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Windows 11 25H2 Can't Search A Mapped Drive, But Can Access The Same Mapped Drive.

Sonny B 141 Reputation points
2026-03-02T17:23:57.8966667+00:00

Hi Microsoft,

Environment

I have 3 computers on Windows 11 Pro. All are on Windows 11 25H2. All have their network profiles set to private. Network discovery is on and sharing files/printers is enabled. Password protection is enabled. All are using Avast Antivirus.

PC HOST - Is hosting the shared folder over the network.
PC1 is mapped to PC HOST and can access and can search PC HOST' mapped drive.
PC2 is mapped to PC HOST and can access PC HOST' mapped drive, but cannot search the mapped drive.
PC HOST has 3 local user accounts: Main, User1, User2.
PC1 has a local user account: User1 that uses the same password as PC HOST' User1.
PC2 has a local user account: User2 that uses the same password as PC HOST' User2.

PC1 is mapped to PC HOST using the User1 login credentials and works. Has no issues.
PC2 is mapped to PC HOST using the User2 login credentials and can only access the mapped drive, not search it.

PC HOST' shared folder called "Shared" has User1 and User2 added to its Advanced Sharing > Permissions > Allow Change/Read.

Attempts To Resolve Issue:

  1. Installed SMB1.0.
  2. In Registry Editor: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
    confirmed there is no key called DisabledIndexedLocations.
  3. In Registry Editor:
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Search
    Created key: AllowRemoteIndexing = 1.
  4. On PC HOST, rebuilt Indexing and confirmed the folder "Shared" was listed in this Indexing Option.
  5. On PC2, even though the "Shared" folder isn't expected to be in the Indexing Option, as confirmed on PC1, rebuilt indexing anyways.
  6. On PC1's mapped drive, in the search window, if I enter
    .

it does list all data in the mapped drive.

Is there something else I'm missing? I'm considering the last resort, which is re-installing Windows 11 25H2.

Any assistance is greatly appreciated.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Files, folders, and storage
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Answer recommended by moderator

Sonny B 141 Reputation points
2026-03-18T19:23:50.47+00:00

Hi Lucus,

I think a recent Windows update that came out on March 16, 2026 resolved this issue.

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  1. Lucus-V 7,815 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-03-15T19:33:49.1366667+00:00

    Hi Sonny B,
    Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum. I'm happy to help.

    Please do troubleshoot by:

    • Create User1 on PC2 with PC HOST User1 credentials.
    • On PC2 > Credential Manager > Windows Credentials > Windows Credentials > remove User2 SMB.
    • Restart PC2.
    • Map the drive using User1 credentials.
    • Test if the search works.

    If you have any updates, please feel free to let me know.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-03-02T17:24:10.39+00:00

    On Windows 11, search behavior over mapped network drives depends on indexing and how the connection is established. The provided context does not describe a specific fix for “can access but cannot search” on one mapped drive while another works, and it does not document any additional registry or Group Policy settings beyond what was already tried.

    The only directly related guidance in the context is about mapped drives becoming unavailable in certain security or elevation scenarios, and about general troubleshooting of mapped drives and Group Policy–based mappings. None of these address selective search failure on a single client when access works and indexing has already been rebuilt.

    Because no further supported steps are documented in the context beyond what was already attempted, no additional, context-backed remediation steps can be provided.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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