SMB File Sharing not working in Ventura

Wait, if you see those it means it works. Did you login with the user and password of an admin of that computer? If not and you want anyone to access other folders and files, you need to add those to the shared ones. Click the little (i) in the circle near the toggle, and when inside add the folders you want to share in the left pane

Ok, sorry again but I am not very savvy... where do I share the folder from? In the past I could select "MicheleMyCloud" which would show up w Public and TimeMachine. I don't think I changed any settings, so I am not sure where to go to share that file? I can see all my files/folders on the web but that's it. Sorry I'm a pain!!! And yes, I logged in w/ the username and password that I used for My Cloud.

Yeah, Logged in as an administrator, I can have access to other users shared files so file sharing works. It’s the link between SMBD and File Sharing that‘s broken. I spoke with a senior advisor and he said Apple does not support the “Connect to server” option in the iOS Files App, which I’m not sure is correct.

Interesting finds, but wouldn't know how to investigate more

FWIW, it's still broken in Sonoma. Will try a format and fresh install next

Turning off sharing and rebooting still works for a while though

Guys, I fixed it. In Ventura and in Sonoma. It just needed a fresh install.

I erased the Macintosh HD volumes from the recovery (don't erase the recovery volume, only the Macinthosh HD group which contains Macintosh HD and Macintosh HD Data), and reinstalled Ventura from internet. I had Sonoma already but after the wipe it only allowed me Ventura, and I hadn't a spare flash drive to prepare a Sonoma USB Installer.

Anyway, I then recovered my data from Time Machine, but I excluded network setting just to be safe. I then upgraded again to Sonoma. All my data and login are there. I activated file sharing and rebooted (which normally would make it not work). Everything works, file sharing is instant, it's finally fixed.

So just erase Macintosh HD and do a fresh install. Reinstalling over an existing install, updating to a newer macOS, just erasing the computer with the new function etc. won't work (this last function just erases user data, not macOS which will still be corrupted). It needs a complete wipe to work. I probably should have tried this in April when the update that fixed the problem dropped.

Cheers

I actually did a reinstall of Ventura MacOS through the recovery mode before updating to Sonoma and it do not correct the situation. It sure would be nice to know specifically what corrects this problem before taking the sledgehammer approach, more than most want to try. I have some confidence in Time Machine but have not had to do a complete restore of all data. I might try a re-install of Sonoma first.

And what syntax are you using to set up the server connection in Files - server name or IP address? Or do both connect for you?

I did try a reinstall too before with no avail. Only the reformat worked. No idea why. Probably with a reinstall not everything is rewrote.

Everything worked fine with the Time Machine backup except Reminders which is now broken. But Reminders work if I create a new admin account signed in with the same iCloud id, so it's weird. I'm gonna do some deletion of various plist and reminders app in Library

Anyway, my iMac just pop up in the Network pane in Finder, I click on it, then "sign in as an existing user", and it works. Before I had an error every time I tried to sign in on it from another computer. Same if I did a direct IP connection

Did you do an internet restore? Meaning, you already started from the latest version of Ventura right? Your problem must be something else then. Stuff here continue to work after several reboots thankfully. You can try opening a feedback request to apple with Sonoma, they'll make you upload some logs. They will be more active trying to solve it in Sonoma probably. I did help with the original problem with my logs back in the day, even if after all in my case the fix needed a reformat

thingo wrote:

Did you do an internet restore? Meaning, you already started from the latest version of Ventura right?

I did. Reformatted the drive and a full restore from TIme Machine. The curious thing was theinternet restore only offered the last versoon of Ventura so I did that first and then applied the Sonoma update before restoring my data. I can live without File sharing since iCloud works well but I do have an advanced support case open with a Sr. Advisor for Sonoma so there's that. Glad YOURS is working.

I gave all users read & write access to my desktop & documents and it's a mystery why the Guest Account can connect just fine - without a password! Clearly, the Guest account does not run through the "normal" authentication process.

MRYFLYGUY wrote:

I gave all users read & write access to my desktop & documents and it's a mystery why the Guest Account can connect just fine - without a password! Clearly, the Guest account does not run through the "normal" authentication process.

The guest login has nothing to do with the Guest account. It is just an anonymous login. That login would have access as determined by everyone.

A password is not required for the guest user. When you select Guest in the iOS Files App>Connect to Server, the username and password prompts disappear (see the second screenshot above). Because the Guest User has “Allow guest users to access shared folders”, the shared folders are rendered after the server connects - without a password! Needless to say, this would not be acceptable in a real world situation.

You said you entered a password.

Guest login and the guest user are not related. When Apple rearrange the settings, they moved the setting into the Guest user section because it makes more sense there, but it’s not the guest user. Logging in remotely with guest predates the Guest user account.

Barney-15E wrote:

When Apple rearrange the settings, they moved the setting into the Guest user section because it makes more sense there, but it’s not the guest user.

Non sequitur.

It clearly is related because when you select “Allow guest users to access shared folders” for the Guest User on the Mac, the Files App will connect and display shared folders. Unselecting this option removes access to the shares.

Try it yourself - enable share option for the Guest User on the Mac, set up the server in the Files App on iOS or iPadOS, connect, choose Guest and then Next, the connection is made and all shares are displayed. Now disable the “Allow guest users to access shared folders” on the Mac and try to use the connection you just created. An Authentication Error message displays, same as selecting a Registered User.

The Mac GuestUser = Guest in iOS and iPadOS. The real issue is using a Registered User/Username - it will just not Authenticate terminating with an Authentication Error (screen shot above).

MRYFLYGUY wrote:

Barney-15E wrote:

When Apple rearrange the settings, they moved the setting into the Guest user section because it makes more sense there, but it’s not the guest user.

Non sequitur.

It clearly is related because when you select “Allow guest users to access shared folders” for the Guest User on the Mac, the Files App will connect and display shared folders. Unselecting this option removes access to the shares.

Try it yourself - enable share option for the Guest User on the Mac, set up the server in the Files App on iOS or iPadOS, connect, choose Guest and then Next, the connection is made and all shares are displayed. Now disable the “Allow guest users to access shared folders” on the Mac and try to use the connection you just created. An Authentication Error message displays, same as selecting a Registered User.

The Mac GuestUser = Guest in iOS and iPadOS. The real issue is using a Registered User/Username - it will just not Authenticate terminating with an Authentication Error (screen shot above).

You don’t seem to quite grasp the concept that the guest login for filesharing existed well before the guest user account was created in Mac OS. The setting to enable guest access to file shares was moved into the guest user space in the new settings set up since it makes more sense for it to be there. It may be one of the few things that does make sense in the new Settings layout.

When you enable guest remote login, it is listed as a Sharing Only user, not an actual user account which Guest is if you enable it.