Settings for Mac

Enable File Sharing

  1. Open System Settings or System Preferences.
  2. Go to General > Sharing.
  3. Turn on File Sharing.
  4. Click the information button next to File Sharing.

File Sharing in macOS settings

Share a Folder

  1. Under Shared Folders, click the add button and select the folder you want to share.
  2. Set the required permissions for your user account.

Shared folders and user permissions in macOS

  1. Click Options.
  2. Turn on Share files and folders using SMB, then enable your user account.

SMB file-sharing options in macOS

About iCloud Passwords

If you sign in to your Mac using an iCloud password, that account may be disabled in the file-sharing options and cannot be used to connect to a share.

A disabled macOS file-sharing account

Create a separate password for the Mac user account:

  1. Open System Settings or System Preferences.
  2. Go to Users & Groups.
  3. Select your account and click Change Password.
  4. Choose Use Separate Password.

The separate-password option for a Mac user account

Troubleshooting

If FE File Explorer reports an unknown host or the connection times out:

  1. Connect using the Mac’s IP address instead of its computer name.
  2. Turn File Sharing off, then turn it on again.

Restarting File Sharing in macOS