SMB Backup

Create a dedicated sharing user

On your Mac, open Apple menu → System Settings → Users & Groups → Add User. Authenticate with your administrator account. If you already have a dedicated sharing account, keep using it.

Choose Sharing Only as the new user type. This account can access permitted shared files, but cannot log in to the Mac desktop or change system settings.

Use an account name such as gplayerbackup and set a separate password. You will enter these in the system Files app, not in GPlayer when using the default connection method. These are not your Apple Account credentials.

Create a folder and grant access

In Finder, press Shift–Command–H and create a folder such as GPlayerBackup. Open System Settings → General → Sharing → File Sharing information button. Turn on File Sharing, then use + under Shared Folders to add this folder.

Select GPlayerBackup in Shared Folders. Click + below Users, add gplayerbackup and set it to Read & Write. Keep your own account access. Backup needs to read, write and rename files; Write Only is insufficient.

In Options, enable Share files and folders using SMB, then click Done. Note the smb:// address on the sharing page. The default Files connection does not require you to select an account in Windows File Sharing here.

If your Mac account cannot open backup subfolders, see Permissions and privacy below step 4. It explains how to grant your account read access while keeping gplayerbackup able to back up.

Connect in Files

Keep iPhone and Mac on a reachable local network and keep the Mac awake. On iPhone, open Files → Browse → … → Connect to Server. Enter the smb:// address shown on your Mac; the address in this illustration is only an example.

Choose Registered User and enter the sharing account name and password you created. Open the shared folder, such as GPlayerBackup. Authentication is handled by Files; do not send your password in a support log or message.

In that shared folder, create a temporary test folder, rename it and delete only that test folder. If any step fails, check the Mac account and Read & Write permission. Once this works, return to GPlayer.

Choose the folder and back up

In GPlayer → Settings → Features → Backup, leave Use Files App enabled and tap Choose Backup Folder. In the system picker, browse to the connected Mac and select the shared folder itself, not a file or an On My iPhone folder.

Check the selected folder and tap Test connection, then Start incremental backup. Incremental backup keeps old versions. To make this library’s dedicated backup folder match the phone, choose Full sync and read the explanation below. Keep GPlayer in the foreground.

If the server is missing or access expires, reconnect in Files and select the folder again. The system may cache large files on iPhone; readback does not independently confirm server delivery. Check the Mac before deleting originals. For errors, export the backup logs. Manual SMB is an optional alternative and has separate authentication requirements.

Incremental sync is the default: it uploads missing backup files and backs up files changed on this device, keeping older versions. Deleting a file on this device keeps its existing backup copy. Full sync matches the current files on this device and removes extra content from this library’s dedicated backup folder. Keep the app in the foreground; switching apps or locking the screen pauses the task until you continue.

Leaving stops the current task and keeps completed files and valid resume checkpoints. Starting again after returning requires a new scan; full sync also requires confirmation again. Deleted content will not be restored.

Permissions and privacy

Files and folders written by gplayerbackup may not grant access to your everyday Mac account. Even an administrator may be unable to browse them directly in Finder. This separation helps limit casual access by other accounts, but it is not encryption and does not prevent an administrator from changing permissions.

The Sharing Only account created in this guide cannot log in to the Mac desktop. Connect through file sharing as gplayerbackup to access the content it is allowed to view.

Pause backup in GPlayer. In Finder, select the outer backup folder, such as GPlayerBackup, and press Command–I to open Get Info.

Expand Sharing & Permissions and unlock with administrator authentication if prompted. Click + to add your everyday administrator account and choose Read Only. Keep gplayerbackup set to Read & Write so backup can continue.

Open the … or gear menu below the permissions list and choose Apply to enclosed items… Confirm and wait for existing subfolders and files to be updated. Check that you can open the contents before resuming backup.

Changing only the outer folder does not update existing contents. Applying permissions to enclosed items does not guarantee inheritance for future items. If new contents become inaccessible, check their inherited permissions.

Illustrations are simplified examples. Labels and locations may vary with your macOS version and language.

Why can’t I view my backup on Mac?