OS X File Sharing — The Basics - Connecting to Another Computer

Connecting to another computer in OS X is a very simple process, and there are several ways to do it.  I'm going to show you a way that will always work, if you know the address of the computer on your network.  If you don't, that's no big deal, as we can work around that by using an auto-discover feature in OS X.  It's important to note, however, that this auto-discover feature has not been working well in the early versions of OS X Lion (10.7.0 and 10.7.1 specifically).


The procedure goes like this:
•  Make sure you are in the Finder
•  Find the other computer
•  Connect to it


Connecting to another computer is going to be achieved by using a program called the Finder.  The Finder is the filesystem manager for OS X, similar to Window Explorer on a PC.  The Finder will most likely be the first program you will see when you start your Mac.  If there is any doubt as to what program you are currently using, look up in the upper left-hand side of your screen to see what's running.


Once in the Finder, type Command-K, or go to the "Go" Menu at the top of the screen, and select "Connect to Server".

Next, you will see the following screen:

You can add servers you frequently connect to to the Favorite Servers list by entering a valid address into the text field (highlighted above) and clicking the plus sign to the right of the address.

See the highlighted address above?  If you know the address of the server you are trying to connect to, enter the address there and click Connect.  If you don't know the address, but are sure that your computer is connected to the same network you are currently connected to, and that file sharing is enabled on that computer, click the Browse button at the bottom of the above screen.  You should see something similar to this:

"Network" is highlighted, and to the right of that are computers and devices that are on the same network.

If you used the Browse method, double-click on the computer or device you want to connect to.  If you entered an address into the Connect To Server window, click Connect.  Either way, if all is well, you will see the following screen:

Enter your username and password for the computer you want to connect to (which is not necessarily the username and password for the computer you are trying to connect from) and click Connect.  If everything has gone according to plan, you should see the connected device somewhere in your Finder.  This will depend on how you have chosen to see connected devices.

You now know how to connect to just about any computer from the Finder within OS X.