How to Share Files Between Two Macs

You can share files between two Macintosh computers by using removable media, sending files over a network, or sending files as attachments to e-mail messages.

Instructions

1. Copy the files onto a standard 3.5-inch, 1.44 MB floppy disk; Zip disk; Jaz disk; Imation SuperDisk; or recordable CD.

Network

1. If both computers are connected to a network, ask your network administrator for instructions for setting up file sharing so that you can transfer the files directly to the other person's hard disk.

2. If you have appropriate access privileges on the network, you can create a folder on a server and transfer the files to the folder. The recipient can copy the files from the server to his or her hard disk.

Tips & Warnings

• You may have to compress a file to fit it on a low-capacity disk such as a floppy disk.

• Networks are set up many different ways, but all Macintosh computers have file-sharing capabilities.

• It can be a little tricky to set up file sharing and the permissions for each shared item, but you can look for instructions in Macintosh Help (Macintosh Guide). You'll want to make changes in the File Sharing, Sharing Setup, and Users and Groups control panels (depending on what version of the system software you have).

• Make sure the recipient has the application you used to create the files. If not, save the files in a common format, such as plain text or rich text format (RTF) for word-processing documents. If you resave files this way, you might lose some formatting.