Participants must click Add to iCloud Drive to open the shared folder on their device.
- You can share a folder with up to 100 total participants. All participants see changes to shared folders, including when someone renames a shared folder. If you apply tags to a shared folder, your tags aren't seen by other participants. Learn more about folder sharing access and permissions in iCloud Drive.
- You can't share system-created folders such as the top-level iCloud Drive folder, Desktop, and Documents, or folders created by apps that use iCloud Drive.
- A shared folder only takes up space in the owner's iCloud storage. It does not count against the iCloud storage of participants in the shared folder. Learn how to manage your iCloud storage.
- Any Pages, Numbers, and Keynote documents in the folder become collaborative documents. Learn how collaboration for Pages, Numbers, and Keynote works.