So close and yet so far. Imagine what you want move tens or hundreds of GB from one Mac to another that you have under one roof. Doing such a large transfer using AirDrop is risky and you don’t have an external drive to handle it.
Don’t worry: you can use the own WiFi network you’re connected to. transfer these files to the local network. Let’s see how to do it with macOS Sonoma and some tips to speed up this process as much as possible.
Share files over the network
For a Mac to be accessible on the local network of a home or office, you must first activate the “File Sharing” function. To do this, follow these steps on both Macs (or at least the Mac where you have the files you want to copy):
- Open the “Settings” app.
- In the left column, click “General”.
- Click “Share”:
- Now enable the “File Sharing” option. You may need to enter your Mac administrator password:
Now navigate to the Mac on which you want to receive the files and follow these steps:
- Open a new Finder window by clicking on its icon.
- In the left sidebar, click “Network”.
- The other Mac should appear as another item in this section. Double-click on it:
- A folder will open and be empty. Press the button ‘Log in how‘.
- macOS will warn you that you are trying to connect to a Mac over the local network. Click on the blue “Connect” button:
- The Mac will ask you for the username of the other Mac, as well as its administrator password. Enter it, and you will then see the root and user directories of the other Mac appear on the screen:
From there, you can navigate through these folders, locate the files you want to copy, and drag them to the destination Mac. As simple as that. Furthermore, this same function can work with many older versions of macOS, including the oldest. The network protocol remains fully supported.
Tips for speeding up data transfer
Each WiFi network is a world. It depends on the router, the coverage you have at home, if there is a lot of interference… therefore, the speed of data copying can vary significantly depending on your conditions. Let’s see what we can do to speed it up.
- If you have the option to connect both Macs with one red ethernet cable, do it. Data transfer will be much faster and more stable. If your Mac doesn’t have an Ethernet port, remember that you can use an adapter.
- You don’t need to disconnect WiFi if you’re using a cable: Macs will always prioritize it over any other active connection.
- If you don’t have a network cable and find that WiFi can take a while to transfer data, try placing both Macs as close to the router as possible for optimal coverage.
Sharing files between multiple Macs in the same home is something that has taken a backseat thanks to other ways of transferring data like AirDrop, but it’s still very useful in times when large amounts of data need to be transferred .
Pictures | Domenico Loïa
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