How to transfer files between two Macs directly over a cable
Moving a file from one Mac to another should be as simple as dragging it across. With MacDisplay 3.0, you can transfer files directly over the wired connection between your two computers: drop one or more files into the transfer window, choose the destination Mac, and the transfer begins.
You can also keep a dedicated drop area on your Desktop, so sending something to the other Mac is always within reach.
There's no need to interrupt your work, prepare a USB drive or upload the file somewhere first. If the Macs are already connected to use MacDisplay as a second monitor, the same cable can now carry your files as well.
It's one of the main additions in MacDisplay 3.0 and follows the same idea behind the rest of the app: when two Macs are already working side by side and directly connected, that connection can become a much more useful part of your workspace.
Drag the file and send it to the other Mac
The workflow is deliberately simple. Open the MacDisplay transfer window and drop files or folders into it, or keep the transfer area on your Desktop and use it whenever you need it. If more than one Mac is available over the wired connection, the Send to menu lets you choose the destination before the transfer begins.
The receiving Mac stays under your control. The first time another computer wants to send files, you decide whether to allow it, and those permissions can be reviewed or changed later.
Once the connection has been set up, file transfer simply becomes part of working across your Macs: take the file from the computer where it lives and send it directly to the one where you need it.
Mac-to-Mac file transfer over Thunderbolt or Ethernet
We made a deliberate choice for file transfer: MacDisplay keeps it wired. Files can move between two Macs over Thunderbolt or Ethernet, while file transfer itself does not use Wi-Fi.
This allows the data to travel directly between the computers over the physical connection already in place. It becomes particularly useful when moving large files, video projects, photo libraries, archives or entire working folders.
Over 2 GB per second. With Thunderbolt and Macs equipped with fast SSDs, performance can be very high. In our internal testing between recent MacBook models, we have seen transfer speeds exceed 2 GB per second under some conditions.
That is not a guaranteed speed for every setup. Real-world performance depends on the Macs, the type of connection, the cable and, importantly, how quickly the SSDs on both sides can read and write the data. On a sufficiently fast configuration, storage performance itself can become the practical bottleneck.
MacDisplay does not impose an artificial fixed transfer speed. It uses the available wired connection and moves data as quickly as that particular setup can sustain.
One connection, more ways to use your Macs
File transfer does not change what MacDisplay was built around: using another Mac as a second monitor. Version 3.0 simply makes the connection between the two computers useful for more than display extension.
That setup might be a MacBook connected to an iMac being used as a second display, but it can just as naturally be two recent MacBooks on the same desk, a desktop Mac next to a laptop, or another compatible combination.
While you're working, a document, project or folder may be on one Mac when you need it on the other. You don't have to change your display setup or interrupt the session. Open file transfer, drop what you need, and keep working.
That's one of the ideas behind MacDisplay 3.0: rather than creating a different connection for every task, make better use of the one your Macs already share.
Why file transfer stays off Wi-Fi
Keyboard and mouse control can use Wi-Fi when you choose to enable it. File transfer is intentionally different and remains wired.
When you're moving several gigabytes between two Macs that are already connected over Thunderbolt or Ethernet, the most direct route is the physical link between them. MacDisplay therefore keeps file transfers on that cable instead of moving the traffic onto the wireless network.
It also makes the behaviour easy to understand: when MacDisplay transfers a file, that file travels over the wired connection between your Macs.
Can I try Mac-to-Mac file transfer for free?
Yes. File transfer is included in the free version of MacDisplay, and the free version does not expire. You can transfer up to 2 GB per day, with a maximum of 2 GB in a single transfer. If a transfer is larger than your remaining allowance for that day, it won't start.
Only the Mac sending the files uses the allowance. The receiving Mac does not consume any file-transfer credit.
A full MacDisplay license removes this limit together with the other usage limits and covers three Macs. That also means you can try file transfer on your own setup and see how it performs with your particular Macs, cable and SSDs.
- Feature
- Mac-to-Mac file transfer
- Available from
- MacDisplay 3.0
- Connection
- Wired only: Thunderbolt or Ethernet
- Speed observed
- Over 2 GB/s in our internal testing, under some conditions
- Free version
- 2 GB per day · maximum 2 GB in a single transfer
- Full license
- No limits · three Macs · €29.99 + VAT one-time
Two Macs, one connection
With MacDisplay 3.0, the connection between two Macs no longer has to be useful only for extending a display. It can also become a direct path for moving files from one computer to the other.
You can extend your main Mac's desktop and, whenever you need to, transfer documents, folders and projects directly over Thunderbolt or Ethernet without changing the way you're working.
Connect the Macs, drop the file, and find it on the other side.
MacDisplay Team MacDisplay Published on 21 September 2026