How to Set Up an SMB Server on iPhone & iPad for File Sharing

Artem Meleshko Founder & Engineer at Everappz

SMB is the file sharing built into macOS, Windows and Linux, and into almost every network drive (NAS). When you connect to a shared folder on another computer and it opens like a normal disk in Finder or File Explorer, that is SMB doing the work. With Everdisk you can put an SMB share on your iPhone or iPad, so the phone itself shows up as a network drive that other devices browse, copy from, and copy to.

This is the option to reach for when you want your iPhone to behave like a proper drive, not a web page. It is fast, it drags and drops both ways, and it is the only connection type in Everdisk that can encrypt every transfer. This guide covers the setup and how to connect from a Mac, another iPhone or iPad, Linux, Android, and Windows.

What you need

• An iPhone or iPad with Everdisk installed.
• Another device on the same Wi-Fi network.
• The files you want to share, in the Everdisk Documents folder or in folders you add.

Set up the SMB server in Everdisk

Step 1: Pick what to share and who can write

Open Everdisk, go to the Sharing tab, and tap What to Share. The Documents folder is shared by default. Add more with Add Folder and Add File, and turn on your Photos or Music library if you want those available too.

Decide whether other devices can only read your files, or also change them. Open Settings, then Sharing, then Access, and set Files Editing. With it on, connected devices can copy files onto your phone and rename or delete them. With it off, the share is read only.

If you want a login, set a Login and Password on the same Access screen. Leave both empty to allow guest access.

Step 2: Turn on the SMB server

Go to Settings, then Sharing, then Connections, and turn on Computer (Advanced). That is the SMB server (it carries the SMB tag).

Step 3: Start sharing and note the address

Go back to the Sharing tab and tap Start. The How to Connect section now shows the SMB address. It looks like this:

smb://192.168.1.20:4455/Share

Three things to know about that address:

• The number after the colon is the port. Everdisk uses 4455 by default.
• The share is named Share.
• The first part is your iPhone’s address on the Wi-Fi, so it will be different on your network.

Keep Everdisk open while devices are connected, because iOS pauses apps that sit in the background too long.

Connect from a Mac

This is the smoothest case, because macOS speaks SMB natively.

The quickest way: open Finder and look in the sidebar under Locations or Network. Everdisk announces itself on the Wi-Fi, so your iPhone often appears there on its own. Click it, then click Connect As and choose Guest, or enter your login.

To connect by hand:

1. In Finder, choose Go, then Connect to Server (or press Command and K).
2. Type the SMB address shown in Everdisk, for example smb://192.168.1.20:4455/Share.
3. Click Connect, then pick Guest or enter your Login and Password.

Your iPhone opens in a Finder window. Copy files in or out by dragging, exactly like any other drive (if Files Editing is on).

Connect from another iPhone or iPad

iOS and iPadOS can open SMB shares in the built-in Files app, which makes phone to phone transfers clean and quick.

On the second device:

1. Open the Files app.
2. Tap the more button (the three dots, top right on iPhone) and choose Connect to Server.
3. Enter the SMB address from Everdisk, for example smb://192.168.1.20:4455/Share.
4. Choose Guest, or Registered User and enter your login.
5. The share appears under Locations in Files. Browse and copy in either direction.

You can also use Everdisk’s own Devices tab on the second device, which includes an SMB client. Open Everdisk, go to Devices, tap New Connection, choose SMB, and enter the address.

Connect from Linux

1. Open your file manager (Files/Nautilus on GNOME, Dolphin on KDE).
2. Choose Other Locations or Connect to Server.
3. Enter the address, for example smb://192.168.1.20:4455/Share.
4. Connect as a guest, or enter your login.

From a terminal you can also run smbclient //192.168.1.20/Share -p 4455 and enter your login when asked.

Connect from Android

Android does not have a system SMB browser, so use a file manager that supports SMB:

1. Install an app such as CX File Explorer, Solid Explorer, or X-plore File Manager.
2. Add a new SMB or LAN connection.
3. Enter the host (your iPhone’s Wi-Fi address), set the port to 4455, and the share name Share.
4. Connect as a guest or with your login, then browse and copy.

Connect from Windows

Windows can read SMB shares, with one catch worth knowing up front. The built-in File Explorer only talks to SMB on the standard port and does not let you type a custom port in the path, and Everdisk uses port 4455. So the plain Map network drive route often will not reach it.

You have two good options on Windows:

• Use a file manager or SMB client that lets you set a custom port, and point it at your iPhone’s address with port 4455 and the share name Share.
• Or connect from Windows using one of Everdisk’s other servers instead. The WebDAV setup and FTP setup both work well from Windows File Explorer, and the browser link works in any browser.

If you do want to try Map network drive: open File Explorer, right-click This PC, choose Map network drive, and enter the host and share name shown in Everdisk. If it cannot connect, that is the port limitation above, so switch to WebDAV or FTP.

Turn on encryption for untrusted Wi-Fi

SMB is the only Everdisk connection that can encrypt every transfer, which matters on Wi-Fi you do not fully control, like a cafe or an office network.

1. In Settings, Sharing, Access, set a Login and Password. Encrypted connections cannot be anonymous, so this step is required.
2. In Settings, Sharing, turn on Require SMB Encryption.
3. Stop and start sharing again so the change takes effect.

Every SMB transfer is then protected with SMB3 encryption (AES). The connecting device needs to support SMB3, which the Finder on a modern Mac and Windows 10 or later both do. SMB Encryption is part of the one-time Premium purchase.

Read only or read and write

The Files Editing switch in Settings, Sharing, Access controls this for every server, including SMB. Turn it on and connected devices can upload, rename and delete. Turn it off and they can only browse and copy files off your phone. Choose read only when you are handing files to someone you do not want changing anything.

Real-life ways people use this

• Move a big folder onto your iPhone from a Mac by dragging it into the Finder window, faster than a web upload.
• Pull a day of photos and videos off your phone onto a laptop without iTunes or a cable.
• Send files between two iPhones through the Files app, with no third app on either side.
• Work with a file in place, opening a document straight from the phone in an app on your Mac and saving it back.

A few tips

• Keep Everdisk open while a device is connected. Locking the phone for a long time can pause the app and drop the connection.
• If a Mac cannot see the phone in the Finder sidebar, connect by hand with Connect to Server and the full smb address.
• For the best speed on large transfers, keep photo and video quality on Original in Settings.
• On an untrusted network, turn on Require SMB Encryption and turn the other servers off while you work.

Frequently Asked Questions

Ready to try it? Download Everdisk from the App Store and open your iPhone in Finder in about a minute. Questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected].