Why is my shared folder not accessible to another PC on my network through explorer (but IS accessible from the command prompt)?

Question

I have followed advice from several threads for addressing the following error and none them have addressed it. I have turned on file and print sharing for private networks on both computers, and shared a folder with "Everyone". I have also ensured that NetBIOS over TCP/IP under WINS is enabled on both adapters for both machines and ensured that a laundry list of services are set to automatic, and attempted all solutions here and here.

The remote computer (my laptop) is visible from the local computer (desktop) under "Network" in Explorer. However, when I click the name of my remote computer, I get a network error that says:

Windows cannot access \<remote computer>>

You do not have permission to access \<<remote computer>>. Contact your network administrator to request access.

However, from the command prompt, the command "net use \<remote computer>>&lt;<remote shared folder>> is successful. Also, I can copy to or from my local computer into and out of \<remot computer>>&lt;<remote shared folder>> from the command line.

*** Moved from Windows / Windows 10 / Internet and connectivity ***

Answer 1

Hello

Thank you for posting in Microsoft Community forum.

Based on your description, here are some possible workarounds:

1. Even though you have shared the folder with "Everyone", it is still possible that the proper permissions are not given in the security settings of the folder. Please confirm the following steps:

Right-click on your shared folder and select Properties.

Go to the Sharing tab, make sure the folder is shared, and grant read and write permissions to the Everyone user group.

Then go to the "Security" tab and make sure "Everyone" also has access in the security settings. If not, add it and give at least "read" permissions.

2. Make sure your network discovery and file sharing features are turned on correctly:

Open Control Panel > Network & Internet > Network & Sharing Center.

Select Change advanced sharing settings on the left.

Make sure that under your personal network configuration, Turn on network discovery and Turn on file and printer sharing are enabled.

3. Windows Firewall may prevent Explorer from accessing shared folders. Please check your firewall settings:

Open Control Panel > System and Security > Windows Firewall.

Select Allow apps to communicate through Windows Firewall.

Look for "File & Printer Sharing" in the list if it is checked, if not, add and tick on.

4. Windows uses the SMB (Server Message Block) protocol for file sharing. If your computer does not have the correct SMB protocol enabled, it may cause the explorer to become inaccessible:

In Control Panel, open Programs > Turn Windows features on or off.

Make sure that "SMB 1.0/CIFS File Share Support" is checked. While Microsoft recommends turning this option off for enhanced security, it may be necessary on some older devices, especially in some older programs.

5. In some cases, the setting of Local Group Policy may interfere with normal network access. You can check if there are any relevant settings:

Press Win + R and enter gpedit.msc to open the Local Group Policy Editor.

Expand Computer Configuration> expand Windows Settings> Security Settings> Local Policies> Security Options.

Look for the "Network Access: Sharing and Security Model for Local Accounts" option. Set it to Classic - Access shares with local user authentication.

6. Finally, make sure that your computer's name on the network is correct and conflict-free. If there are two computers with the same name in your network, it can cause access issues. Restart the router and both computers while confirming that they are in the same network segment.
7. After trying all the steps above, be sure to restart your computer. Sometimes, update settings need to be restarted to take effect. After restarting, try again to access the shared folder through Explorer.

I hope the information above is helpful.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to let us know.



Regards,

Jill Zhou

Answer 2

Thank you, Jill.

I have attempted all of these steps and rebooted, but the exact same problem persists. From the command line of the local computer, I can type "dir \<remote computer>&lt;remote folder>" and see the directory. I can also copy and paste to and from this directory on the command line.

However, in Explorer when I click on the remote computer name, I get one of two error messages. Either:

"Network path was not found"

or (more commonly)

"You do not have permission to access this <remote computer>."

Note also, that I CAN access shared files on the local computer from the remote computer using file explorer.

Is there a command line option I could try to check file permissions on the remote machine?

Many thanks,
Josh

Answer 3

Update: I now see that if I "skip" over the "root" directory for the shared computer name, I actually CAN see the subfolders.

So from the local computer if I type this into the explorer address bar:

\<remote computer>&lt;shared folder>

Then it IS visible on the local machine. However, if I simply type the name of the remote computer, hoping to see a list of shared folders, I get an error saying I do not have permission:

\<remote computer>

Same thing if I click on the <remote computer> name under "Network" in explorer.

I now have a workaround for this problem. However, it would still be nice to be able to see what shared folders are available on the remote computer. I assume this is a problem with permissions, but I haven't found any way to change permissions for "root" folder of the remote machine.

Any help would still be greatly appreciated.

Best,

Josh

Answer 4

I was just interested in moving files from a Windows 10 to Windows 11 computer. I was able to share the folder on the 10 computer but got an error message on the 11 saying no permission. The fix was to add 'Everyone' to the Security tab of permissions on the 10 computer of the shared folder(s). This is not very secure for long-term sharing but because I was retiring the 10 computer I did not care. I could have removed that permission once I transferred all the files.