How to Connect to a Server on a Mac

Four Methods:Browsing in FinderEntering the Server AddressReconnecting to a Recently Used ServerUsing AppleScript

Connecting your Mac to a server is an ideal way to copy files directly from one Mac to another, share large files, or access files from another network. You can connect to nearly any Mac or Windows server on your network as long as the server has file sharing enabled.

Method 1
Browsing in Finder

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    Open a new Finder window on your Mac computer.
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    Click on “Go,” then select “Connect to a server.”
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    Click on “Browse,” then click on the name of the server located in the left sidebar of the Finder window.
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    Click on “Connect As,” and type your username and password into the fields provided.
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    Click on “Connect.” You will now be connected to that particular server.[1]

Method 2
Entering the Server Address

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    Open a new Finder window on your Mac computer.
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    Click on “Go,” then select “Connect to a server.”
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    Type the address of the server into the “Server Address” field. The network address should consist of a protocol (such as afp:// or smb:// depending on the server type) followed by the Domain Name System (DNS) name, and the pathname for the computer.[2]
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    Click on “Connect,” and type your username and password into the fields provided. You will now be connected to that particular server.[3]

Method 3
Reconnecting to a Recently Used Server

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    Click on the Apple menu, and point to “Recent Items.”
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    Click on the name of the server you recently connected to. Your Mac will reconnect you to the server, and display the server files in a new Finder window.

Method 4
Using AppleScript

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    Open the Applications folder, and open “Utilities.”
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    Launch the Terminal application.
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    Type the following command into Terminal: tell app "Finder" to open location "protocol://username:password@server/share"
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    Press “Enter” on your keyboard to execute the command. Your Mac will now be connected to the server you specified.

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.macworld.com/article/2012153/eight-ways-to-connect-to-a-server.html
  2. ↑ https://support.apple.com/kb/PH10774?locale=en_US&viewlocale=en_US
  3. ↑ https://support.apple.com/kb/PH10644?locale=en_US

Article Info

Categories: Mac