Tips and Tricks for Transferring Files PART II: Transfer Files between Macs Using iChat

Overview

1. Login to the two Macs
2. Start iChat and enable Bonjour
3. Drag file onto name in Buddy List

Step 1
Find the two Macs you need to transfer files between and log in to them.

Step 2
Once logged in, do the following on both computers:

• Choose Applications from the Finder's Go menu and double-click on iChat in the window that comes up.
• If you have never used iChat before, you will see a Welcome to iChat AV window. Keep clicking Continue until you reach the Set up Bonjour Messaging window. Here, check the Use Bonjour Messaging box and keep clicking Continue again until the button changes to Done; then click Done.
• If you have used iChat before and a Buddy List or other window shows up when you launch it, but you don't see a Bonjour window, choose Bonjour from the Window menu and click on the Enable button if it asks you to enable it.

If you've done this correctly on both Macs, then they should both have a window that looks like this (where Sun Hae Hong is replaced by your own name):


Step 2½
We want to make sure that when iChat receives the file, it doesn't try to store it in your AFS home folder because it's probably too small to accommodate the large files that you're using this method for. So, on the receiving Mac, do the following:

• Choose Preferences from the iChat menu.
• Click on the General tab.
• If, next to Save received files to, you don't see Temporary Storage, click on that menu, choose Other, choose Temporary Storage in the resulting window and click Select.

Step 3
Now we are ready to transfer the file. This procedure is straightforward.

• Find the file that you wish to transfer on one of the computers and drag it on to your own name in the Bonjour window in iChat; iChat will ask for a confirmation; click Send
• You should see a window like this:
  
  
• This is a cue for you to go to the other Mac and find this window waiting for you:
  
  
• Click inside the window, click Save File.
• The file should begin transferring and you should see the transfer progress.

When the file transfer is complete, iChat will show you the file in the Finder.

A word to the wise: once you are done transferring your file, do log out of one of the machines. Having multiple machines logged in to your account doesn't have any immediately detrimental consequences. However, situations can arise (the two computers try to use the same file at the same time) which might cause one or both of the computers to hang or some files to get corrupted.