If you’ve ever tried to transfer a large file between two devices using Bluetooth, you know how slow and painful the process can be. It doesn’t get any easier with email either, as many email providers limit the size of files you can transfer from one address to another. Sometimes the physical (and direct) solution is the best way to go.
That’s where Ethernet cables come in, offering a direct, high-speed connection between two devices that’s perfect for transferring large files. Let’s see how to transfer files over Ethernet between two PCs, two Macs, and one PC and one Mac.
How to transfer files over Ethernet from one PC to another
You don’t need much equipment to transfer files over Ethernet between two PCs running Microsoft Windows. A couple of PCs and a decent Ethernet cable (ideally Category 5 or Category 6 for high-speed transfers) do the job.
Once you have what you need, these steps will allow you to connect your devices to the same network:
- Connect the PCs using the Ethernet cable by connecting one end of the cable to the Ethernet port of the first device and the second end to the second device.
- The Ethernet ports are the same on all devices, so you don’t have to worry about which direction the cable should use.
- Using the device you want to transfer from, click the “Start” menu button and type “Control Panel” in the search bar.
- Select the “Control Panel” icon and navigate to “Network and Sharing Center.”
- Click “Ethernet,” followed by “Properties” and “Internet Protocol version 4 (TCP/IPv4).”
- Choose “Properties” and click “Use the following IP address.”
- Enter the following values for your IP address and subnet mask:
- IP address: 192.168.1.2
- Subnet mask: 225.225.225.0
Repeat these steps on your second PC and you will form the connection between them. Next, you need to enable file sharing through the PC you will use to transfer the files:
- Go back to the “Control Panel” and select “Network and Internet.”
- Click “Network and Sharing Center,” followed by “Change advanced sharing settings.”
- Turn on “Network Discovery,” along with “File and Printer Sharing” and “Share so anyone with network access can read and write files in public folders.”
- If you don’t want to enter your password every time you share a file, click “Turn off password-protected sharing.”
Finally, you are ready to share your file from one PC to another via your Ethernet cable:
- Navigate to the file you want to share, right-click and highlight “Share with.”
- Click “Specific People” to open the file sharing window.
- Choose “All” from the drop-down menu and click the “Add” button.
- Select “Share” to make files transferable.
- Hold down the “Windows” button and press “E” to open “File Explorer.”
- Select “Network” and double-click the PC that hosts the file you want to share.
- Copy and paste the desired file to the destination PC.
After many steps, high-speed file sharing between PCs is activated and you are ready to make as many transfers as you want.
How to Transfer Files over Ethernet from Mac to Mac
You can use the built-in Ethernet ports on your Mac to transfer files to another Mac. If your Mac doesn’t have an Ethernet port, you can try using a USB adapter, which allows you to connect an Ethernet port to your Mac through a USB port.
Assuming both Macs have the necessary ports, follow these steps to set up file sharing over Ethernet:
- Connect Macs using a standard Ethernet cable.
- On the first Mac, navigate to the “Apple” menu and click “System Settings.”
- Select “General” in the sidebar and click “Share” in the options on the right side.
- Take note of the name of your Mac, which you should find on the “Share” screen.
- Repeat steps 2 to 4 on the second Mac.
- Using either Mac, navigate to “Finder” and select “Go.”
- Choose “Connect to Server.”
- Click “Browse” and double-click the name of the other Mac. You may need to enter your password to establish the connection.
Your Macs are now connected and can share files over your Ethernet cable. You should see each Mac’s shared folders appear on the other Mac’s monitor. You can then copy and paste files from one of these shared folders to a local folder.
The only thing that can get in your way is a manually configured TCP/IP setting on the Mac you connect to. If you have configured these settings manually, you may need to enter the TCP/IP address of the other Mac in the dialog box that appears after clicking “Connect to Server” in step 7 of the process above.
How to Transfer Files over Ethernet from Mac to PC
Connecting a Mac to a PC is surprisingly simple, despite the differences in operating systems at play. However, you’ll need to configure each device to transfer files separately before you can copy and paste between them.
After connecting your Mac and PC using an Ethernet cable (and turning on both devices), follow these steps on your PC:
- Click the “Start” menu button and enter “Settings” in the search bar.
- Open the “Settings” menu and select “Network.”
- Locate your Ethernet connection and select “Enable sharing.”
- Click “Yes, turn on sharing and connect to devices.”
- Right-click on the “Start” screen background to open the Windows taskbar.
- Select “All Apps” and right-click “Computer.”
- Click “Properties” and note the workgroup name and computer name, both of which you will need when creating the connection on the Mac end.
Your Windows PC should now be ready to connect to the Mac, although some users may need to complete a couple of additional steps. Check that TCP port 445 is open on your PC and turn off the “Internet Connection Firewall”, assuming it is currently active.
When you’re ready, switch to your Mac and follow these steps:
- Navigate to the “Finder” icon on your Mac and click “Go.”
- Choose “Connect to Server” and select “Browse.”
- Locate and click the computer name you noted earlier in the list of options.
- Select “Connect as” and enter the workgroup name. You may also need to enter your username and password if prompted.
- Click “Remember this password in my keychain” so you can connect the two devices more easily in the future.
With the connection established, you need to set up file sharing on your Mac:
- Click the “Apple” icon and select “System Preferences.”
- Choose “Share” and check the box next to “Share files.”
- Press the “Options” button and check “Share files and folders using SMB” in the resulting window.
- Navigate to the “Windows File Sharing” p and check the box next to each user whose files you want to share.
- Click “Done.”
- Once back in the “Sharing” window, click the “+” icon next to the folders you want to share with your PC.
- Check the “File Sharing: On” message and make a note of your Mac’s IP address.
Finally, you’re ready to access your Mac files on your PC, although you’ll need to map a network drive to your PC to allow transfer over Ethernet:
- Open “File Explorer” and click on the address bar located at the top of the window.
- Enter “\\” followed by your Mac’s IP address. There is no space between “\\” and the first number of the IP address.
- Enter the username and password for your Mac when prompted.
- You should see all the folders you chose to share when setting up file sharing on your Mac. Right-click the folder you want to access and select “Map Network Drive.”
- Select a drive letter from the list and be sure to choose one that is not already in use.
- Check “Reconnect on login” if you want to connect to this folder every time you log in to your PC.
Once that connection is established, you can drag and drop folders and files from the new network drive to your PC’s local storage.
Connect with Ethernet
Unfortunately, transferring files using an Ethernet cable is not as simple as plugging in the cable and getting an automatic connection. No matter what devices you use, you must follow several steps to set up the connection and enable file transfer.
Are the higher speeds worth the steps you have to take? How often do you think you’ll need to transfer files between your devices? Tell us what you think in the comments p below.
