HOWTO |access Windows shared files on yo ur Mac

1 Grab information

First, find out what your target PC’s computer name is, plus its workgroup. You’ll find this on the Windows PC in the System Control Panel. In Windows 7 and 8, the quickest way to access this information is to press the Windows key and the Pause key together.

2 Mac networking

Switch to your Mac and go to > System Preferences. Click the Network icon under Internet & Wireless. If needed, enter your administrator username password, then click OK. Next select Ethernet or Wi-Fi and click the Advanced… button.

3 Enter information

Click the WINS tab. Under ‘NetBIOS Name’, enter a name to identify your Mac on the PC network. Enter the PC’s workgroup name into the Workgroup box or click the drop-down arrow to select it. Leave ‘WINS Servers’ blank and click OK, then Apply.

4 Connect to PC

Close System Preferences. Now open the Go menu in Finder and select Connect to Server. Type ‘smb://pcname’, where pcname is the name of your PC from step 1. Click Connect and after a short pause you’re asked for a username and password.

5 Enter credentials

If the PC’s shared folder has been configured for guest access, select Guest and click Connect. If not, choose Registered User and enter the username and password of an account on the PC. Tick ‘Remember this password…’ and then click Connect.

6 Select shared folder

A list of all available shared folders on the PC is displayed. Select one by clicking it, or select them all clicking the first and then ß- clicking the last folder. Click OK and the folders should appear on your Mac desktop, so you can browse and access them as normal.

7 Share Mac folders

Want to access the Mac’s shared folders on your PC? Go to System Preferences and select Users & Groups. Click the ‘+’ button to create a new user, select Sharing Only from the New Account menu, then set a suitable username and password and click OK.

8 Select folders/users

Switch to the Sharing prefs pane. Verify that ‘File Sharing’ is ticked, then click the Options… button and check ‘Share files and folders using SMB (Windows)’. Check your sharing user account, enter its password and click OK. Configure access and click Done.