File sharing only works with an alias email account

Question

This is my setup that is causing me to tear my hair out, because I can’t get file sharing to work properly:

• New W11 laptop with two Microsoft accounts logged in using Hello PIN – me (admin) and my wife (standard), with wifi connection to home LAN.
• Same accounts logged in using Hello PIN on W11 home PC, with ethernet connection to the same LAN.
• Both devices set up for Private sharing with discovery and file/printer sharing turned on.
• Shared folders on PC set to share with both accounts and user folders on PC set to share with respective user accounts.
• After setup, my wife’s standard account on laptop could see and access any of her user or shared files from the PC using File Explorer, Network/PC, as expected.
• When I tried to open PC folders from my admin account on the laptop, a popup screen asked for network credentials (password) for my account.  When I entered the correct password, it said email or password incorrect.

I started an online help chat with Microsoft, and it took their technician the best part of two hours to ‘resolve’ the problem, including remote access to my PC and laptop.

At first, they said the issue was that both devices needed to be connected to my LAN via wifi for sharing to work.  This doesn’t make sense to me, as surely lots of people share successfully with both wired and wireless connections to the same network?

They then realised that as well as my primary email used for all sign ins for my Microsoft account, I also have an alias email under the same account. (I use this alias email primarily for shopping correspondence).  When I entered the alias email and password for the credentials popup on the laptop, in that I could now see both the ‘Shared files’ folder and ‘Users’ folder in File Explorer on the laptop under Network/PC.  I opened the shared files folder and was able to open all subfolders and files. Hurrah.

The Microsoft technician declared this a success, but didn’t explain why this ‘work-around’ worked or why it was necessary.  (I guess he was keen to leave after two hours!)

However, when the help chat ended, I discovered that although I could now access files from the ‘shared files’ folder on my PC, the ‘User’ folder was showing as empty, so I am still unable to access any of my personal files stored on my PC from my laptop.  Grrrrr.

I am at a loss to understand why sharing works perfectly for my wife’s standard account, yet I can only get sharing to work partially for my admin account via a workaround using my alias email!  I’m really hoping someone with more knowledge than me can shed some light on this and help me to get file sharing working as it should.

Thanks for your help in advance

*** Moved from Windows / Windows 11 / Accounts, profiles, and login ***

Answer 1

Analysis of the Issue

Your file-sharing issue has several key aspects that need to be examined step by step:

1. Device Environment & Network Setup:

Your new Windows 11 laptop is connected to your home LAN via WiFi, logged in with two Microsoft accounts (Admin - you, Standard - your wife).

Your Windows 11 Home PC is connected via Ethernet to the same LAN and logged in with the same Microsoft accounts.

Both devices are set to Private Network, with Network Discovery and File and Printer Sharing enabled.

The PC’s shared folders are set up to allow access to both accounts.

1. Microsoft Account and Alias Email Issue:

Your wife's standard account can access her user folder and shared folders on the PC without any issues.

Your admin account on the laptop prompts for network credentials when accessing the PC.

When entering the correct Microsoft account password, the system incorrectly states that the email or password is incorrect.

However, when using your alias email (associated with the same Microsoft account), file sharing works—but only partially.

Microsoft Support took two hours to resolve the issue with this workaround but didn’t provide an explanation.

1. Permissions & Access Issues:

Even though you can now access the shared files folder, the Users folder appears empty, meaning you still cannot access your personal files on the PC from the laptop.

Possible Causes

1. Microsoft Account Authentication Issues:

There may be a sync issue between your Microsoft account and Windows authentication.

Windows might be treating your alias email as the primary login method for network access instead of your actual Microsoft email.

Cached credentials or authentication conflicts could be preventing your main email from working correctly.

1. Permissions & User Group Differences:

Even though your wife’s standard account works, your admin account might have different access rights.

The Users folder is protected by additional security settings, and by default, Microsoft prevents remote access to certain directories unless explicitly shared.

1. Network Credentials Cache Issue:

Windows stores cached credentials for network logins, and incorrect entries could be preventing proper authentication.

Solution Steps

Step 1: Clear and Reset Network Credentials

1. Open Control Panel > Credential Manager.
2. Remove all stored Windows credentials related to \PC (your desktop machine).
3. Restart your laptop and try logging in again using your main Microsoft email and password.

Step 2: Adjust File Sharing and NTFS Permissions

1. On the PC, right-click the Users folder > Properties > Sharing tab.
2. Ensure that your Microsoft account (main email) is explicitly listed under "Share with".
3. Switch to the Security tab and check NTFS permissions:

Your Microsoft account should have Read & Execute access.

If missing, add it manually and apply changes.

Step 3: Ensure Proper Account Sync

1. Manually sync your Microsoft account:

Go to Settings > Accounts > Sync your settings and force a sync on both devices.

1. Ensure both the laptop and PC have the latest Windows updates installed.

Step 4: Reset Network Configuration

1. Open Command Prompt (Admin) and run:

netsh winsock reset

netsh int ip reset

ipconfig /flushdns

Restart both the PC and the laptop.

Try accessing the shared folders again.

Step 5: Test with a Local Account

1. On the PC, create a new local administrator account.
2. Share a test folder with this local account.
3. Try accessing the folder from your laptop using the local account credentials instead of the Microsoft account.

Additional Suggestions

If the issue persists, you can try:

Manually mapping the network drive using your alias email.

Enabling SMBv2/SMBv3 for better file-sharing compatibility.

This issue is most likely caused by Microsoft account authentication inconsistencies, cached credentials, or permission settings. By following these steps, you should be able to fix the problem and regain full file-sharing access.

Best regards,

Rosy Yuan

Answer 2

Hi Rosy,

Your response went to my junk mail, so my apologies for the slow reply.

Success!

I followed all the clear steps you suggested, and at first, I still didn't have access to my user desktop folders on my laptop. However, I guessed an additional step and removed the windows credentials for my alias email from my laptop, restarted it and there they are!

Many thanks for your valuable help in resolving this issue.

Donal