I need to move a small network-driver file onto a Windows PC that currently has no network driver. I can use someone else's MacBook, but it only has USB-C/Thunderbolt ports, so I can't connect my usual USB-A flash drive. I tried plugging the Mac and PC together with a Thunderbolt cable, but Windows doesn't show the Mac's files. Is there a straightforward wired way to transfer the file without buying a USB-C adapter or another accessory?
3 Answers
You could use an iPhone or another phone as an intermediate device, but iPhones don’t expose their general file system to Windows. You’d need to place the driver in an app that supports file sharing, or use cloud storage, and that may be more complicated than borrowing or buying a small adapter.
A Thunderbolt cable doesn’t normally make a Mac’s storage appear as a drive on a Windows PC. Target Disk Mode is mainly intended for Mac-to-Mac use, and Windows would also need the appropriate Thunderbolt networking or storage drivers. The simplest reliable solution is a USB-C flash drive, a USB-C-to-USB-A adapter, or another USB-C storage device.
If the Mac can access the internet, uploading the driver to cloud storage and downloading it on the PC would work only after the PC has some way to get online. For a completely offline transfer, USB-C storage or a simple USB-C adapter is the practical answer; the direct Thunderbolt connection isn’t plug-and-play for copying files between macOS and Windows.
I tried using the iPhone, but Windows only lets me browse photos when it’s connected. Since the PC has no network driver, using a hotspot won’t help either.