Exchange files between two Macs: the best tips

On MacBooks and Macs in particular, there are many options for exchanging files with another Apple computer. We will show you which tools and means are particularly quick and easy.

Use pre-installed programs for file exchange on MacBooks

Apple itself provides several tools that you can use to easily move data to another Mac. You have two options:

1. To easily access the files of another active Mac on the network, share the corresponding folder or even the entire hard drive. To do this, go to "System Settings" and add the appropriate folder under "Shares". In addition, you create the user of the other Mac with his user name and password and grant him read, write or both.
2. From the operating system Mac OS X 10.7 alias "Lion", the "Airdrop" function is integrated in the Finder of an Apple PC. Here you can see all Macs in the same WLAN that have just activated the tool. Simply drag the file you want to send to the icon of the other PC. It will be broadcast instantly and is now available on both Macs.
3. If you only want to exchange photos with another Mac, we recommend the shared photo stream from Mac OS X 10.8 "Mountain Lion". Here you not only share your pictures with other Macs, but also with iOS devices such as the iPhone or iPad. Simply enter the Apple ID (email address) of the other user and share the picture folder with them. If you own the other Mac, just activate the "normal" photo stream on both devices in the iCloud settings. You can see the photos in the "iPhoto" program, which is integrated in the iLife package. You get this for free when you buy any Mac.

Other Mac programs and cloud services for data exchange

There are also numerous good programs from manufacturers other than Apple that allow you to exchange files between two Macs. We present two services as examples.

1. With the small but nice "Any Send" tool, you can send entire files or, for example, just a URL to another Mac in the same WLAN. The program is discreetly hidden in the status bar at the top of the screen. For example, to send a Word document, mark and copy it ("cmd" + "c"). Then just click on the desired user in the list of the program.
2. If you have several Macs yourself - for example an iMac at home and a MacBook for work, it is advisable to keep the files on both devices in sync. The easiest way is with a cloud service such as the "Dropbox". Install the program on both computers and log in with the same account. All files that you put in the Dropbox folders are available on both Macs. However, your files are stored here on an external server. You should be aware of this possible vulnerability.

Test device: Apple MacBook Air 13-inch, Mid 2012 with OS X 10.8.2