Sharing Mac OS X folders with Windows machines has never been easier. Thanks to OS X’s built-in support for the Microsoft Server Message Block (SMB) Protocol, allowing read/write access to Windows 7 machines can be done with just a few tweaks in 'System Preferences'. After completing the steps in this tutorial, your Windows 7 machine should be able to see your Mac on a local network. You’ll be able to setup multiple shared folders, each with different read/write access. Let’s begin by setting up our OS X machine.

NOTE: Even though the guide was created on previous versions of OS X, it has been tested also on Mac OS X Lion and it works.

Setting Up Mac OS X to Share with Windows 7

Begin by opening up the Sharing pane in 'System Preferences'. You can find it in the 'Internet & Wireless' section.

Then, check the box next to 'File Sharing'.

With 'File Sharing' activated, OS X will show you the IP address for your Mac. You can see it highlighted in this screenshot. Next, click Options.

In the Options window, check the box next to ‘Share files and folders using SMB (Windows)’. You’ll also want to select which accounts will have sharing enabled. You must be logged in under one of these accounts for Windows computers to access your Mac.

After you’ve activated SMB Sharing, return to the 'File Sharing' window and click the ’+’ to add a 'Shared Folder'.

Browse to the folder you’d like to share with Windows users and click Add.

Once you have a 'Shared Folder' added, you can setup read/write permissions. The easiest route is to simply allow read/write access to Everyone.

Clicking on the column to the right brings up this menu. You can choose Read Only, Read & Write, Write Only or No Access.

Of course, opening the door to Everyone poses security issues - namely, anyone who has access to your router would then have access to your Macintosh. To add a layer of security to your shared folder, you can setup one or more user accounts for your Windows machine to use when accessing your Macintosh. Begin by clicking ’+’ under Users.

If you’ve already created a user account you’d like to use, go ahead and select it. If not, click 'New Person'.

Type in a user name and password for your Windows machine to use as login information. You’ll need to enter these credentials from Windows 7. Click 'Create Account' when you’re done.

Now, you can select the user account you just created.

One last step: click Options again and check the box next to the user you just added. You’ll be asked to enter your password. Do so.

You can add multiple folders, each with different read/write permissions. This is useful if you’d like to set up a Write Only drop box (where multiple users can turn in assignments or documents into a single folder but other users cannot read them) or a Read Only folder for reference, for example.

Accessing Your Macintosh from Your Windows 7 Machine

Once you’ve completed the above steps on your Macintosh, your Windows 7 machine should pick up the shared folders under Network in 'Windows Explorer'. If you have allowed read/write access for everyone or if your credentials for your Macintosh are the same for your Windows 7 (i.e. exact same user name and password), there shouldn’t be any extra steps involved.

Note: You’ll also have to be logged on under the user account you configured for file sharing on your Macintosh.

If, for some reason, your Mac doesn’t show up, you may need to right-click and click Refresh (or press F5 on the keyboard) and wait a while. Generally, the first time you do this, Windows takes its time to detect and show Mac computers. The second time onwards, it should work faster.

Mapping a Shared Macintosh Folder as a Network Drive

If you set up a user account to be used with OS X/Windows 7 SMB sharing, or if you are having trouble getting the Mac to show up in Network places, you’ll need to map one of the folders as a network drive. For full instructions on mapping network drives, see our previous tutorial: How to Map Drives in Windows 7. For the folder name, use your Mac’s IP address plus the name of the shared folder - for example: “\\192.168.1.6\shared”

If the user account you configured on your Macintosh is different from your Windows login credentials, you’ll have to check “Connect using different credentials”.

When you click Finish, you’ll be asked to enter your user name and password. Enter the details for the user you set up in the steps above.

NOTE: If you have issues, make sure you first write the name of the Mac computer, then "\" followed by the user name defined on the OS X. This makes it crystal clear to both Windows and OS X, that you are using the login credentials of a user defined on OS X, not the Windows computer you are connecting from.

When making this tutorial, Windows 7 was initially hesitant to include my Macbook in my Network places, but after mapping it as a network drive, it started popping up automatically without further fussing. An odd quirk, but somewhat logical - it seems that once you show Windows 7 where your Mac is once, it makes it easier to find next time. You may not need to map a network drive at all, however.

Conclusion

As you can see, sharing OS X folders with a Windows 7 machine is pretty much an “out-of-the-box” feature. All you have to do is open the door to Windows machines and choose which folders you’d like to share and which permissions to grant network users. The next step, of course, is to set up your Windows 7 machine so it can be accessed from your OS X computer. For complete instructions on sharing Windows 7 files and folders with your Mac, read Access Windows 7 Shared Folders from OS X on a Home Network. Also, be sure to check out some of our related articles below.

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