If you’re like most people, you use your Mac to share files with other people. You might use a file sharing program like Dropbox or iCloud to share files with friends and family, or you might use the built-in sharing features of Mac OS X. But what if you want to share a file with someone who uses a different computer? You can use Mac sharing mode to transfer files between your Mac and another computer. This is a great way to share files with someone who uses a different computer, or to transfer large files without having to email them or upload them online. Here’s how to do it:
- Open System Preferences on your Mac.
- Click on Sharing in the left-hand column, and then click on the checkbox next to “Share files and folders using AFP (Apple File Protocol)”.
- If necessary, enter the IP address or hostname of the other computer into the “Server Address” field. (If you don’t know this information, ask your network administrator.)
- Click on “OK”. ..
What Is Mac Sharing Mode?
Mac Sharing Mode takes a similar form to a feature previously known as Target Disk Mode. This mode only applies to Apple Silicon Macs acting as the source drive.
This mode is for you if you want to copy files from your Apple Silicon Mac to another Mac. The other Mac could be an older Intel Mac—all that matters is that the source machine has the Apple Silicon chip, like the M1 or better.
Apple states that you’ll need a “USB, USB-C, or Thunderbolt cable” to do this. If you encounter problems, we recommend trying a different cable. Just make sure that the cable is compatible with the older Mac (You may need adapters for Thunderbolt 2, for example.).
Sharing Your Disk with Another Mac
First, connect the two Macs using a USB, USB-C, or Thunderbolt cable. Now, turn your attention to the source (Apple Silicon) Mac.
Unlike Target Disk Mode, which uses its own start-up flag, Mac Sharing Mode is accessed via the Recovery Partition. To boot into recovery mode on an Apple Silicon Mac, first, turn off your Mac. Press and hold the power button and wait until you see “Loading startup options” appear. Then, select Options > Continue to boot into Recovery Mode.
Once macOS has loaded, you should see some options for launching apps like Disk Utility, or for reinstalling macOS. Click Utilities > Share Disk, and then choose the drive that you would like to share (for example, “Macintosh HD” for the main internal drive), and then click “Start Sharing.”
Now, turn your attention to the Mac that you want to copy data to. Launch a new Finder window and scroll down to the “Locations” section of the sidebar, where you’ll find the Network shortcut. Click on it to see a list of Network locations, including the drive that you just shared.
Double-click on the drive that you would like to access. Then, select Connect As and choose “Guest,” followed by Connect. You should now have access to the drive contents and can copy files back and forth at your leisure.
Copying from an Intel Mac? Use Target Disk Mode
You can accomplish virtually the same thing using Target Disk Mode for Intel Mac models. To do this, you’ll need to hold down the T key as your Mac boots.
Curious about Apple Silicon and what it means for the Mac ecosystem? Learn more about Apple’s new processor architecture.