Question: Can a Mac Be Connected to a PC?
Apple Macintosh computers support standard networking technology allowing them to be connected to other Macs and the Internet. But does Mac networking allow connections to a Microsoft Windows PC also?
Answer: Yes. You can access Windows files and printers from Apple Mac computers. Two primary methods exist to network Apple Mac computers with Windows PCs:
Direct Connection
To connect one Mac and one PC directly, you can use standard
Ethernet network adapters and cables. On the Mac, choose from either the AppleShare File Protocol (AFP) client or the
SMB client program to manage sharing of files and folders.
Router-Based Connection
Apple's Airport series of home
network routers (including AirPort Express and Airport Extreme) are designed to allow easy joining of Macs to a home
LAN that also supports Windows PCs. Note that with some technical know-how, you can also connect Macs to most non-Apple brands of wired or wireless home routers and use the network reliably. Look for routers that advertise Mac OS as one of the supported technologies, as some models only officially support Windows computers.
More Wireless / Networking Q&A
