I recently upgraded one of my computers to Windows 10 and set up a shared folder so I could easily transfer files from my MacBook Pro and Windows 7 to Windows 10 over my home network. I did a clean install of Windows 10, created a shared folder and tried to connect to my shared folder from OS X.
Unfortunately I can’t connect and it took me some time to figure it out. In this article, I will guide you through the steps to connect to a shared folder on Windows 10 from OS X.
Step 1 – Configure Windows 10 for sharing
Obviously, the first thing you need to do is create a shared folder on Windows 10. Right click on the folder, go to Characteristic and click Share navigation. Go ahead and share the folder and set permissions to whatever you want in terms of access rights.
I suggest clicking Advanced sharing because you have more fine-grained control over everything. Test Share this folder and then name the share. Click Permission and then add the group or user you want to give access to.
If you want to make it easy and folder free of sensitive data, just add Everybody group and give them Full control. This way you will be able to access the folder from any computer or device without having to worry about entering credentials.
The next thing you need to do is make sure that File and printer sharing enabled and allowed through Windows Firewall in Windows 10. Go to Control Panel and click Windows Defender Firewall. Then click Allow an app or feature through the Windows Firewall.
Scroll down until you see File and printer sharing and make sure it’s checked Private network. You may have to click . first Change settings at the top before you can check a box.
Finally, you can decide how you want users to access folders on Windows 10. By default, when connecting from another machine, you must enter the username and password of the account that has access. to that shared folder on Windows 10. If you. If you set up a Windows 10 user account without adding a password, you won’t be able to connect to the shared folder.
You will have to add a password first and then you can connect. However, if you feel like your home network is super secure, you can always turn off password-protected sharing, which means anyone can connect to the shared folder without need to enter username or password.
You can do that by going to Control Panel, Network and sharing center, Advanced sharing Setting and then expand All networks. Here you will see an option named Password protected sharing, which you can turn off. I personally still have it turned on, but if you really hate having to enter your username and password to connect, here’s an option.
Also, if you use Windows 10 without a password, this will save you from having to set up a password on your account. Note that even if you have a Windows account with a password, if you turn off password-protected sharing, people can still connect without entering any credentials.
Step 2 – Connect to Windows Shared Folders from OS X
Finally, on Mac, open Finder and see To shared for Windows 10 PCs. If Shared is not in the sidebar, you must add it. With Finder open, click Seeker And after that Interests at top. Click Sidebar and check all the items below To shared.
Now go back to Finder and wait until your desktop shows up. Note that it may take some time until the Windows 10 PC shows up. If it doesn’t show up after 5 minutes, try restarting the PC once.
If your Windows PC refuses to show up in the Shared Devices list in Finder, you can try connecting manually using SMB. To do that, open Finder and click To go And after that Connect to the server.
Now enter the following as shown, replacing the IP address below with the IP address of your Windows 10 PC.
smb://192.168.1.43
Click Link and you will be asked to re-enter your login information. If you enter it correctly, you will be asked which drive you want to mount.
If you still can’t connect using SMB, there’s some problem on your Windows PC. You must ensure that the firewall is configured properly.
When it shows up in the sidebar, go ahead and click on it. When you click on it it will try to connect and you may get a message saying Connection failed or Disconnect.
That’s OK! That’s where the password protected folder setting in Windows 10 comes into play. If it is enabled, you need to connect using your Windows 10 account credentials. You can do that by clicking on it. Connect as at the top right.
Go ahead and enter your credentials and then click OK. Note that if it’s the Microsoft account you set up on Windows 10, you’ll need to enter your full email address and the same password that you use to sign in to your Microsoft account.
That’s about it! You should now see Windows 10 shared folders in Finder on your Mac. If you have any questions about how to connect to a Windows 10 PC from a Mac, post a comment here and I’ll try to help. Interesting!
