Cannot browse files on another Mac on same network, but can share screen

[AVR2]

I have a Mac mini and MBP both running Ventura, connected to the same wired network. Previously, I have been able to use either machine to browse folders files on the other via the Finder, but suddenly I can only use the Mac mini to browse files on the MBP and not vice-versa.

Both machines can see each other on the network as they appear as a location in each other's Finder, and I can use screen sharing on either machine to control the other. What I can't do is click on the mini in the MBP's Finder, browse its attached USB drive and pull files over the network, which is what I want to do. It used to work perfectly, so this is particularly annoying.

As far as I can tell, all relevant sharing options are switched on for both machines, and I've also rebooted both of them.

I should note that the mini is a 2012 and so is running Ventura via OCLP, but I'm sure I've previously been able to browse it from the MBP since installing OCLP.

 

[Bigwaff]

As far as I can tell, all relevant sharing options are switched on for both machines, and I've also rebooted both of them.

Can you be more specific regarding your file sharing config on the Mac mini.. perhaps a screenshot?

 

[AVR2]

I've quite possibly got things switched on that don't need to be. I don't know why Screen Sharing is showing as "currently unavailable", because it definitely works.

As a further note, on the MBP, when I click on the mini in the Finder, it says "Loading" but then nothing happens. If I select "Connect as", it just sits on "Connecting" indefinitely. Nothing pops up on the mini asking for approval to connect or anything like that.

 

[Bigwaff]

Press the "i" button next to File Sharing and post screenshot.

 

[chabig]

Your screen sharing is unavailable because you have remote management turned on. That provides the service when active.

 

[AVR2]

 

[Bigwaff]

What I can't do is click on the mini in the MBP's Finder, browse its attached USB drive and pull files over the network, which is what I want to do. It used to work perfectly, so this is particularly annoying.

The folder being shared in the screenshot is on the “attached USB drive”? If not, perhaps you need to add the USB drive root folder.

 

[AVR2]

The folder being shared in the screenshot is on the “attached USB drive”? If not, perhaps you need to add the USB drive root folder.

No, it's not, but I don't remember having to enable sharing of specific folders before. I've tried adding the system drive of the mini as a shared folder, and the MBP still won't see it or let me use Connect As to browse the mini, but screen sharing works fine.

I don't have specific folders enabled for sharing on the MBP, yet the mini can browse them with no problems.

EDIT - sometimes, Connect As on the MBP does literally nothing, other times it will bring up the login dialog box for the Mac mini, but when I enter the same username and password as I use to log directly into the mini, it shakes the box to indicate that something's wrong.

 

[AVR2]

I've just discovered that while my user account on the mini is named Firstname Lastname, my home folder in Users is named with just my initials. No idea how this happened. Could that mismatch be the root cause of the problem? Can it be fixed?