30.07.2020

Apps Not Being Shared Between Mac Profiles

Apps Not Being Shared Between Mac Profiles 5,0/5 6479 votes

Apr 15, 2016  Handoff is not exactly moving files between Mac and iOS devices, but if your goal to move files is to continue working on it, then Handoff can fit the bill. And similar to AirDrop, this feature is not supported by pre-2012 Mac. ITunes File Sharing. Another native way to share files between Mac and iOS is to use iTunes File Sharing. Jan 24, 2011  Also, can I change the location where iPhoto saves the photos to when my wife loads them up (i.e. Set it so that it goes into section on the shared folder?) Please bear with me if this is a dumb question. I just bought a new iMac. It's my first Mac & I'm not necessarily computer savvy to start with Thanks for any help.

I recently upgraded one of my computers to Windows 10 and setup a shared folder so that I could easily transfer files from my MacBook Pro and Windows 7 machines to Windows 10 over the home network. I did a clean install of Windows 10, created a shared folder and attempted to connect to my shared folder from OS X.

Unfortunately, I was not able to connect and it took me a little time to figure it out. In this article, I’ll walk you through the steps to connect to a shared folder on Windows 10 from OS X.

Step 1 – Configure Windows 10 for Sharing

Obviously, the first thing you’ll need to do is create a shared folder on Windows 10. Right-click on the folder, go to Properties and click on the Sharing tab. Go ahead and share the folder and set the permissions to whatever you desire in terms of access.

I suggest clicking on Advanced Sharing as you have more fine-grain control over everything. Check the Share this folder box and then give the share a name. Click on Permissions and then add groups or users that you want to give access.

If you want to make it easy and the folder doesn’t have sensitive data, just add the Everyone group and give them Full Control. This way, you’ll be able to access the folder from any computer or device without having to worry about entering credentials.

The next thing you need to do is make sure that File and Printer Sharing is turned on and allowed through the Windows Firewall in Windows 10. Go to Control Panel and click on Windows Defender Firewall. Then click on Allow an app or feature through Windows Firewall.

Scroll down until you see File and Printer Sharing and make sure that it is checked for the Private network. You may have to first click on the Change settings button at the top before you can select a box.

Lastly, you can decide how you want users to access the folder on Windows 10. By default, when connecting from another machine, you have to enter the username and password of an account that has access to that shared folder on Windows 10. If you setup a Windows 10 user account without adding a password, you won’t be able to connect to the shared folder.

You’ll first have to add a password and then you could connect. However, if you feel your home network is super secure, you can always turn off password protected sharing, which means anyone can connect to the shared folder without having to type in a username or password.

You can do that by going to Control Panel, Network and Sharing Center,Advanced sharingsettings and then expanding All Networks. Here you will see an option called Password protected sharing, which you can turn off. I personally keep it turned on, but if you really hate having to type in a username and password to connect, this is an option.

Also, if you use Windows 10 without a password, this would save you from having to setup a password on your account. Note that even if you have a Windows account with a password, if you turn off password protected sharing, then people can still connect without typing any credentials.

Step 2 – Connect to Windows Shared Folder from OS X

Finally, on the Mac, open Finder and look under the Shared section for the Windows 10 PC. If Shared is not in the sidebar, you have to add it. With Finder open, click on Finder and then Preferences at the top. Click on Sidebar and check all the items under Shared.

Now go back to Finder and wait till your computer shows up. Note that it can take a little while until the Windows 10 PC shows up. If it doesn’t show up after 5 minutes, try restarting the PC once.

If your Windows PC refuses to show up in the Shared devices list in Finder, you can try connecting manually using SMB. To do that, open Finder and click on Go and then Connect to Server.

Now type in the following as shown, replacing the IP address below with the IP address of your Windows 10 PC.

Click the Connect button and you’ll be asked to type in credentials again. If that is entered correctly, you’ll be asked which volume you want to mount.

If you’re still not able to connect using SMB, then there is some issue on your Windows PC. You have to make sure the firewall is configured properly.

Once it shows up in the sidebar, go ahead and click on it. When you click on it, it will try to connect and you may get a message saying Connection Failed or Not Connected.

That’s OK! That’s where that password protected folder setting in Windows 10 comes into play. If it’s turned on, you need to connect using the Windows 10 account credentials. You can do that by clicking the Connect As button at the top right.

Go ahead and type in your credentials and then click OK. Note that if it’s a Microsoft account you have setup on Windows 10, you’ll need to type in the full email address and the same password that you use to login to your Microsoft account.

In the past this method only applied to the Xbox 360 controller, but the latest version of the software you'll be using also now supports the Xbox One controller. Your Xbox wired controller should now be connected! However, with Apple, some traditional game interfaces and not so traditional interfaces (think HTC wands or Valve's knuckle controllers) now need to be to reap the VR/AR benefits to their fullest.To ready you for some amazing VR pilot games such as that utilize a traditional game Xbox game controller, we're here to show you how to connect one to your Mac! Microsoft xbox 360 controller software. Gaming on a Mac is not what Apple is historically known for.

That’s about it! Now you should see the Windows 10 shared folders in Finder on your Mac. If you have any questions about connecting to Windows 10 PC from a Mac, post a comment here and I’ll try to help out. Enjoy!

A few weeks ago here on TMO, I posted an article called How to Locate & Manage Your 'Stuff' in OS X. In that article, I glossed over a special User Folder called Shared. The time has come to take a closer look.

You may be thinking that knowing about the Shared Folder is important only if you have more than one user/logon account on your Mac. If you only use your one user account, read-on, because you'll see why it you might want to create one or two other logon accounts on your machine.

Let me approach the 'why' by relating to you how I use multiple user accounts on my own Mac. Hopefully, this will inspire you to think of ways this can be useful in your workflow.

The Users & Groups System Settings panel is where User Accounts are created and managed.

First, of course, I have my regular every-day working user account. Additionally, I have an account with Administrator privileges that I logon to strictly for troubleshooting purposes. Of course, since I run a lean, clean and mean machine, I rarely find myself shooting any trouble! But, if I need to, I can do so easily with this additional user account.

For example, there may be something odd happening in my working account – perhaps with a certain errant System Preferences setting, or a user font, or even an attached printer or other peripherals. With a 'clean' user account that has the default System Preferences configured, I am better able to note how something should behave. Troubleshooting personal computer problems is all about 'process of elimination.' Having this extra user account aids in this approach.

I teach several courses in technology, digital photography and horror cinema at local higher-education schools. For each class, which involves special configurations, demos, and Keynote presentations, I have a separate user account.

Overkill? Perhaps. But, it really makes my work simple, safe and organized.

On my MacBook Pro, I also have a user account for my wife to use in the event it's needed. She has her own Mac mini in our home office, so when we travel, being able to have her own logon on my MacBook Pro is important. If I had children, they might have their own user accounts as well. My two goldfish have expressed a desire to have their own logons, but I feel strangely reluctant to accommodate them on this one request.

Finally, I keep a user account with Administrator privileges (configured with a different password, of course) specifically for use by Apple Genii or other service providers. I use this just in case I have to take the machine in for service – keeping my other accounts out-of-sight-out-of-mind. Yes, I know that depending on certain settings, they may be able to circumvent this, but I am not overly concerned about it, and I maintain a strict backup regimen. This just makes things easier for them and for me.

OK, so hopefully, you get the idea. If you are not now using multiple user accounts, hopefully I've given you some food for thought. If you take anything away from this article, it should be the value of the additional 'clean' user accounts for troubleshooting and/or for use by the Apple Genius Bar.

At this point, you may be asking, 'What's the best way to share files between these user accounts?' I'm glad you asked, because you may find many good reasons to maintain separate accounts for various uses.

Connect to mac shared folder

Apps Not Being Shared Between Mac Profiles 2017

In my own teaching scenario described above, I utilize my main working account to prep for my Keynote presentations, Pages-based class handouts, and demo image files. Once I have all class materials ready, I make use of the Shared Users Folder to easily copy the files to the corresponding class user account. When I get to class, I log onto the User Account for that class and present the students with a clean desktop and perhaps even a custom desktop background.

The User Folder is located at the root level of the system drive and contains all User Account Home Folders plus the Shared Folder.

In my article referenced back in the first paragraph, I talked about the Users Folder located at the root directory of your Mac's system drive. This folder contains all the data created by each of the Mac's logon accounts – whether just your one logon account or a hundred accounts on the machine. The Users Folder contains a Home Folder for each account, identified by account name. Your Home Folder is additionally identified by an icon of a house. You will also find the Shared Folder within the Users Folder.

Since, by default, each user's Home Folder is inaccessible by any other account, the Shared Folder is there for all the local user accounts to use freely when files need to be shared. Remember that the Shared Folder is for intra-account sharing on the one Mac. It is not intended for sharing files between machines – and people – on a network, as there are better mechanisms and methods for that type of activity.

Shared Profile Settings

I am constantly exploiting the Shared Folder, finding it enormously useful in my work. As I create my presentations and handouts, I stick copies of them into the Shared Folder. I usually organize the Shared Folder by creating additional folders – one for each user account. Any files commonly needed by all user accounts are placed at the root of the Shared Folder.

To streamline my workflow, I create an alias of the Shared Folder in the Favorites section of the Finder window's sidebar. You do this by first selecting GO > COMPUTER in Finder, then going into the System drive (typically named 'Macintosh HD'), and finally into the Users Folder. Locate the Shared Folder, and drag it's icon to the Finder window's sidebar anywhere within the Favorites section at the top. This makes an alias to the Shared Folder easily accessible from anywhere – even in standard open/close file dialog boxes.

Drag the Shared Folder into the Finder window sidebar to create an alias there.

By the way, you can also place an alias of the Shared Folder on your Dock by dragging it's icon just to the left of the trash can. (Now remember, if you've had one-too-many, your lack of accuracy here may be detrimental to your happiness).

Mac Shared Folder Path

Without going into technical detail in this article, you need to understand that, no matter which user account you are logged in as, files and folders you create while in that account are owned by you, i.e.; by that account. This is all about the concept of file permissions, which governs who can open, modify, delete, or even see your files.

Because the Shared Folder can be potentially used by every user account, this folder can contain any number of files and folders with differing ownership and therefore, differing permissions.

There are a couple of important implications regarding file ownership and permissions:

If a file is 'owned' by another user account, you and others are typically not allowed to make changes to or delete the file. By the Shared Folder's very nature, you are allowed to open and use files created by other accounts. When you open a file directly from within the Shared Folder, and it's owned by another account, you will be directed to duplicate the file first, or you may be asked to authenticate. As soon as the file is duplicated, you now become the owner of that duplicated file. If you are asked to authenticate, and you do so successfully, the ownership of that original file is now assigned to you.

If you are the owner of a file in the Shared Folder, and you drag it out and onto your desktop, the file is MOVED out of the Shared Folder.

If you drag a file that is owned by another user account from the Shared Folder to your desktop or another location within your own Home Folder, a COPY of the file is made, and the original is kept intact. In general, I prefer this method for sharing a file between user accounts, as leaving the original file as-is in the Shared Folder assures the retrieval of an original copy if the need arises.

This GET INFO panel for a selected Keynote file shows its Sharing and Permissions settings.

Shared And Not Shared

The best way to learn all this is to experiment with some throw-away files belonging to the various user accounts on your Mac. While logged into the different account, drag the files in and out, attempt to edit and delete them. Do a Get Info on the files (via FILE > GET INFO in Finder), and look at the Sharing & Permissions section at the very bottom. But, be careful! Don't get too cocky and go around changing permissions on things outside the Shared Folder without a better understanding. There is rarely any reason to do so.

Apps Not Being Shared Between Mac Profiles Without

In conclusion, multiple secure user accounts feature in OS X is undoubtedly a powerful tool for enhancing security and organization. File sharing between single machine user accounts via the Shared Folder makes secure collaboration a snap.