Read this article to learn how to connect two computers, sharing the internet connection and files on each machine.
Steps
Method 1 of 5: Sharing the Internet from Windows
Step 1. Connect the two computers using a network cable
You must use an Ethernet to USB-C adapter to plug into the Thunderbolt 3 jack on your Mac if you want to plug in the network cable on a Mac
Step 2. Open the Start menu by clicking on the Windows logo
in the lower left corner of the screen.
This must be done on the machine where the internet will be shared, not the one that was connected
Step 3. Open Control Panel
Enter control panel, and the result will appear at the top of "Start."
Step 4. Click Network and Internet in the left corner of the Control Panel window
When you notice that it says “small icons” or “large icons” in the upper right corner, skip this step
Step 5. Click Network and Sharing Center in the middle of the page
A list of current connections will be displayed.
Step 6. Choose Change Adapter Settings from the left pane
Step 7. Select Wi-Fi and Ethernet connection
Click on the icon of a computer with "Wi-Fi", hold the Ctrl key and select the other identical icon, with "Ethernet".
Step 8. Right click on Wi-Fi connection; a dropdown menu will appear
- If the mouse does not have a right button, press the right side of the mouse or use two fingers to click.
- On trackpads, right-click or tap with two fingers.
Step 9. Choose Bridge Connections; after a few seconds, the computer's Wi-Fi will be shared on a “bridge” with the other machine
Method 2 of 5: Sharing the Internet from a Mac
Step 1. Connect the two Macs with a network cable
To connect one Mac to another, you'll need to use two Ethernet to USB-C adapters. They need to be plugged into the Macs Thunderbolt 3 jacks before the cable can be used
Step 2. Open the Apple menu by clicking on the apple logo
in the upper left corner of the screen.
A dropdown menu will appear.
Step 3. Click System Preferences…
A new window will appear.
Step 4. Choose Sharing
Step 5. Check the “Internet Sharing” option on the left
Step 6. From the drop-down menu, select “Share your connection from” in the middle of the window
Another drop-down menu will appear.
Step 7. Click Wi-Fi
Step 8. Check "Ethernet" to share the internet connection with the computer the Mac is connected to
Method 3 of 5: Sharing Files from One Windows Computer to Another
Step 1. Connect the two computers with a network cable
Step 2. Open the “Start” menu by clicking on the Windows logo
in the lower left corner of the screen.
This must be done on the computer where the files are located
Step 3. Open Control Panel by typing Control Panel
then click on “Control Panel” at the top of “Start”.
Step 4. Click Network and Internet in the left corner of the Control Panel window
When you notice that it says “small icons” or “large icons” in the upper right corner, skip this step
Step 5. Click Network and Sharing Center in the middle of the page
Step 6. Choose Change Advanced Sharing Options in the upper left corner of the window
Step 7. Enable file sharing
Check the “Enable file and printer sharing” option in the “File and printer sharing” section.
Step 8. Share a folder as follows:
- Enter the folder location through Windows Explorer.
- Select the folder you want to share.
- Click on the "Share" tab.
- Choose “Specific Users…”.
- Select "All" from the drop-down menu at the top of the screen.
- Click on “Share”.
- Choose "Done."
Step 9. Open Windows Explorer on the other computer
Click on your icon
or open the "Start" menu and select it
Step 10. Click on the other computer's name under “Network” on the left
You may need to scroll down to find the option
Step 11. Copy the shared folder to the second computer
Click on the folder to be transferred, press Ctrl+C and go to the folder where you want to store it; press Ctrl+V.
Method 4 of 5: Sharing Files From One Mac to Another
Step 1. Connect the two Macs with a network cable
Unless one of them is an iMac (or both), you need two Ethernet to USB-C adapters; they are plugged into the machines' Thunderbolt 3 inputs in order to make the Ethernet connection
Step 2. Click Go at the top of the screen; a dropdown menu will appear
- If you don't find the “Go” option, click on the desktop so that it appears.
- This must be done on the Mac where the files to be transferred are located.
Step 3. Click Connect to Server near the bottom of the drop-down menu
Step 4. Choose Search at the bottom of the screen
A new window with nearby computers will be shown.
Step 5. Double click on the other Mac's name
Step 6. Enter his password when prompted to be able to establish a connection
If that doesn't work, try using the password of the Mac where the files are
Step 7. Click Connect (bottom right corner of pop-up window)
Step 8. Open the Finder by clicking its icon (a blue face)
on the Dock.
Step 9. Move the items to the other Mac
Find the files you want to move to the second computer and copy them by clicking on them and pressing ⌘ Command+C. Log in to the other Mac (select its name in the lower left corner of the Finder window) and open the folder where they should be transferred. Use the shortcut ⌘ Command+V to paste them.
Method 5 of 5: Sharing Files Between Windows and Mac
Step 1. Connect the computers using a network cable
- To connect a Mac to any other PC, you'll need to use an Ethernet to USB-C adapter. It must be plugged into the Mac's Thunderbolt 3 jack to make the cable connection.
- If both your Mac and Windows computer are connected to the internet, you can transfer via Wi-Fi connection. However, the speed will be much slower than using a cable.
Step 2. Enable file sharing on Windows by following the steps below:
- Open Control Panel by typing Control Panel into the "Start" menu. Click on the corresponding result.
- Choose “Network and Sharing” (skip this step if small or large icons are enabled).
- Click on “Network and Sharing Center”.
- Select "Change advanced sharing options."
- Check “Turn on file and printer sharing”.
Step 3. Share a folder following the steps below:
-
Open the "Start" menu
-
Click on the "Windows Explorer" icon
- Select the folder you want to share.
- Click on the "Share" tab.
- Choose “Certain Users…”.
- From the drop-down menu at the top of the window, click "All."
- Choose "Share".
- Click "Finish."
Step 4. Enable file sharing on Mac as follows:
-
Open the "Apple" menu
- Click on “System Preferences…”.
- Choose "Sharing."
- Check the “File Sharing” option.
- Change the permissions (under “All”) from “Read Only” to “Read & Write”.
Step 5. Share a file from Mac
Underneath the list of shared files, click “+” and then double click on the folder to be advertised.
It may be necessary to choose “Add” to get it into the list of shared folders
Step 6. Access Mac files on Windows computer (through Windows Explorer):
-
Open the "Start" menu
-
Click on the Windows Explorer icon
- Select your Mac's name in the “Network” section on the left side of Explorer.
- Open the shared folder.
- Select the items you want to save and press Ctrl+C.
- Enter a folder on your computer and use the shortcut Ctrl+V to paste them.
Step 7. Access Windows files from Mac (using Finder) through the following steps:
-
Open Finder
- In the left corner of the window, click on the Windows computer name.
- Open the shared folder.
- Select the files you want to save and press ⌘ Command+C.
- Go to a folder on your Mac and press ⌘ Command+V to paste them.
Tips
- There is always the possibility of using a pendrive to move files from one computer to another.
- To use more advanced techniques, learn networking systems.