How do I connect my MacBook Air to Windows 10?

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How do I connect my MacBook Air to Windows 10?

How do I send files from my Windows 10 PC to my Mac over a network?

Connecting a Windows 10 computer to a Mac is more complex than you’d imagine.

In macOS you just use the Shared section of a Finder window to locate nearby Macs (or use AirDrop). Windows 10 users use Workgroups to network machines together. But it is strangely difficult to connect a Windows 10 machine to a Mac over a network.

The windows PC will appear in Shared on your Mac, but clicking it and clicking Connect As… reveals just “There was a problem connecting to the server”.

No matter. In this article we show how it’s done. Here’s how to connect a Mac and a Windows 10 PC and share files over a network.

See also:

macOS  vs Windows 10 comparison

Run Windows 10 on your Mac using VirtualBox

How to install Windows on Mac | How to run Windows on Mac

Manage Macs on a Windows-based network

Here’s how to connect to your Windows PC from a Mac and copy files to (and from) each machine.

How do I connect my MacBook Air to Windows 10?

  1. Make sure both your Windows 10 machine and your Mac are connected to the same network.
  2. Click Cortana in Windows 10 and enter “Command Prompt”. Open the Command Prompt app. Maximise the screen so you can get a good view of everything.
  3. Enter ipconfig and press Return.
  4. Locate your IP address. It’ll be marked as IPv4 Address and either under Ethernet adapter or Wireless LAN Adapter Wi-Fi (depending on your address). It’ll be four sets of numbers, eg :192.168.0.20
  5. Now jump over to your Mac. Press Command + K.
  6. Enter smb:// and the ip address. IE, “smb://192.168.0.20” and press Return.
  7. Click Registered User and enter the username and password you use to sign on to the Windows 10 PC. This might be your Microsoft Account and Password or the User ID and Password for your account.
  8. Click Connect. It can take a few minutes to connect over a Wi-Fi connection.
  9. A window marked “Select the volumes you want to mount” will appear with one option “Users”. Click OK.
  10. Open a Finder window.
  11. You will see the SMB share marked as the IP address in Shared in the sidebar. Click it, click Users and your username. Here are all the files on your Windows PC.

You can copy files to and from the Windows machine from here.

How do I connect my MacBook Air to Windows 10?

Read next: How to connect a MacBook to a TV | How to connect an iPhone to a Windows 10 PC

At one time, connecting a Windows PC to a Mac running OS X was a major undertaking, but with the MacBook's built-in file sharing utilities, you can connect it your network and give PC users access to certain files and directories or the entire drive. Once you have MacBook sharing set up, you can access it through Windows Explorer as you would any other network drive or resource.

Over a Network

  1. Right-click on the folder or drive you want to share in the Finder on the Mac, then select "Get Info" to open the drive or folder's Info window. Mark the "Shared folder" check box. Enter your administrator password if prompted to do so.

  2. Click the Apple icon and select "System Preferences," then click "Sharing" to open the Sharing dialog. Click the "Options" button to open the networking window. Select the "Share files and folders using SMB (Windows)" option, and select which accounts on the Mac you want to share. Click "Done" to close the window, then close the System Preferences window.

  3. Open Windows Explorer on the PC. Select "Network" to maximize the menu and click on your Mac, which will be in the list. Enter your username and password for the MacBook to complete the connection.

Direct Connection

  1. Plug your Ethernet cable into the Ethernet ports on the PC and MacBook.

  2. Press "Windows-X" on your PC. Click the "Run" button and enter "ipconfig/all" in the field and click "OK." Note down the computer's IP address.

  3. Open the Charm bar and type "computer name" in the Search field. Click the "See the name of the computer" link and note down your computer's name.

  4. Type "control panel" in the Search field and click on the Control Panel link.

  5. Select "System and Security," then "Windows Firewall" to open the firewall controls.

  6. Click the "Properties" link to open the Windows Firewall advanced properties.

  7. Select the Domain Profile tab and select "Off" for the Firewall State, then click "OK" to close the dialog box.

  8. Open a Finder window on your MacBook and select "Go," then "Connect to Server" from the main menu.

  9. Enter the computer's network address in the "Server Address" field. Type the network address as follows: "smb://IPaddress/sharename," where "sharename" is the name of the PC, and "IPaddress" is the PC's IP address.

  10. Click "Connect" and enter the workgroup name, username and password, and select the folder you want to share on the PC when prompted to do so. Your MacBook and PC are connected.

How do I Connect my Mac to Windows 10?

On the Windows computer, open File Explorer, click Network, and locate the Mac you want to connect to. Double-click the Mac, then enter the account name and password for the user account. It may take a moment for the Windows computer to show that the Mac is on the network.
Connect your Mac to the Windows computer using a standard Ethernet cable. If your Mac doesn't have an Ethernet port, try using a USB-to-Ethernet adapter. Connecting the two computers creates a small local network that consists of just the two computers.

How can I get my computer to recognize my MacBook air?

On your Mac, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click Accessibility , then click Spoken Content. Select the “Speak selection” checkbox. By default, your Mac speaks text when you press the keyboard shortcut Option-Esc.

Does Windows 10 work on MacBook Air?

You can enjoy Windows 10 on your Apple Mac with the help of Boot Camp Assistant. Once installed, it allows you to easily switch between macOS and Windows by simply restarting your Mac.