Free Tech Support: How can I share files between a Mac and a Windows PC?

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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.

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