Apple Home Sharing lets up to five computers on the same reachable home network browse and stream music, movies, and TV shows from one another’s Apple media libraries. With supported Mac and Windows workflows, you can also import eligible items into another library. It is not general folder sharing: the host computer must be awake, and Music or iTunes must be open.
Home Sharing uses the same Apple Account on participating computers. For current U.S. Mac and Windows instructions, follow the steps below; Apple’s documented Windows workflow still uses iTunes for Windows.
What Home Sharing can—and cannot—do
| Task | Home Sharing |
|---|---|
| Browse another computer’s Apple media library | Yes |
| Stream music, movies, and TV shows over the local network | Yes |
| Import selected media | Yes, where the app and content support it |
| Share PDFs, documents, photos, or arbitrary folders | No |
| Work while the source computer is asleep or off | No |
| Provide ordinary remote access over the internet | No |
| Use different Apple Accounts for Home Sharing | No |
Home Sharing is built around libraries managed by Music, Apple TV, or iTunes. It can also feed media to supported Apple devices such as Apple TV. It does not synchronize every change in both directions, replace a backup, or guarantee that protected or subscription-based content can be copied. See Apple’s overview at Apple Support.
Before you begin
- Connect every computer to the same reachable home network by Wi-Fi or Ethernet. A guest network, VPN, client isolation, or segmented VLAN can prevent discovery even when the Wi-Fi names look identical.
- Use the same Apple Account (Apple may still label it “Apple ID” in older software) for Home Sharing on each computer.
- Keep the source computer powered on and awake, with Music or iTunes open when you need to browse or stream.
- Update macOS, Windows, and the relevant media app where practical.
- Apple documents a limit of up to five computers for Home Sharing. This is separate from the authorization limit that can affect purchased content.
- A computer may need authorization for the Apple Account that purchased an item. Protected purchases and regional or subscription restrictions can still prevent playback or importing.
Turn on Home Sharing on a modern Mac
- Open Apple menu > System Settings.
- Select General, then Sharing.
- Click the Info button beside Media Sharing.
- Select Home Sharing.
- Enter the Apple Account email address or phone number and password.
- Click Turn On Home Sharing.
You can optionally enable Devices update play counts. If you use Apple TV photo sharing, configure Share photos with Apple TV in the same area. Older macOS releases used System Preferences; current Macs use System Settings. Apple’s current path is documented at Set up media sharing on Mac.
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Turn on Home Sharing on a Windows PC
Apple’s cited Windows instructions specifically use iTunes for Windows; do not assume the newer Apple Music or Apple TV Windows apps provide this feature unless Apple documents that support for your version.
- Open iTunes for Windows.
- Sign in with the same Apple Account used for Home Sharing on the Mac.
- Choose File > Home Sharing > Turn On Home Sharing.
- Enter the Apple Account password and confirm.
Reference: Apple’s Home Sharing support article.
Open a shared library
Music on another Mac
- Open the Music app and sign in with the Home Sharing Apple Account if prompted.
- In the sidebar, click the arrow beside Library.
- Select the other computer’s shared library, then browse or play its items.
If the library is not listed, use the sidebar edit control to add Home Sharing where your macOS version provides that option.
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Movies and TV shows on a Mac
- Open the Apple TV app.
- Select Home Sharing in the sidebar.
- Choose the source library and play an available movie or show.
Apple’s Mac TV guide is at Apple TV User Guide.
iTunes for Windows
- Open iTunes and verify that Home Sharing is enabled and the same Apple Account is in use.
- Open the media-library selector near the upper-left of the iTunes window.
- Choose the shared library, then browse and play its content.
The selector’s position can vary slightly by iTunes version. Apple’s guide is available at iTunes for Windows User Guide.
Import media instead of only streaming it
Streaming plays an item from the source computer; it does not copy the file to the destination. Importing places an eligible item in the destination library, subject to the app, format, purchase rights, and Apple’s usage restrictions. Home Sharing is not a full library-synchronization system.
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Music app on Mac
- Enable Home Sharing on both Macs and open Music on the destination Mac.
- Select the shared library.
- At the bottom of the window, open Show and choose Items not in my library.
- Select items and click Import.
Music supports importing from up to five other media libraries and can automatically import selected types of newly downloaded Apple Music or iTunes Store items. Details: Music User Guide.
Apple TV app on Mac
- Enable Home Sharing on both Macs and open Apple TV on the destination.
- Select Home Sharing, then the source library.
- Open the bottom Show menu and choose Items not in my library.
- Select movies or TV shows and click Import.
See Apple’s Apple TV guide for the supported workflow.
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iTunes for Windows
- Turn on Home Sharing on both computers and open the shared library in iTunes.
- At the bottom, open Show and select Items not in my library.
- Select items and click Import.
Instructions: iTunes User Guide.
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Mac’s Share media with guests setting is ordinary local-library sharing, not Home Sharing. It lets computers on the same network play selected media without using the same Apple Account, but it does not provide Home Sharing’s import workflow.
- Go to System Settings > General > Sharing.
- Click the Info button beside Media Sharing.
- Select Share media with guests, then click Options.
- Choose Require Password if desired, and select All songs, movies, and TV shows or Selected playlists.
- Save the settings.
The Mac must remain on for guests to access its library. See Apple’s media-sharing settings guide. In iTunes for Windows, the equivalent is Edit > Preferences > Sharing > Share my library on my local network, with whole-library or playlist choices and an optional password: iTunes sharing guide. Apple lists MP3, Apple Lossless, AIFF, WAV, and AAC among formats that can be shared through local-library sharing.
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Troubleshoot a missing library or failed playback
- Verify both computers are on the same non-isolated Wi-Fi or Ethernet network.
- Confirm the same Apple Account is used for Home Sharing on both ends.
- Check that Home Sharing is enabled on both computers.
- Wake the source computer and open Music or iTunes.
- Quit and reopen Music, Apple TV, or iTunes.
- Turn Home Sharing off and back on on both computers.
- Check macOS, Windows, router, firewall, and security-software settings for blocked local discovery.
- Restart the affected computers and, if necessary, the router.
Apple specifically recommends reopening the app or toggling Home Sharing when a library is missing; see the Apple TV, Music, and iTunes guides.
You can see an item but it will not play
The destination may not be authorized for the purchasing Apple Account, or that account may have reached its authorized-computer limit. Protected content, unsupported formats, an unavailable source computer, or an unstable connection can also cause failure. Apple explains authorization limits at this Mac guide and this Windows Music guide.
You can play an item but cannot import it
You may be using guest/local-library sharing rather than Home Sharing. Enable Home Sharing on both computers and use Items not in my library in a supported Music, Apple TV, or iTunes workflow.
The source computer sleeps
Home Sharing is not a cloud service. Sleeping, shutting down, losing network access, or closing the relevant media app can make the library unavailable.
Quick Recap
Choose a different tool when the need is different
- Ordinary file sharing: Use macOS/Windows network sharing for PDFs, documents, photos, project files, installers, or arbitrary video files and drag-and-drop copying.
- Cloud storage: Better for access while away from home or collaboration across locations.
- NAS or media-server software: Consider this when you need an always-on collection, broad device compatibility, remote access, multiple users, metadata management, or transcoding.
- Family Sharing: This shares eligible purchases and subscriptions among family members; it does not expose a computer’s local media library. Apple’s explanation is at Apple Support.
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