Mount SMBFS

Mount SMBFS

This is useful for automation, scripting, or when working without a GUI.

Using mount_smbfs Command

Step 1 – Create a Mount Point Before mounting, create a local directory where the share will be accessible:

mkdir -p /mnt/smbshare

Step 2 – Mount the SMB Share Run the mount_smbfs command with the appropriate syntax:

mount_smbfs //username@server/sharename /mnt/smbshare

Replace username with your SMB account name
Replace server with the hostname or IP address
Replace sharename with the shared folder name

If authentication is required, you’ll be prompted for a password unless you use the -N option and store credentials in ~/.nsmbrc or ~/Library/Preferences/nsmb.conf

Example with Workgroup and IP Address:

mount_smbfs -W WORKGROUP //user@192.168.1.19/data /mnt/smbshare

Step 3 – Unmount the Share When done, unmount using:

umount /mnt/smbshare

Alternative macOS Method (Preferred)

On macOS, it’s recommended to use the system mount command instead of calling mount_smbfs directly


sudo mount -t cifs //centos-server-ip/samba /path/to/mount-point -o username=username