Luckily for us, Apple includes support for WINS in OS X and macOS, so we only need to confirm a few settings, or possibly make a change, to get the two systems to recognize each other on the network.
File Sharing: Configure the Mac’s Workgroup Name
This guide will show you how to set up the workgroup names on both your Mac and PC. Although the steps outlined are specific to OS X Mountain Lion and Windows 8, the process is similar for most versions of the Mac operating system, with just a slightly different item name showing up here and there. The same can be said for Windows, with the basic concept remaining the same from version to version.
Set Up the Workgroup Name on Your Mac
Apple sets the default workgroup name on Macs to WORKGROUP. This is the same default workgroup name that Microsoft sets up in Windows. If you’ve never made any changes to the default networking settings of either your Mac or your PC, then you can skip this step, but we suggest following it to confirm that everything is configured correctly.
Confirm Workgroup Name
Changing the Workgroup Name on Your Mac
Because your Mac’s current network settings are active, we’re going to make a copy of the network settings, edit the copy, and then tell the Mac to use the new settings. By doing it this way, you can maintain your network connection, even while editing the settings. This method also tends to prevent some problems that can occasionally occur when editing live network parameters.
Set Up Your Windows PC Workgroup Name
In order to easily share files between the two platforms, your Windows PC must have the same workgroup name as the one on your Mac. Microsoft and Apple both use the same default workgroup name: WORKGROUP. If you have not made any changes to your network settings, you can skip this page. We encourage you to read through it anyway, both to confirm that the workgroup name is configured correctly and to become more familiar with navigating your Windows 8 settings.
Confirm Your Windows Workgroup Name
If your Windows PC is showing the Desktop, select the File Explorer icon in the taskbar, then right-click the Computer item (in later versions of Windows it may be named This PC) in the sidebar of the File Explorer window. Select Properties from the pop-up menu.If your Windows PC is currently showing the Start screen, right-click on a blank area. When the taskbar opens, select All Apps. Right-click the Computer or This PC tile, and select Properties from the menu bar.
No matter how you got here, you should now see the Desktop with the System window open. In the Computer Name, Domain, and Workgroup section, you will see the current workgroup name. If it is identical to the workgroup name on your Mac, you can skip the following instructions.
Changing Your Windows Workgroup Name
What’s Next?
Now that you’ve ensured that your Mac running OS X Mountain Lion or later and your PC running Windows 8 or later are using the same workgroup name, it’s time to move on to configuring the rest of the file sharing options. If you’re planning to share your Mac’s files with a Windows PC, check out our guide How to Share Files Over a Network.
