How to access a network folder from a Mac. Adviсe

Setting up file and printer sharing is the responsibility of any system administrator. But sometimes computer networks use non-Windows machines. What to do? As you know, macOS X does not support proprietary Microsoft technologies like HomeGroup. Windows, on the other hand, does not support AFP. But both operating systems can use SMB. Good old SMB (aka CIFS) appeared in 1983 as a joint effort between IBM, Microsoft, Intel and 3Com. Recently, this protocol has been developed mainly by Microsoft, and with the release of Windows Vista its second version became available. Windows 8 introduced a third version of SMB. Its stability has increased greatly, apparently due to the strong simplification introduced in the second version. Now this protocol is used on a very large number of operating systems, although it is associated primarily with the operation of a network environment in MS Windows.

These materials will be a continuation of the article: Setting up a network environment between Windows XP and Windows 7.

Setting up SMB in Windows 7 and macOS X, if you look deeper, is very similar. Creating users who can share access, opening files, setting up access to files on the disk. In some cases, simplified setup by the wizard can be used without manually creating a Guest account and setting up disk access. This article covers manual configuration.

Let's go to system settings by clicking the gear icon in the Dock. We are interested in two icons: “Sharing” and “Users and groups”.

First, open "Users and Groups" and create a new user: "Guest". To do this, unlock the menu by pressing the lock and entering the administrator password for the MAC computer.

Let’s create a new user to access the computer over the network with a plus sign:

Let's confirm that we want to create an account without a password:

Let's go back to the system settings and click the "Sharing" icon:

Here we can change the name of the computer on the network. The main thing you need to do here is to add a plus sign to the folders to which shared access is provided and the users to whom this access is granted. We allow access to the Files 2 logical drive to the Guest user with Read Only rights.

In macOS X, SMB is disabled by default. Go to "Options" and enable SMB by checking the box: "Share files and folders using SMB (Windows)"

Sometimes to access over the network you need to edit the rights and ownership of folders, drives and files. This is done as in Windows: Right-click on the folder (disk or file) and select properties from the context menu:

Having unlocked the lock, we can add read rights to the Guest user with a plus sign:

You can expand the rights to attached files by clicking the gear and selecting the "Apply to attached objects..." menu.

After all the manipulations, a new MACBOOK computer appeared in the network environment with shared folders and files available only for reading after entering the login and password:

Guest user has no password. We gain access:

The article was written for Windows 7 and Mac OS X 10.7.5 (Lion), which is already considered outdated, but is also suitable for the modern version of macOS 10.12.1 (Sierra). In general, the macOS interface has not undergone major changes since 2012, unlike Windows.

If the macOS "Shared Access" (Network in Windows) does not contain the computers you need or they are on a different subnet, you can try connecting to them by IP address through the "Go" menu via the SMB protocol:

This menu allows you to use other protocols in addition to SMB (FTP AFP), so you must write its name before the IP: smb://.

Materials used for the article:

Read 22322 once Last modified Wednesday, 13 December 2017 20:45

In principle, there is nothing difficult in setting up a network, and if you are lucky enough to have more than one computer at home, and the forces are distributed equally between Apple products and the so-called PCs, you can put the slogan “Peace, friendship, chewing gum” into practice.

We will assume that you, like me, have an ADSL modem at home with a router function and a switch or modem with a built-in switch, that is, with several LAN ports. Let's also assume that the computers are successfully connected by a network cable, and all that remains is to make sure that they can see each other and exchange information without hindrance.

Let's start by harnessing Vista. First of all we go to Control Panel→ System. We enter information about the name of the computer and workgroup. Please note that both names must be written exclusively in Latin letters and must not contain non-standard characters. In addition, the workgroup on all computers on the network must be named the same.

Then we go to State→ LAN connection. We see that the local network is connected. Next, click the “Properties” button and check the “Internet Protocol version 4 (TCP/IPv4)” checkbox, since this data transfer protocol is currently used everywhere. Then manually set the IP parameters: IP address, subnet mask, default gateway. As a rule, the addresses are standard: for example, the main gateway is 192.168.1.1 (modem). After entering the values, click OK.

Now go to the “Network and Sharing Center” and configure sharing and network discovery. We allow file sharing and folder sharing. We can also see which files and folders are shared on this computer. In order to turn a regular folder into a shared one, you need to right-click on it and go to the panel Access→ Additional access, where and allow access to the folder.

Now you need to configure the same settings on your Mac. Go to “System Settings”, select the connection type. As mentioned at the beginning of the material, in our case it is Ethernet. Configuring IPv4. IP address: we write the address of our Mac, and the router is the same as the main gateway. There shouldn't be any problems with this. There, click “Advanced”, move to the WINS (Windows Internet Name Service) tab and specify the name of the workgroup. It must match the workgroup name on all other computers on the network.

We return to “System Settings” - it’s time to configure “Sharing”. In this panel we must check the “File Sharing” checkbox. Click Options and share files using AFP (a protocol used by Apple) and using SMB (a protocol used by Windows).
Exit "Options". Here, without leaving the cash register, you can add folders to shared folders and edit access to them. You can add folders using “+”. We deny access by selecting the desired folder and pressing “-”. In the “Users” field, we configure access to folders for users: you can open a folder for reading, for reading and writing, only for writing, or not grant access to a particular user at all (in a network of several computers, each of them is represented by a separate user name) .

Now computers can see each other perfectly.

The productivity of any work depends on the reliability of the network. No matter who you are, a professional or a novice user, an office worker or a freelancer, it is always important to have two or more computers with a reliable connection between them. Mac OS X makes networking much easier. You barely have to move your mouse to connect two Macs. Neighboring computers appear in the sidebar automatically and after quick authentication you have access to general information. Remote screen control is also enabled with one click.

But the network has a strange feature of not working when it is needed most. This could be a problem with the router or Mac settings. At such moments you see a “connection error”. What's the problem? Is there a solution? I hasten to warn you: this is not a guide to solving complex network problems. We offer you a guide that will help you set up file sharing between computers on your network. So let's get started.

Connecting Mac and Mac

First, let's look at how to connect your Mac to the network. To connect to Macs, the Mac OS X operating system uses a special unified protocol called AFP (Apple Filing Protocol). A kind of Bonjour for OS X. Sharing options are located in System Preferences in the “File Sharing” section.

Mac OS X allows you to connect to Macs on the network to read and write files in permitted folders, which appear in the Finder sidebar.

If you want to share without authentication, go to System Preferences -> Sharing. Click “+” and specify the desired directory (or simply drag it into the window). Add several folders, differentiating access rights for different users. To quickly share a folder, open its Properties window and check the “Shared Folder” checkbox. Here you can add users and change rights in the Sharing and access rights section. A little trick: Create a special user in Accounts, on whose behalf you will connect to your folders. This account will not have any files on the disk, but will be used to access network folders.

If for some reason you cannot connect to your Mac (the Mac does not appear in the Finder sidebar), use the Go to –> Connect to Server command (Command + K). Enter the IP address of the remote machine or its name and add “.local”. Connecting by name is much more reliable, since the computer's IP address tends to change.

Connecting Mac and Windows

Windows computers on the local network are detected by the OS X operating system without additional settings. PCs, along with Macs, appear in the Finder sidebar. More often. If your computer does not appear in the sidebar, you can connect to it manually. Open Finder, press Command + K and enter “smb://local-ip-address.” You cannot connect to computers with Vista and 7 without creating a password for your account. Go to Network and Sharing Center -> Advanced sharing options -> Turn off password protected sharing. Instead, for security reasons, I recommend simply adding a password to your account.

To access files on a Mac from Windows, you will need a little trick, although the connection algorithm itself looks like this. On a Mac, go to Sharing Properties -> File Sharing -> Options and enable the “Share files and folders using SMB (Windows)” option. Then specify the account to connect to. Your Mac will now appear in the Networks section in the Windows 7 Explorer sidebar.

If this does not happen, use the Mac connection by IP address or name (i.e. \\192.168.0.2 or \\imac). Windows will ask you to enter the username and password that you specified when you opened access to the file system. If you connected immediately, then there are no restrictions.

Problems often arise when connecting computers over a network. There is a lot written on the Internet about how to solve such problems. There is 128-bit encryption, access rights, and many, many other bottlenecks. Two Windows 7's on different computers can connect to a Mac with the opposite result. All I can do is wish you good luck.

Access Mac via FTP

The third and less secure connection option is FTP. (For systems that cannot connect using the normal protocol). The most current example is the iPad. After enabling FTP in Sharing on Mac, all you have to do is enter the server address and account. You can connect to your computer from any application on your iPad, including Guesto.

iChat and sharing

One of the most rarely used features of iChat is connecting computers without additional settings. Enable bonjour and it will automatically find any machine on the local network. Send messages, stream audio and video, and even connect to a remote screen. One of the features of iChat is the ability to transfer files without problems with the file system. Drag the file from the remote screen onto your desktop and it will end up in your Downloads folder.

Communication with DropCopy

There is another, more convenient way to connect computers on a local network. is one of those applications whose capabilities you see right away. By installing it on all your networked Macs, you will immediately be able to transfer files between them without additional settings. How is it different from Public Access? The regular sharing method only works for files, but DropCopy adds a communication aspect to it. Drag any file to the round transparent icon on your desktop and select its destination. That's all. You don't need to open special folders or enter account information. After you release the mouse, the remote user will immediately receive a notification about the new parcel. In addition, you can send and receive quick messages without installing an additional interface in the form of an IM client.

The program works not only between Macs. DropCopy is also a client for iPad and iPhone that allows you to transfer files over Wi-Fi. Not as nice as Pastebot, of course, but quite decent. The only limitation in the iOS version is the inability to copy data to the mobile OS clipboard. The Windows version is in development and the release date of the program is still unknown. DropCopy is free for personal use (up to 3 computers) and $25 for large networks. The application for iOS is universal and costs $4.99.

Merge a Mac using Teleport

Allows you to use one mouse and keyboard to control multiple Macs. Move your cursor to the edge of the screen and it will instantly appear on the other Mac. The beauty of Teleport is that virtually no configuration is required. The program works on Bonjour, so detection is automatic. After a quick authentication, your Macs are ready to go. But Teleport's functions are not limited to just managing screens. You can transfer files in the same way - simply by moving the cursor!

This is an amazing application for users who work with multiple Macs at the same time, or to control a media center without their own keyboard and mouse. Teleport, unfortunately, only works on Mac.

Merge Macs with Synergy

Works on Windows, Mac and Unix supporting TCP/IP. The program allows you to halve the number of keyboards, mice, and clipboards for two Macs, just like Teleport. You can even sync screen savers.

Synergy is difficult to set up, crude (the Mac version allows you to exchange text only via the clipboard) and not as reliable as we would like. In addition, there are security issues. Therefore, before starting installation, I strongly recommend that you read the manual. However, Windows and Mac users will appreciate this solution.

Lighthouse for opening ports

Each of us has encountered the need for port mapping:

Have you tried connecting to an HTTP or SSH server on your Mac hidden behind a router on your local network? Or work on one document in SubEthaEdit? Or increase the rating in your favorite BitTorrent client?

Or do you really want to finally enable the Back to my Mac feature, better known as Back to my Mac?

Personally, I don’t know how ports work and what forwarding is. All I know is that Lighthouse works. Set your Mac to automatically accept email addresses and create profiles. Lighthouse contains a set of ready-made profiles for most popular applications, including Transmission, SubEthaEdit, Back to my Mac and others. I know that the program does not always work, but I can say that the Access to my computer connection will work for you. Lighthouse costs $12.99.

There is a free (open source) alternative to Lighthouse called Port Map. The program has the same functionality, except for ready-made profiles and contains excellent documentation.

ShareTool - the solution to all problems

If everything else may not work, it always works! Developed by Bains Software and later acquired by Yazsoft, ShareTool brings life to any network. It doesn't matter if you're in the next room or country, enter your account information and in an instant you'll have access to your Mac as if it were on the same local network. iTunes will be publicly available via bonjour, and you can even use a remote printer. All this does not require port mapping configuration and does not depend on the IP address. I'm no security expert, but Yazsoft claims the connection is very secure.

ShareTool costs $15 for one license (although a minimum of two is required to work) and $25 for two licenses. The program is more expensive than alternative solutions, but it is certainly worth the money.

There are other applications and methods for exchanging data between computers, including cloud services, that eliminate many of the problems described above. One of the earlier articles contains 5 ways to remotely connect to a Mac, including VNC, special services LogMeIn and GoToMyPC, Timbuktu Pro and others. Happy connections!