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ArcherFrost's avatar
ArcherFrost
Iron Contributor
Jan 18, 2026

How can I transfer files from pc to mac on same network?

Tried the bluetooth trick but the transfer speed is very slow, among 500kb/ps. It could take hours to compete as I have more 100 GB files to be transferred to my new Mac. By the way, the price of ext...
Josew's avatar
Josew
Silver Contributor
Jan 18, 2026

Bluetooth transfers are slow and unreliable; SMB file sharing remains the optimal solution for cross-system large file transfers. Pairing with a wired Ethernet connection achieves the fastest transfer speeds.

How to transfer files from a PC to a Mac computer on the same network

Step 1: Physical Connection Preparation

  • Connect both the Windows 10 computer and Mac computer to the same router via Ethernet cables, ensuring they are on the same local area network.

Step 2: Configure the Windows 10 Computer

  • Open Control Panel → Network and Sharing Centre → Change advanced sharing settings.

  • Under the Private network settings, tick Enable network discovery and Enable file and printer sharing.

  • Under the All networks settings, tick Turn off password-protected sharing.

  • Right-click the folder requiring transfer, select Grant access → Specific users.

  • From the dropdown menu, select ‘Everyone’, click ‘Add’, and set the permission level to Read / Write.

  • Click ‘Share’ and note the displayed network path.

  • Press Win+R to open the Run window, type cmd and press Enter.

  • At the command prompt, type ipconfig and press Enter.

  • Locate the IPv4 address under the currently active Ethernet adapter and record this address.

Step 3: Access and Transfer Files from macOS Sequoia Computer

  • Open Finder, click the top menu bar Go → Connect to Server.

  • In the ‘Server Address’ field, enter:smb://[Windows computer's IPv4 address]

  • After entering, click Connect.

  • Upon successful connection, a window will appear displaying the Windows shared folder;

  • Important notes:

    If password-protected sharing is disabled: select ‘Registered User’, leave username and password fields blank, then connect directly;

    If password-protected sharing is enabled: enter the Windows computer's username and password, then click Connect.

  • Upon successful connection, a window displaying the Windows shared folder will appear.

  • Select the target folder and click ‘OK’. This folder will appear as a network drive on your Mac desktop or in Finder's sidebar.

  • Simply drag the 100GB+ file from within the folder to your local Mac path and await completion of the transfer.

I should mention that Wi-Fi transfers of large files are prone to interruption and significantly slower than wired connections. Following my method offers far greater reliability.

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