Security

If it's not necessary for you to share files on your machine with other users, turn off file sharing. 

• Turn Off File Sharing

If you do need to share files, you can designate certain folders as shared folders and give specific users on other Macintosh systems password-protected access to those folders.

How to Share Files

1. Set the File Sharing Type
   
2. Review the Permissions for the Shared Folders
3. Add a New Person to the File Sharing Users List

Turn Off File Sharing

Turn Off File Sharing

1. From the Apple menu, choose System Preferences.
2. In the System Preferences window, click Sharing.
3. Remove the check from File Sharing.
   
    
   
   
    
   
4. Close the System Preferences window.

How to Share Files

If you want to share files with other Macintosh users, here are the steps you need to follow to set up file sharing in a secure manner:

1. Set the File Sharing Type
   
2. Review the Permissions for the Shared Folders
3. Add a New Person to the File Sharing Users List

Set the File Sharing Type

Set the file sharing type to AFP (Apple File Protocol). All other file sharing types remain turned off. 

1. From the Apple menu, choose System Preferences.
2. In the System Preferences window, click Sharing.
3. Select File Sharing, and then click Options.
4. Select Share Files and Folders using AFP.
   This allows file sharing with users on other Macintosh systems.
   
   
   
   
5. Click Done.
   

Review the Permissions for the Shared Folders

Use this procedure to review and, if necessary, set more secure permissions for the shared folders.

1. From the Apple menu, choose System Preferences.
2. In the System Preferences window, click Sharing.
3. Select File Sharing.
4. Select the first folder you want to share in the Shared Folders list.
   To add an additional shared folder, click the + sign and locate the folder.
   
5. In the Users list, click Everyone, and then click No Access.
   This means only users you select can access the folder.
   
    
   
   
    
   
6. To give a user access to the folder, click their name in the Users list.
   If you need to set up a new user, see Add a New Person to the File Sharing Users List.
7. Repeat steps 4-6 for each folder you want to share.
   
8. Close the System Preferences window.
   

Add a New Person to the File Sharing Users List

1. If necessary, from the Apple menu, choose System Preferences and then, in the System Preferences window, click Sharing. Select File Sharing.
2. In the Shared Folders list, locate the Public Folder.
3. To add a new person to the Users list, click the + sign at the bottom of the list.
4. Click New Person.
   
    
   
   
    
   
5. In the New Person window, enter a User Name and Password for the person.
   These can be anything you want.
6. Click Create Account.
   
    
   
   
    
   
7. The new person's user name appears in the Users list. Note that Read-only is the default permission.
   
    
   
   
    
   
8. Close the System Preferences window.