We’ve previously covered various ways to share files between nearby computers,
but sharing between Windows and Linux can be a little more complex.
This article will show you how to map shares across both operating
systems for seamless file sharing.
There are basically two parts to this guide: Creating the shared folder on Windows and configuring Linux to access it, and creating the shared folder on Linux and configuring Windows to access it. Depending on your situation, you’ll want to follow the appropriate set of instructions. If, for some reason, you want to set up shared folders on both systems, you can do that, too. This guide will cover Windows 8.1 and Ubuntu, but we’ve made it adaptable to virtually any version of Windows or Linux.
In the Network and Sharing Center window, click on “Change advanced sharing settings.”
For your current profile, adjust the following two settings:
-
Turn on network discovery
- Turn on file and printer sharing
Click on “Save Changes” after those settings are configured. Now we can create a place on the Windows computer for the Linux machine to see files and copy contents to. There are no limitations to what you can share out (you could theoretically share your entire hard drive), but we will just be sharing out a folder called “Share” located on our Desktop.
Right click on the folder you’d like to share out over the network, and click Properties. Go to the Sharing tab and click Advanced Sharing.
Check the “Share this folder” box and click on “Permissions” toward the bottom.
In the Permissions window, you can restrict access to the folder for certain accounts. To let any user have access to your folder, just give Full Control to the Everyone user. This will allow anyone to read and write changes to the shared folder. If you would rather restrict access to certain accounts, just remove the Everyone user and add the users you’d like to grant access to. Note: These user accounts are on the Windows computer, not Linux.
Click OK on the Permissions and Advanced Sharing windows once you’ve made your changes. While still in the Properties menu, click on the Security tab.
For the Linux user to have access to the shared folder, the same permissions need to be configured in this tab as what we configured in the sharing settings. If the two settings don’t match, the most restrictive settings are the ones that will take effect. If your desired user already has their security permissions set up (such as the geek user in our example) then you’re good to go and can click Close.
If you need to add a user, such as Everyone, click on Edit.
Click on Add in the next menu, enter the username, and click OK.
Click OK on all the open windows, and your folder should now be shared out and accessible on your Linux computer.
You’ll need the cifs-utils package in order to mount SMB shares:
There are basically two parts to this guide: Creating the shared folder on Windows and configuring Linux to access it, and creating the shared folder on Linux and configuring Windows to access it. Depending on your situation, you’ll want to follow the appropriate set of instructions. If, for some reason, you want to set up shared folders on both systems, you can do that, too. This guide will cover Windows 8.1 and Ubuntu, but we’ve made it adaptable to virtually any version of Windows or Linux.
Creating the Share on Windows
To set up a shared folder on Windows for Linux to access, start by making sure your network settings are configured to allow the connection from the other computer by opening the Network and Sharing Center.In the Network and Sharing Center window, click on “Change advanced sharing settings.”
For your current profile, adjust the following two settings:
-
Turn on network discovery
- Turn on file and printer sharing
Click on “Save Changes” after those settings are configured. Now we can create a place on the Windows computer for the Linux machine to see files and copy contents to. There are no limitations to what you can share out (you could theoretically share your entire hard drive), but we will just be sharing out a folder called “Share” located on our Desktop.
Right click on the folder you’d like to share out over the network, and click Properties. Go to the Sharing tab and click Advanced Sharing.
Check the “Share this folder” box and click on “Permissions” toward the bottom.
In the Permissions window, you can restrict access to the folder for certain accounts. To let any user have access to your folder, just give Full Control to the Everyone user. This will allow anyone to read and write changes to the shared folder. If you would rather restrict access to certain accounts, just remove the Everyone user and add the users you’d like to grant access to. Note: These user accounts are on the Windows computer, not Linux.
Click OK on the Permissions and Advanced Sharing windows once you’ve made your changes. While still in the Properties menu, click on the Security tab.
For the Linux user to have access to the shared folder, the same permissions need to be configured in this tab as what we configured in the sharing settings. If the two settings don’t match, the most restrictive settings are the ones that will take effect. If your desired user already has their security permissions set up (such as the geek user in our example) then you’re good to go and can click Close.
If you need to add a user, such as Everyone, click on Edit.
Click on Add in the next menu, enter the username, and click OK.
Click OK on all the open windows, and your folder should now be shared out and accessible on your Linux computer.
Accessing the Windows Share from Linux
You should be able to mount the shared folder by using the GUI in Linux, but it’s also very easy to do with the command line, and it’s easier to show a terminal example because it will work across many different distributions.You’ll need the cifs-utils package in order to mount SMB shares:
Comments