Apr 12, 2017 To share discs from a Mac that has a built-in or external optical drive, use these steps: On the Mac that has an optical drive, choose System Preferences from the Apple menu. Click the Sharing icon in the System Preferences window. Make sure you've entered a name that you can easily recognize in the Computer Name field. You can share your desktop with your contacts at any time during a conversation. For example, if you have a presentation slide deck or a document that you want to present to your contacts, you can start a desktop sharing session right from your conversation window. Jul 29, 2016 Map a network drive from remote desktop back to local computer. You are already most likely familiar with the process to “redirect” drives from your host computer over to your remote desktop session. This is as simple as choosing your local resources in the settings of your RDP connect window.
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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.
Apr 06, 2020 A fast remote desktop Mac app, this can save you in many situations, especially when you store your important data on a PC and forget to transfer the same to your hard drive. Remotix introduces NEAR, which is a low-latency, adaptive, H.264 based remote desktop protocol. 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.
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
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.
- 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.
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
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.
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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.
iCloud Drive
When you store files in iCloud Drive, you can share them with Mac computers, iOS devices, and Windows PCs. Learn about iCloud Drive.
External storage device
With an external storage device, such as a hard drive or USB flash drive, you can transfer even large amounts of data from one computer to another. Just drag files to the storage device, then plug it into the other computer and copy them from there.
AirDrop
With AirDrop, you can send files wirelessly between Apple devices that are within about 30 feet (9 meters) of each other. Learn about AirDrop.
Target disk mode

Use target disk mode and the appropriate cable to make one Mac computer work like an external storage device for another connected Mac. Learn about target disk mode.
Mac Share External Drive With Microsoft Remote Desktop Client
File Sharing
Mac Share External Drive With Microsoft Remote Desktop Download
When you set up File Sharing on a Mac, other computers on the same network can connect to it, and you control which folders to share. Learn about File Sharing.
Mac Share External Drive With Microsoft Remote Desktop Download
Email or chat
Use the Mail app to send files as an email attachment. If the attachment is too large to send as a regular attachment, the Mail Drop feature automatically uploads the attachment to iCloud so that the recipient can easily download it.
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You also can also use the Messages app to send small files: just drag the file into your message.