Unable to add network drive folders to a library

Question

I have four shared folders from the same Windows 10 Home machine, all the same permissions. Each shared folder is a separate drive volume (custom letters, I:, M:, R:, V:). I am able to successfully set them up as network drives on two other Windows 10 Home machines, but when I go to add subfolders from the network drives to libraries, I am only able to add folders from one of the drives (V:). Any attempts to add subfolders from the other three network drives is met with an error message saying that "This network location can't be included because it is not indexed". I have checked the network drive properties and verified the "Allow files on this drive to have contents indexed in addition to file properties" box is checked for all four. When I go to Indexing Options in Control Panel, none of the network drives are listed.

I have tried workarounds such as sharing just the subfolders in lieu of the root volume and sharing a symbolic linked folder from a working volume (in this case I tried sharing from C:, which also works when sharing to libraries). Neither method worked.

I also found recommendations online for running the sfc /scannow command but that also did not affect my ability to add the network drives.

***moved from Windows / Windows 10 / Files, folders, and storage***

Answer 1

Hello,

This error may also occur if the system's offline files are disabled and the network folder is not included in the system index. You can try the following methods to enable offline files to see if this problem can be solved:

1. Enter "Edit Policy Group" in the search box.
2. Go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Network > Offline Files.
3. In "Settings" on the right, double-click "Allow or disallow the use of the "Offline Files" function, check Enable offline files, and then restart the computer.
4. Right-click the shared network folder and select "Always available offline".

Best regards

Zunhui

Answer 2

Thank you for your response, however, Edit Policy Group is not available for Windows 10 Home. Could there be another way to check/enable offline files?

As mentioned I have at least my C: and V: drives available offline, since I can add them as network shares to my libraries.

Answer 3

Hello,

In Windows 10 Home Edition you can enable offline files using the following methods：

1. Go to Control Panel, switch its view to Large Icons or Small Icons, then find Sync Center and open it.
2. Click on "Manage Offline Files" and you will access the "Offline Files" window, which allows you to enable or disable offline files.
3. To enable offline files, click Enable offline files under the General tab. Remember, you need to restart your computer to activate the Offline Files folder. Otherwise, the folders on the mapped network drive will not be taken offline.

Best regards

Zunhui

Answer 4

Thank you for your response, when I opened Sync Center and clicked Manage Offline Files, it did not open a popup or respond in any way. Checking online, I noticed several users having a similar issue with Sync Center in Windows 10 Home Edition. Is there a solution or workaround?

Answer 5

Hello,

You can try to enable offline files in Windows 10 using the registry

1. Enter "registry" in the search box and open the Registry Editor.
2. Go to CSC and CscService and create a new Start key. You need to right-click on an empty space, select New, select a DWORD (32-bit) value (the same applies to 64-bit computers), and set its name to Start.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\CSC

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\CscService

3. To enable offline files, set the Start value data of CSC and CscService to 1 and 2 in sequence.
4. Restart the computer and make the changes available.

Best regards

Zunhui