How to Map a Network Drive on a Mac

Alicia Santos

Mac, Tutorials

Mapping a network drive on a Mac can be a useful way to access files and folders stored on other computers or servers within your network. By mapping a network drive, you can conveniently browse and work with these files, just as if they were stored locally on your Mac. In this tutorial, we’ll walk you through the steps to map a network drive on your Mac.

Step 1: Connect to the Network

Before you can map a network drive, ensure that your Mac is connected to the same network as the computer or server hosting the files you want to access. This can be done by connecting your Mac to the Wi-Fi network or physically connecting it using an Ethernet cable.

Step 2: Open Finder

To begin mapping a network drive, open the Finder application on your Mac. You can either click on the blue smiley face icon located in your Dock or use Spotlight search by pressing Command + Space and typing “Finder”.

Step 3: Access Preferences

In the top menu bar, click on “Finder” and then select “Preferences” from the dropdown menu. Alternatively, you can press Command + Comma (,) as a keyboard shortcut to open Finder Preferences.

Step 4: Go to Sidebar Preferences

In the Finder Preferences window that appears, navigate to the “Sidebar” tab.

Step 5: Enable Connected Servers

In the Sidebar tab, make sure that “Connected Servers” is checked. This will display any connected servers in the sidebar of your Finder window for easy access.

Step 6: Connect to Server

In Finder, click on “Go” in the top menu bar and then select “Connect to Server” from the dropdown menu. Alternatively, you can press Command + K as a keyboard shortcut.

Step 7: Enter Server Address

In the “Connect to Server” window that appears, enter the address of the server or computer you want to connect to. The address can be specified in different formats, such as:

  • IP Address: Enter the IP address of the server (e.g., 192.168.1.100).
  • Hostname: Enter the hostname of the server (e., myserver.local).
  • URL: Enter the URL provided by your network administrator (e., smb://myserver.example.com).

After entering the server address, click on the “Connect” button.

Step 8: Authenticate if Required

If prompted, enter your username and password for the server you are connecting to. This is usually required for secure connections or servers that require authentication.

Step 9: Select Share

In the “Connect to Server” window, a list of available shares on the server will be displayed. Click on the share you want to map as a network drive.

Step 10: Map Network Drive

In the next window, click on “OK” to map the selected share as a network drive on your Mac.

Note:

If you want your network drive to automatically mount every time you start your Mac, make sure to check “Remember this password in my keychain”. This will store your login credentials securely and automatically connect to the network drive during startup.

Step 11: Access Network Drive

Once the network drive is successfully mapped, you can access it from the Finder sidebar under “Shared”. Simply click on the network drive to view and work with the files and folders it contains. You can also drag and drop files between your Mac and the network drive, just like you would with local files.

Mapping a network drive on a Mac allows for easy access to shared files and folders within your network. By following these steps, you can conveniently connect to servers or computers and work with their files as if they were stored locally on your Mac.

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