Mac OS X: Sharing your files with non-Apple computers
Summary
Mac OS X provides many ways for you to share files with non-Apple operating systems, including Microsoft Windows. Learn about several of them here.
Products Affected
Mac OS X 10.0, Mac OS X 10.1, Mac OS X 10.2, Mac OS X 10.3, Mac OS X 10.4, Mac OS X 10.5
Sharing from your computer
Mac OS X offers various forms of file service so that other operating systems can connect to your computer with built-in tools or common application programs (such as FTP and Web browsers). Forms of file service include:
- File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
- Web Sharing (HTTP)
- Secure Shell (SSH)
- Windows File Sharing (SMB - Mac OS X 10.2 and later)
To share with other computers, simply turn on the service you want to use in Sharing preferences, then use the matching client software to connect to your Mac from the other computer.
When you enable Windows file sharing on Mac OS X 10.2 or later, a Windows computer can connect directly to your Mac.
If you enable FTP or Web Sharing, the other computer could connect with a common Web browser or FTP application.
You can enable Secure Shell (SSH) by selecting "Allow remote login" in the Sharing pane. SSH is a more advanced method frequently executed through the command line, though some graphical SSH clients exist.
Connecting to a non-Apple computer
Using Mac OS X's Connect to Server command, you can connect to several common types of file services, including Windows (SMB).
You can connect to an FTP host using many common Web browsers. Try beginning your URL (Web address) with "ftp://" (instead of with "http://").
Additional Information
For additional information, please see the following related articles:
106505: Mac OS X 10.1: Web Sharing Does Not Start After Update from Mac OS X 10.0
31318: Mac OS 8, Mac OS 9: Sharing Files With Windows-Based Computers