How to Transfer Files from a Windows PC to a Mac

Two different jobs hide behind this question. If you are leaving Windows for a new Mac, you want your documents, pictures, music and possibly email and browser bookmarks moved across in one go, and Apple has a tool for exactly that. If you just need to send a folder from a PC to a Mac today, a setup wizard is overkill and a direct transfer is quicker.

Watch out for drive formats as well: a USB drive formatted as NTFS on Windows can be read by a Mac but not written to without extra software.

Files themselves move across fine. Word, Excel and PDF documents open on a Mac, and photos, music and video keep their quality. What does not move is Windows software: you install the Mac version of each app, or a Mac alternative, after the files are across.

1. On the PC, download Windows Migration Assistant from Apple Support. Pick the version that matches the macOS version on your Mac.
2. Connect both computers to the same network, or link them with an Ethernet cable. Close other apps on the PC.
3. Open Windows Migration Assistant on the PC and click Continue.
4. On the Mac, open Migration Assistant (in Applications > Utilities, or offered during setup) and choose to transfer From a Windows PC.
5. Select the PC, check that both screens show the same passcode, then pick what to transfer and click Continue.

It copies your user folders and, depending on the version, items such as email accounts, contacts, calendars and bookmarks. It does not move Windows programs, which do not run on macOS. A large account can take hours, so leave both computers plugged in.

1. Open sharelargefilesfree.com/send-via-wifi on the PC and on the Mac in any modern browser.
2. Find the Mac on the PC's page. It appears with a name, an animal avatar and details such as "Mac · Safari".
3. Click it and choose files, or drag them in from File Explorer.
4. Click Accept on the Mac. Files are saved to the Downloads folder.
5. Keep both pages open until the transfer finishes.

Files go straight between the browsers over an encrypted connection, are never uploaded to a server, and have no size limit. Both computers need internet access so they can find each other; on different networks, use the 6-digit code instead.

1. On the PC, set the network to Private and turn on File and printer sharing under Advanced sharing settings.
2. Right-click the folder, choose Properties > Sharing > Share, and share it with your account.
3. Find the PC's IP address in Settings > Network & internet, under your connection's properties.
4. On the Mac, in Finder choose Go > Connect to Server, type smb:// followed by the IP address, and click Connect.
5. Sign in with the Windows account name and password (for a Microsoft account, its email and password, not the PIN), then drag the folders to your Mac.

• exFAT drive: on Windows, right-click the drive in File Explorer, choose Format, and pick exFAT. This erases it, so back it up first. Both systems can read and write exFAT, and it handles files over 4 GB.
• Cloud: OneDrive and Google Drive have Mac apps, and iCloud for Windows can sync iCloud Drive from the PC side. Good for keeping work in sync, but free tiers are small and a big first sync is slow.

New Mac replacing an old PC: Windows Migration Assistant, then check your folders. A few files or a project folder on the same network: Send via Wi-Fi. Browsing the PC from the Mac to pick things over time: a shared folder. Moving hundreds of gigabytes without a network: an exFAT drive. Mac in another place: a download link, up to 20 GB per transfer for 1 day. Sending the other direction? See Mac to PC.

Share Large Files Free is independent and is not affiliated with Apple, Microsoft or Google. Mac, macOS, Finder, iCloud and Safari are trademarks of Apple Inc.; Windows, Edge and OneDrive are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation; Google Drive and Chrome are trademarks of Google LLC.

• Migration Assistant cannot find the PC. Check both are on the same network, temporarily allow the app through third-party firewalls, and restart both. An Ethernet cable between them often helps.
• Finder says the server cannot be reached. Use the IP address, check the PC network is Private and that File and printer sharing is on.
• The Mac cannot write to the USB drive. It is NTFS. Copy the data off and reformat the drive as exFAT.
• The PC and Mac do not see each other in Send via Wi-Fi. Guest and office Wi-Fi may isolate devices. Use the 6-digit code or a phone hotspot with mobile data on.