Mac Share External Drive With Microsoft Remote Desktop

 

You can access folders remotely from another computer with Mac OS X Lion. (Just make sure first that you have the correct administrative permissions to it.) File sharing must be activated on the Mac where the shared files/folders reside; it doesn’t have to be activated on the Mac that’s accessing the files/folders. If file sharing is turned off on your Mac, others won’t be able to access your folders, even if you’ve assigned permissions to them previously.

  1. Mac Share External Drive With Microsoft Remote Desktop Assistant
  2. Mac Share External Drive With Microsoft Remote Desktop Windows 10
  3. Mac Share External Drive With Microsoft Remote Desktop Free
  4. Mac Share External Drive With Microsoft Remote Desktop Download
  • If you like to use your Mac computer as your main machine, but still need Windows for occasional tasks, then it might be useful to setup remote desktop so that you can connect from your Mac to your PC remotely. Luckily, Microsoft provides all the parts for remote desktop to work properly between a Mac.
  • Apr 23, 2018  Depending on the amount of data you plan on storing, Desktop NAS devices aren't too expensive. Connect it via ethernet, set an IP and configure your shares. Done and done. As someone else mentioned, you should also be able to share an external drive from the PC that it is connected to.

The following steps assume that you have an account on the remote Mac, which means you have your own Home folder on that Mac.

First published on CloudBlogs on Jul 13, 2018 by Enterprise Mobility + Security team The Microsoft Remote Desktop 10 client for macOS with its redesigned user experience and new code base has been available in the App Store since last November and the feedback has been incredible, helping us contin.

To connect to a Shared folder on a Mac other than the one you’re currently on, follow these steps:

  1. Make sure that you’re already set up as a user on the computer that you want to log in to.

  2. On the computer that you’re logging in from, click the Show button to show the Shared section in the Sidebar if it’s not already showing.

  3. Click the name of the remote Mac you want to access in the Sidebar.

    At this point, you’re connected to the remote Mac as a guest.

  4. Click the Connect As button.

  5. Select the Guest radio button if you don’t have an account on the remote computer and then click Connect; if you’re logging in as a user, skip to Step 6.

    As a guest user, you see Public Folders for users who have accounts, but nothing else.

  6. Type your password, and click the Connect button.

    When you access your Home folder on a remote Mac, you see an icon with the short name of your Home folder on that Mac on the Desktop of the Mac you’re using (unless you’ve deselected Connected Servers in Finder’s General Preferences pane, under Show These Items on the Desktop).

  7. When you finish using the remote Mac, disconnect by using one of these methods: Cannot open microsoft word document on mac.

    • Drag the shared-volume icon to the Eject icon in the Dock.

      When a disk or volume is selected (highlighted), the Trash icon turns into a little arrow, which represents eject. Nice touch, eh?

    • Right-click or Control-click the shared volume icon and then choose Eject from the contextual menu that appears.

    • Select the shared-volume icon and choose File→Eject.

    • Select the shared-volume icon and press Command+E.

    • In a Finder window Sidebar, click the little Eject symbol to the right of the remote computer’s name.

    • If you’ve finished working for the day, and you don’t leave your Mac on 24/7 (as most folks do), choose Apple→Shut Down or Log Out. Shutting down or logging out automatically disconnects you from shared disks or folders. (Shut Down also turns off your Mac.)

The Remote Desktop Connection (RDC) feature of Windows allows you to remotely view and control remote Windows desktops. Sharing resources between your local and remote PC can be tricky, but it is possible to share your local files and folders over a remote desktop session using RDC or other remote desktop tools like TightVNC.

If you’re using RDC and want to access the files and folders on your PC when you’re connected, you’ll need to configure your RDC setup. You can set this every time you connect or, alternatively, create a Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) shortcut file to save your settings.

Accessing Local Files & Folders Over a Remote Desktop Connection

Mac Share External Drive With Microsoft Remote Desktop Assistant

The Remote Desktop Connection tool uses Microsoft’s Remote Desktop Protocol to create a remote desktop session to Windows PCs and servers. It’s included with all editions of Windows 10 and Windows Server.

Microsoft also offers RDP-capable software to allow you to connect to Windows PCs on Mac, as well as on mobile platforms like Android and iOS. If you’re on a Mac, you can share your Mac files and folders to Windows in the Redirection tab of the Remote Desktop app.

On Windows, the built-in Remote Desktop Connection tool allows you to configure your file and folder sharing settings before you connect.

  • To start, open the Remote Desktop Connection tool. You can find this in your Windows Start menu under the Windows Accessories folder, or by clicking Win + R to open the Windows Run dialog box, then typing mstsc and clicking OK to open it.

The Remote Desktop Connection tool, when first launched, is pretty basic. Normally, you would insert the IP address for your remote PC and click connect, but you’ll need to configure things further before you connect if you want to access your local files and folders.

  • In the Remote Desktop Connection window, click Show Options.
Mac Share External Drive With Microsoft Remote Desktop
  • This will display the configuration options for RDC. Click the Local Resources tab to access the sharing settings for your remote desktop session. Click More at the bottom, under the Local devices and resources section.
  • In the Local devices and resources box, you can set RDC to share certain devices with your remote PC. To share your local files and folders, click the + arrow next to Drives to expand that section.
  • In the Drives section, you can share your available Windows drives, any attached optical drives like a CD or DVD drive, as well as portable storage like flash drives that you might decide to connect later. Click any of the checkboxes to share that storage with your remote PC, then click OK.
  • With your drive sharing settings in place, return to the General tab and type your remote PC or server IP address in the Computer box under the Log-on Settings section. Click Connect to make the connection.
  • Once connected to your remote desktop, open Windows File Explorer. You can do this by right-clicking your Start menu button and clicking File Explorer. In File Explorer, you should see your shared drives listed under the Redirected drives and folders section.

These settings may only last for the duration of your connection to your remote desktop. To save these settings, you’ll need to save your connection as a shortcut using an RDP settings file.

Saving RDC Settings With An RDP Shortcut File

Remote Desktop Protocol settings files are designed to be interchangeable with other software that allows RDP connections.

  • If you want to save your connection settings for easier access or to use it on another device, click Show Options in the Remote Desktop Connection tool.
  • Check all of your connection settings are correct, then under the Connection settings section of the General tab, click Save As.
  • In the save file box that appears, give your connection file a suitable name, then click Save.

Once your RDP file is saved, you can then use it to directly connect to your remote desktop in future. Double-clicking on the file to open it will launch the RDC tool and automatically connect with your predetermined settings applied.

You can also access the file from within the Remote Desktop Connection tool by clicking Open under the Connection settings section.

Mac Share External Drive With Microsoft Remote Desktop Windows 10

If, at any point, you wish to change these settings, then follow the instructions above to overwrite the saved RDP file.

Sharing Files & Folders Over VNC

Mac Share External Drive With Microsoft Remote Desktop Free

While Windows comes with the RDC tool, you can use other, third-party remote desktop connection software to connect to Windows and other operating systems. VNC is one of the more popular alternative protocols to RDP, with various connection clients you can use.

Mac Share External Drive With Microsoft Remote Desktop Download

One of the most popular VNC server-client software combinations is RealVNC, but this only supports file transfers with a professional or enterprise subscription. A good, free alternative for Windows users is TightVNC, which does allow for file transfers.

You’ll need a VNC server installed on your remote desktop to be able to do this. Installing TightVNC generally installs both the server and the viewer components, unless you customize this during the setup process.

  • If your remote VNC server is set up, download and install TightVNC on your local PC. Once installed, open the TightVNC Viewer and connect to your remote desktop by typing your IP address into the Remote Host box, then clicking Connect.
  • Once connected, click the Transfer files icon in your TightVNC menu bar.
  • In the TightVNC File Transfer window, select the files and folders you want to move from A to B (from your local PC to your remote PC, or vice versa). Click the >> or <<buttons to begin the transfer. Click Yes to confirm that you want the transfer to begin.

Once you agree to begin the transfer, the files and folders you’ve selected will begin copying across. If you want to cancel the transfer, click the Cancel button at the bottom of the window.

If you’d rather use another client, you can use file transfer software like WinSCP to move files between your local and remote Windows PCs instead.