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Does anybody know what exactly are the software limitation set by Microsoft in Windows 10 for SMB connections?

Novin Sabzevari 1 Reputation point
2022-10-22T14:44:52.417+00:00

We have multiple windows 10 pro computers with shared folders that are not on the server (for privacy reasons) and we need all computers on the network to have access to them. We have shared these folders with various user permissions but we keep hitting the 20 user/device limit where no more connections are allowed.

My question is does anybody know what exactly the limitation is?

e.g. if 2 users from the same computer connect to a shared folder - is this considered 2 connections or 1? OR if the host computer that is hosting the shared folder connect to the folder through the network URI instead of its local path, is this considered another connection?

They all seem to show in Computer Management > Sessions and the hosting computer shows itself a few times with COMPUTERNAME$ some with open files and some not.

Also is there an easy way to purge non-live connections where no files are open through a scheduled task?

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  1. Limitless Technology 44,121 Reputation points
    2022-10-24T15:43:17.317+00:00

    Hello

    Thank you for your question and reaching out. I can understand you are having query related to Shared folder limit.

    Please be aware that the maximum number of users allowed to connect to a shared folder is limited by software licensing terms. You may allow up to 20 other devices to access software installed on the licensed computer to use only File Services, Print Services, Internet Information Services and Internet Connection Sharing and Telephony Services. This is by designed.

    Reference :
    https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/95b6c143-f769-472c-a52f-df845b0642ea/increase-maximum-number-of-connections-limit-for-a-shared-folder?forum=w7itpronetworking

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