How to Manage Sharing Services in macOS 13

This guide provides a straightforward walkthrough on locating, enabling, and configuring sharing services—such as File Sharing, Screen Sharing, and Remote Login—within the redesigned System Settings in macOS 13 (Ventura). You will learn how to access the Sharing menu, customize permissions for shared folders, and control network access to your Mac.

Accessing Sharing Settings

In macOS 13, the traditional System Preferences was replaced by System Settings, moving sharing options under a new category.

  1. Click the Apple menu () in the top-left corner of your screen.
  2. Select System Settings.
  3. In the left sidebar, click General.
  4. In the main pane on the right, select Sharing.

Enabling and Disabling Sharing Services

The Sharing menu displays a list of available network services, including File Sharing, Screen Sharing, Media Sharing, Remote Login, and Internet Sharing.

  • Turn a service on or off: Click the toggle switch next to the specific service you want to enable or disable.
  • When a service is active, the toggle turns blue, and a brief description of the network address for that service appears beneath its name.

Configuring File Sharing

To customize which folders are visible to others and manage user access rights:

  1. Turn on the toggle next to File Sharing.
  2. Click the Info button (i) located directly to the right of the File Sharing toggle.
  3. Add or remove shared folders: Under the Shared Folders column, click the Plus (+) button to select a folder from your drive, or select a folder and click the Minus (-) button to stop sharing it.
  4. Manage user permissions: Select a folder from the list, then look at the Users column on the right. Click the Plus (+) button under the Users list to add local users, network users, or groups. Click the arrows next to a user's name to set their privileges to Read & Write, Read Only, or Write Only (Drop Box).
  5. Adjust network protocol options: Click the Options button at the bottom of the window to enable or disable SMB (Server Message Block) sharing and configure individual Windows File Sharing accounts.
  6. Click Done to save your changes.

Modifying Your Computer Name and Local Hostname

Your network identity determines how other devices find your Mac on a local network.

  1. While in the Sharing pane, look at the bottom section labeled Local hostname.
  2. Click Edit to modify the rendezvous name used by local network services (e.g., My-Mac.local).
  3. To change the standard computer name, navigate to System Settings > General > About, and click the Name field at the top to enter a new name.