DiskBridge vs Intel Thunderbolt Share — Linking Two Computers with a Cable, on Mac and on PC
In 2024 Intel launched Thunderbolt Share, software that links two Windows PCs over a Thunderbolt 4 or 5 cable to share the screen, keyboard, files and folders. Many Mac users went looking for the equivalent. Intel doesn't make one — Thunderbolt Share is Windows only — but the "files and disks" half has existed on the Mac for longer: it's macOS's Thunderbolt Bridge, which DiskBridge automates.
What Thunderbolt Share does (Windows)
- Screen and keyboard/mouse sharing between two PCs (one PC controls the other), with very low latency.
- Drag‑and‑drop file transfer, folder sync, migration from an old PC.
- Advertised throughput: up to 3.2 GB/s for file transfers.
- Requirement: one of the two PCs (or a dock) must be "Thunderbolt Share licensed" — the licence is bought by the manufacturer (Lenovo, MSI, Razer, Acer, some docks), not by the user. On an unlicensed PC, the software refuses to run.
- Windows 11 only (Windows 10 for migration).
What DiskBridge does (macOS)
- Detects the other Mac as soon as the Thunderbolt 3/4 or USB4 cable is plugged in and mounts its disks in the Finder — both ways. Unplugged, it unmounts them.
- The other Mac's files are therefore available to every app, not just to a drag‑and‑drop: Final Cut, Lightroom, Time Machine, rsync, Terminal.
- Several Macs in a chain with DiskBridge+.
- Works on any Mac with Thunderbolt/USB4 ports, no manufacturer licence, macOS 13 or later. One‑time purchase: US$4.99 (two Macs) or US$9.99 (chain).
- No built‑in screen sharing yet: macOS already has Screen Sharing, which works over Thunderbolt Bridge — just connect to the other Mac's address. Direct integration into DiskBridge is planned.
Head to head
| Thunderbolt Share (Intel) | DiskBridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Platform | Windows 11 | macOS 13+ |
| Hardware | Licensed Thunderbolt 4/5 PC or dock | Any Thunderbolt 3/4 or USB4 Mac |
| Other machine's disks in Explorer / Finder | No (dedicated window, drag and drop) | Yes, mounted in the Finder |
| Screen / keyboard sharing | Yes, built in | Through macOS Screen Sharing (integration planned) |
| Folder sync | Yes | Planned |
| More than two machines | No | Yes (DiskBridge+) |
| Price | Included with licensed hardware | US$4.99 / 9.99, one‑time |
| Mac ↔ PC | No | No (planned) |
What about a Mac and a PC?
The network link exists on both sides — Thunderbolt Bridge on macOS, USB4 host‑to‑host networking on Windows 11 — and they speak the same protocol. So you can already link a Mac and a PC with a cable and share folders by hand (File Sharing on one side, Windows sharing on the other). Neither Thunderbolt Share nor DiskBridge automates it today; it's on our roadmap.
Which one to choose?
The question hardly arises: two licensed PCs, Thunderbolt Share; two Macs, DiskBridge. The difference in philosophy matters more: Thunderbolt Share adds a proprietary software layer (window, licence, account); DiskBridge relies on what macOS already knows how to do — Bonjour, File Sharing, the Finder — and simply automates it, which makes it transparent to all your apps.
DiskBridge on the Mac App Store — free 14‑day trial.
Get DiskBridge on the Mac App Store
More guides
- How to Connect Two Macs with a Thunderbolt or USB‑C Cable (2026)
How to link two Macs with a Thunderbolt 3, Thunderbolt 4 or USB4 cable, set up Thunderbolt Bridge and see the other Mac's disks in the Finder — manually, or automatically with DiskBridge.
- Migrating to a New Mac over a Cable: Migration Assistant or Manual Copy?
How to move your data to a new Mac as fast as possible with a Thunderbolt cable, what Migration Assistant does well and badly, and how to keep using the old Mac afterwards.
- Moving Video Footage from a MacBook to a Mac Studio Without an External SSD
For editors and photographers — moving 4K/8K footage, RAW libraries and Final Cut, DaVinci or Lightroom projects from a laptop to a desktop workstation at Thunderbolt cable speed.
- Target Disk Mode on Apple Silicon Macs: What Changed, and the Alternative
Target Disk Mode is gone on M1, M2, M3 and M4 Macs. What Apple offers instead (Share Disk), its limits, and how to get direct access to another Mac's disks over a cable again.