Amazon S3 on macOS: Complete guide

Amazon Simple Storage Service, or Amazon S3, makes it easy to store and manage large amounts of data. Enabling tons of operations, from storing and extraction to backup, it’s an easy way to scale and manage anyone’s resources – both on individual and organizational levels.

I've found that using a dedicated tool like ForkLift makes working with S3 much easier. ForkLift is an S3-compatible file manager for macOS that lets you connect, sync, and even mount S3 buckets as local drives — all in a familiar, Finder-like interface.

Need help with Amazon S3 on Mac? Here's how to get started with the right tools.

Amazon S3 on macOS – connect, sync, and mount like a local drive

Before you start, make sure you have:

• An Amazon Web Services account
• Access keys (Access Key ID and Secret Access Key) for your S3 bucket
• ForkLift for macOS installed 

Connect to an AWS bucket

To connect to an Amazon S3 bucket in ForkLift, open the Connect panel, choose Amazon S3 on the left panel, enter your keys, and click Connect.

There are three ways to access AWS buckets via ForkLift’s connect panel:

• Press Command + K
• Click Go > Connect in the menu bar
• Click the lightning-bolt Connect button in the toolbar.

Once the Connect panel is open, fill in the following fields:

1. Protocol: Select Amazon S3 from the drop-down.
2. Server: The AWS Server is already preset, so you can usually leave this field blank.

• Want to work in a specific AWS region? Pick it from the Region drop-down first. This speeds up large transfers.
• To mount just one bucket (helpful if your IAM user can't list all buckets), type that bucket's name in Remote Path (IAM = Identity and Access Management, AWS's system for controlling permissions).
• Need server-side encryption or to set permissions? Click the Options button and choose the settings that match your organization’s policy.

3. Access Key & Secret Key: Enter the credentials provided by AWS IAM.

4. Adjust any additional parameters if needed.

5. Press Connect.

Once you're connected, you'll see your S3 files laid out just like folders on your Mac. This familiar setup makes it easy to jump right in and start working. Moving files between different buckets, your Mac, or even other accounts is straightforward. Simply drag and drop as you would in Finder.

You can learn more about AWS documentation on Amazon with this user guide.

Sync Amazon S3 with your Mac’s local drive

Need an offline copy of your bucket? ForkLift can mirror any S3 folder to your Mac in a couple of clicks. Its dual-pane view shows the source and target side by side so you always know what’s going where.

What I really like about ForkLift's dual-pane setup is that you can see both your source and destination folders at once, which makes syncing much clearer.

To sync S3 data with your Mac:

1. Open your source folder (S3 bucket) in one pane.
2. Open your target folder (local Mac folder) in the other pane.
3. Select the folders you want to sync.
4. Press Command + Option + Shift + S > Select Commands > Sync to from the menu, or click the Sync button (two circular arrows) in the toolbar.

In the Sync panel, you'll see both folders and can review:

Sync direction:

• Left > Right (S3 to Mac)
• Right > Left (Mac to S3)
• Both ways

Sync options:

The symbols between two panes indicate what happens to files, according to your actions:

• A green arrow shows that an item will be synced into the given direction.
• A blue arrow shows that an item will be updated with a newer version.
• A red cross means that an item will be deleted from the target folder.

If you need to exclude items from synchronization, click on the symbols one by one. Based on advanced criteria, you can also include or exclude files by selecting Filter items and setting up rules. It’s also possible to further customize synchronization by including subfolders or hidden items.

Also, check out the easy guide on how to delete your Amazon account.

Sync AWS S3 between accounts

Because ForkLift supports multiple simultaneous S3 connections (including IAM users or temporary role-based credentials), you can open two different accounts side by side and sync between them without logging out.

To sync files between two S3 accounts:

1. Open the first S3 account in the left pane.
2. Open the second S3 account in the right pane.
3. Select your source and target folders.
4. Use the Sync command as described above.

In my experience, ForkLift handles S3 uploads and downloads efficiently, which saves time when you're working with large files.

Mount AWS S3 as a local drive

If you work with remote files, you should know it’s not only about uploading and downloading – editing and file management are pretty prominent as well. Because many Mac apps can’t open files directly from an S3 bucket, you have to mount cloud storage as a local drive on your Mac to access files through your computer’s file system. However, if you mount S3 as a drive on a Mac with ForkLift, these files become accessible, also for the apps that only work with local files.

To mount S3 as a local drive:

1. Open the Connect panel in ForkLift.
2. Select your S3 bucket and click Mount.
3. The bucket will appear in Finder’s sidebar, just like a USB drive.

Even apps that only work with local files can access your S3 data this way.

Read also

• Best cloud storage apps for Mac
• How to download from Google Drive
• How to transfer Google Photos to iCloud
• How to use temporary iCloud storage

S3 browser on Mac: Key takeaways

If you want to work with S3 browser on a Mac, you should know the following;

• Amazon S3 is a scalable, reliable storage solution trusted by millions.
• Using a dedicated S3 browser for Mac like ForkLift streamlines connecting, syncing, and mounting S3 buckets.
• You can easily manage S3 data with a familiar, Finder-like interface.
• Syncing and cross-account transfers are straightforward with dual-pane tools.
• Mounting S3 as a local drive enables seamless access from any macOS app.

ForkLift makes Amazon S3 feel like a local Mac folder — connect, sync, and mount in seconds. Includes FTP, SFTP, WebDAV, and 15+ protocols. Free for 7 days. Start a free trial.