How to login to a Mac to access files from a PC?

Question

I have a MacMini running Yosemite and a PC running Windows7.

I want to copy some files from the Pc to the MAc

For some reason the Mac cannot see the PC on the network, but the PC can see the Mac. When I try to access the Mac in Explorer I am asked to login, which makes sense, but I don't know what to put:

For a start I don't want to login (do I?) on my PC's local domain. I think I want to login as a user name + password already set up on the Mac so what exactly do I need to type in?

Answer 1

How to login to a Mac to access files from a PC?

Macs use Apple Remote Desktop (ARD), which is a dumbed down version of VNC. Its can be quite dangerous to use because Apple artificially limits the password to 8 characters or less. So never allow an Apple device to face the internet with ARD enabled.

Windows uses Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), which is a proprietary protocol. Its not compatible with Apple's ARD and VNC. If I recall, RDP did not use encryption, so it was quite dangerous for some time too (its available in Pro and Enterprise versions of modern Windows OS's). So never allow a Microsoft device to face the internet with RDP enabled.

To remotely log into the Mac from the PC, you will need a Windows-based VNC client like VNC Viewer, TightVNC, TigerVNC, or UltraVNC.

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I want to copy some files from the Pc to the MAc

To copy files from the PC to the Mac (or vice-versa) it might be easiest to enable SSH on the Mac, and then use WinSCP to copy files. WinSCP provides a GUI and allows you to do things in drag-and-drop fashion.

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Apple has a related knowledge base article at OS X Mavericks: Allow a remote computer to access your Mac. WinSCP will automate the "Log in from another computer" discussed in the article, and give you a GUI to work within.

Answer 2

As a general note, it's usually easier to "pull" files (in your case to initiate the transfer from the Mac). It's also safer, because you only have to enable "read" access on the system from which you're getting the files (the Windows PC).

I used the following procedure to transfer files from my Windows 7 laptop (which I was getting ready to retire) to my MacBook:

• Enable File/Printer Sharing in Windows (Network control panel).
• Set up matching accounts on the Windows PC and Mac (same username, same password). I don't think this is an absolute requirement but it's what I did.
  You can always set up an account on the Windows machine (that matches the Mac credentials) and disable/delete it later.
• Create a shared folder on the Windows PC. It's easiest if you allow read access to anyone. Make sure it includes the files you want, or copy them into the shared folder.
• In the Finder, there's a menu option called Connect to Server or similar. I believe it's on the Go menu? (Sorry I don't have access to a Mac right now.)
  The server URI will be smb://windows-pc-name/shared-folder-name

The shared folder should open in a new Finder window. Just drag the files to your Mac.

Don't forget to clean up. You may want to stop sharing the folder, or even better turn off file sharing entirely; if you created a temporary account on the Windows machine, disable or remove it.

This procedure is obviously intended more for one-time use than for recurring file transfers. If the need to transfer files is on-going, you want to invest a little more time into setting up something that's more secure. (As noted above, I was going to recycle the Windows PC so in my case this wasn't an issue.)

Answer 3

Seems like you might already have found a solution but I think the easiest way is to set up an FTP server on your Windows and access it from your Mac with an FTP client. Filezilla is an example of a free FTP server and client that will work with your platforms, though I do not have any personal experience with that program.

Easy to setup, easy to access. Depends if it's a temporary setup or something you're going to use a lot.