Title: Can WordPress do this? Last modified: August 19, 2016 --- # Can WordPress do this? * Resolved [Jay Holtslander](https://wordpress.org/support/users/jasonh1234/) * (@jasonh1234) * [17 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/can-wordpress-do-this-4-2/) * I have a Mac that has Apache, MySQL, and WordPress installed. I would like to be able to link to files located on an external drive from my posts. Is this at all possible? Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 17 total) 1 [2](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/can-wordpress-do-this-4-2/page/2/?output_format=md) [→](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/can-wordpress-do-this-4-2/page/2/?output_format=md) * [sleepw](https://wordpress.org/support/users/sleepw/) * (@sleepw) * [17 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/can-wordpress-do-this-4-2/#post-936871) * If you mean for yourself, yes. If you mean can other people see a file on your pc..no..you would need to have that pc setup as a webserver on the net which is doable if your ISP allowed you to. (note ISP, not your webhost as you would be the webhost) * Thread Starter [Jay Holtslander](https://wordpress.org/support/users/jasonh1234/) * (@jasonh1234) * [17 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/can-wordpress-do-this-4-2/#post-936894) * My Mac is already setup as a webserver (Dynamic DNS) I can view webpages on it from anywhere. * So if it’s possible… How would it be done? I’m not even sure what to Google * [whooami](https://wordpress.org/support/users/whooami/) * (@whooami) * [17 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/can-wordpress-do-this-4-2/#post-936897) * > How would it be done? * wht do you mean? you just said, “I can view webpages on it from anywhere.”. * If you know **that** from experience, than why are you asking how to to do it? * OR * > I would like to be able to link to files located on an external drive from > my posts. * Are you talking about linking to files like on a share? * — * linking to files necessitates that they are web accessible. doing it any other way is like linking to a share. shares arent generally used across the web since.. since well, we have web accessible, which is better. * If the files are web accessible (and thats a server set up question and not a wordpress question) than you link to them the same way you link to anything else. * Thread Starter [Jay Holtslander](https://wordpress.org/support/users/jasonh1234/) * (@jasonh1234) * [17 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/can-wordpress-do-this-4-2/#post-936902) * Yes I am talking about linking to files on a share. (A drive connected via USB and mounted.) * [sleepw](https://wordpress.org/support/users/sleepw/) * (@sleepw) * [17 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/can-wordpress-do-this-4-2/#post-936904) * It would be a lot easier if you got a big hard disk and then made those files accessible thru your site. The problem I see using paths is that each Mac will look locally for them – on their own MAC not yours. * Each PC will not have a clue what to do with them as the file/folder structure is very different from the MAC. * Also, browsers will not allow you to access local files from the web..that’s a security constraint. If you find a workaround, post it. * Theoretically you can do it. All P2P software and bit torrents do. * Good luck. * [whooami](https://wordpress.org/support/users/whooami/) * (@whooami) * [17 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/can-wordpress-do-this-4-2/#post-936907) * > The problem I see using paths is that each Mac will look locally for them – > on their own PC not yours. * thats why we dont “do” shares across the web. * this means something to me: file://///hiver/Music/music/Beethoven/Complete_BBC_Symphonies/ and it’s also something you cant follow since its completely useless to you. * p2p isnt web, its net 🙂 (to be technical) * — * PS: I could, of course, use an IP and make that more user friendly, and maybe thats something you might think about? In my own example, it would be a 10.10. x anyway, so it still wouldnt help you to follow it. * [Clayton James](https://wordpress.org/support/users/claytonjames/) * (@claytonjames) * [17 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/can-wordpress-do-this-4-2/#post-936911) * > My Mac is already setup as a webserver * Hey, this is just a thought, but would it work if you created a directory with a symlink in it, in the root of your blog that links directly to the external disk content? Something like: * ln -s /dev/usbdeviceid/ /var/www/html/wordpresslocation/newdirectory * (obviously i am not sure of the file paths in OSX) * or …would you even need a new directory? is it possible to just create the symlink as long as permissions are correct on the usb drive content? * I wonder if there would be any security implications if the only thing on the usb drive is content you want accessible by the web? * Or you could just copy the contents of the usb drive to a web accessible folder in your wordpress installation. * now I am curious. Is there a correct (safe) way to do that? * Thread Starter [Jay Holtslander](https://wordpress.org/support/users/jasonh1234/) * (@jasonh1234) * [17 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/can-wordpress-do-this-4-2/#post-936918) * > It would be a lot easier if you got a big hard disk * How about the 4TB drobo I’m referring to? 🙂 * > Hey, this is just a thought, but would it work if you… * You’re going above my head there but it sounds like you’re on the right track. Can you explain that in a bit more layman’s terms? * I can’t copy the files to a folder within my WordPress installation though as the WordPress drive is WAY to small for the files in question. * [whooami](https://wordpress.org/support/users/whooami/) * (@whooami) * [17 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/can-wordpress-do-this-4-2/#post-936920) * > or …would you even need a new directory? is it possible to just create the > symlink as long as permissions are correct on the usb drive content? * that would work, thats one method of making is web accessible. follow symlinks would need to be enabled, obviously. * [http://macdesignpro.digitalmedianet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=44890](http://macdesignpro.digitalmedianet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=44890) * its not a wordpress problem, btw. * [Clayton James](https://wordpress.org/support/users/claytonjames/) * (@claytonjames) * [17 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/can-wordpress-do-this-4-2/#post-936921) * 4TB!!!!??? * Good Lord, man! * Ummm… any chance I can have your URI once you get it working? * ..just kidding! – sort of. * 🙂 * [Clayton James](https://wordpress.org/support/users/claytonjames/) * (@claytonjames) * [17 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/can-wordpress-do-this-4-2/#post-936923) * _“its not a wordpress problem, btw.”_ * agreed… sorry.. * Thread Starter [Jay Holtslander](https://wordpress.org/support/users/jasonh1234/) * (@jasonh1234) * [17 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/can-wordpress-do-this-4-2/#post-936926) * I’m no networking expert but this can’t be to difficult. Don’t big fancy servers have racks upon racks of drives that are connected a seperate server? How does the server access those racks? * Thread Starter [Jay Holtslander](https://wordpress.org/support/users/jasonh1234/) * (@jasonh1234) * [17 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/can-wordpress-do-this-4-2/#post-936931) * > that would work, thats one method of making is web accessible. follow symlinks > would need to be enabled, obviously. > [http://macdesignpro.digitalmedianet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=44890](http://macdesignpro.digitalmedianet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=44890) * Hmm I’ll have to give that a read. * > 4TB!!!!??? > Good Lord, man! > Ummm… any chance I can have your URI once you get it working? * Hehe. Sorry. This is to be a direct connection to my own personal computer’s files for close friends only. * [Clayton James](https://wordpress.org/support/users/claytonjames/) * (@claytonjames) * [17 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/can-wordpress-do-this-4-2/#post-936936) * I just read the article that Whooami was kind enough to link to. I think that is a good jumping off point for your solution. * Possible source of action for your success: * 1) research synbolic linking (basically a “shortcut” in windows terms) in Mac OSX. (UNIX) * 2) research enabling “follow symlinks” in apache * Best wishes!! * > Hehe. Sorry. This is to be a direct connection to my own personal computer’s > files for close friends only. * (wink, wink… nod, nod…) * Good luck to you! * 🙂 * Thread Starter [Jay Holtslander](https://wordpress.org/support/users/jasonh1234/) * (@jasonh1234) * [17 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/can-wordpress-do-this-4-2/#post-936939) * > Possible source of action for your success: * Thanks for the tips. I’ll be looking into this in the next hour or so. * > (wink, wink… nod, nod…) * [http://tinyurl.com/8kzax8](http://tinyurl.com/8kzax8) Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 17 total) 1 [2](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/can-wordpress-do-this-4-2/page/2/?output_format=md) [→](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/can-wordpress-do-this-4-2/page/2/?output_format=md) The topic ‘Can WordPress do this?’ is closed to new replies. * In: [Fixing WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/how-to-and-troubleshooting/) * 17 replies * 4 participants * Last reply from: [Clayton James](https://wordpress.org/support/users/claytonjames/) * Last activity: [17 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/can-wordpress-do-this-4-2/page/2/#post-936980) * Status: resolved ## Topics ### Topics with no replies ### Non-support topics ### Resolved topics ### Unresolved topics ### All topics