Windows 11 pro cannot connect to shared folders

Question

I recently pulled an old Win 8.1 computer out of retirement to use as a 'sever.'

I set it up and got it up to date with Windows Updates and other updates.

Then I tried to share folders from this PC to a Windows 11 PC. I also am running a Windows 7 PC for remote desktop and testing..

When I clicked on the PC icon in Network, the shares would not be exposed from win 11 to win 8.1 as the server.

I had some success, but intermittent problems seeing Win 7 shares from Win 11.

I ensured Network Discovery was turned on and I tried toggling password protection for shares on and off.

I searched the Net for days and tonight, I found an article that describes a known and acknowledged problem withe Windows 11, Microsoft Accounts (vs local accounts) and shared folders.

It appears that when I log into a Microsoft Account on my Win 11 machine, I am not able to reliably see shares on other computers. Some shares work fine and others do not work at all. The most common problem was that I would click on a computer to expose its shares and I would be prompted to log into the share--at the computer level.

In my experimentation, I discovered that if I logged into an Admin account, shares worked. I thought it was some sort of security issue, and I wasted much time trying to discover the correct security settings.

The Admin account is and has always been a Local account, and the account I use daily is a Microsoft account. The problems I was having were NOT security issues as much as they were an acknowledged bug related to MS account logins and network shares.

I converted my regular user MS account to a Local account and I was able to see shares across the variety of Win 7, Win 8.1 and Win 11 computers.

I do not use MS services that require a MS account--like Office, On Drive, or the many other services that are available, so converting to a local account is expected to be painless and shares between computers if very important to me.

How to convert MS account computer login to a Local account login:

If you are using MS services, they will require some tweaking to make them work after the conversion!!

(1)Open Settings

(2)Open Accounts --on the left

(3)Under the title "Account Settings," open Your Info

(4)Under Account Settings, open Microsoft Account-->Change to Local Account

(5)Follow instructions to set the Local password.

   When done setting password, you will be forced to sign out and then sign in again.

(6)Try to use you network shares !!

I hope this explanation helps others avoid problems I have experienced.

Microsoft, The article I found describing this fix was dated Sep 2023 and the root cause of the problem is still a problem for people using folder shares from older Windows versions to Windows 11 (10?) when logged into a Microsoft Account.

Make it work !!

Jim

***moved from Windows / Windows 11 / Settings***

Answer 1

Hi Jim,

Thank you for sharing your detailed experience and solution regarding the issue with shared folders between Windows 11 and older Windows versions.

Summary of the Issue and Solution

You described that when using a Microsoft Account on your Windows 11 PC, you experienced intermittent problems accessing shared folders on other computers, specifically those running Windows 7 and Windows 8.1. The shares were more reliable when using a local admin account rather than a Microsoft Account.

You found that converting your Microsoft Account to a Local Account resolved the issue, allowing you to access shared folders consistently across your network. Below are the steps you followed to make this conversion:

Steps to Convert a Microsoft Account to a Local Account

1. Open Settings
2. Navigate to Accounts:
   • On the left panel, click on *Accounts*.
3. Open Your Info:
   • Under the title "Account Settings," select *Your Info*.
4. Change to Local Account:
   • Under "Account Settings," click on *Microsoft Account* and then select *Change to Local Account*.
5. Set the Local Password:
   • Follow the instructions to set a local password.
   • After setting the password, you will be prompted to sign out and then sign in again.
6. Test Network Shares:
   • After signing back in with the Local Account, try to access your network shares again.

Additional Recommendations

1. Network Discovery and File Sharing:
   • Ensure that Network Discovery and File Sharing are enabled on all your devices.
   • Go to Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Change advanced sharing settings to verify these settings.

2. Password Protected Sharing:
   • Depending on your security requirements, you might need to enable or disable password protected sharing.
   • This setting can be found under the same advanced sharing settings menu mentioned above.
3. Verify SMB Protocols:
   • Ensure that the SMB protocol versions required by your devices are enabled.
   • On the Windows 11 PC, go to Control Panel > Programs > Turn Windows features on or off and verify that the necessary SMB versions (SMB 1.0/CIFS File Sharing Support and SMB Direct) are enabled if needed.

Further Assistance

If you continue to experience issues or have any other questions, please feel free to reach out. We appreciate your feedback and will continue to work towards improving the user experience.

Thank you for your patience and cooperation.

Best regards,

Rosy

Forum Support Team

Answer 2

I also have this issue, but having followed all of the steps above it is still not solved.

I have a Windows Vista PC and a Windows 8.1 laptop.

I am able to access shared folders between these two using the HomeGroup facility in Windows 8.1

I recently added a Windows 11 pro machine. Following the advice above it has a Local account with password.

In the network section of Explorer I cannot see the Windows 8.1 machine,

I can (apparently) open it as a media library source in wmp, but there is no content found in Music, Videos or Pictures.

The Win11 PC can see the Vista PC, but when I try to open it in explorer it fails.

The Windows Network Diagnostics reports:

Your computer appears to be correctly configured, but the device or resource (XXXX-XX) is not responding

'Detected', yellow warniing triangle

The Vista PC can see the Windows 11 machine, but opening fails. The diagnostic reports:

Network diagnostics pinged the remote host but did not reeceive a response

On the Windows 8.1 laptop I can see both the Vista machine (which I can also access) and the Windows 11 machine, but opening the latter fails. The diagnostic reports:

Windows can't communicate with the device or resource (XXXX-XXXXXXXX)

'Detected', yellow warniing triangle

There is also a mouse-over hint with the message:

It is available but is not responding to the connection attempts. A firewall or network security policy on the remote computer might be blocking the connection on port 'file and print sharing resource'.

In Windows Defender

Domain network = Firewall is On

Private network (active) = Firewall is On

Public network = Firewall is On

In Windows Defender, Domain network

Active domain networks = Not connected

Microsoft Defender Firewall = On

Incoming connections = Unchecked

In Windows Defender, Private network

Active private networks = [wifi connection]

Microsoft Defender Firewall = On

Incoming connections = Unchecked

In Windows Defender, Private network

Active public networks = Not connected

Microsoft Defender Firewall = On

Incoming connections = Unchecked

In Windows Defender, Allowed Applications

There is a long list of entries, those which I thought most relevant are:

On - Core Networking

Off - Core Networking Diagnostics

On - File and Printer Sharing

On - File and Printer Sharing over SMBirect

On - Network Discovery

Off - Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol

Off - SNMP Trap

On - Wi-Fi Direct Netword Discovery

On - Windows Media Player

Off - Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service

On - WLAN Service - WFD Application Services ...

On - WLAN Service - WFD Services ...

On - Workplace or School Account

On - Your Account

Under Firewall & network protection, Advance settings

There are three sections in Overview:

• Domain Profile
• Private Profile is Active
• Public Profile

All three have the following entries:

• Windows Defender Firewall is on
• Inbound connections that do not match a rule are blocked
• Outbound connections that do not match a rule are allowed

Changing the 'Inbound .... blocked' entries to Unblocked appears to disable the Firewall

Under Inbound Rules and Outbound Rules there are many, many entries

There are no entries under Connection Security Rules

Temporarily disabling the Microsoft Defender Firewall does not make any difference.

There is an Apple computer on the network. The Win11 PC can log into this Apple PC using a guest username and password

There is a smart TV on the network with an external HD connected. The Win11 PC can open and edit a text file that I put on this drive.

I would be happy to provide any more data.

Regards

Answer 3

ps

I also posted my reply on this forum: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_11-wintop_connect/win11-unable-to-seeconnect-to-shared-folders-on/fe2a32e8-459a-40ca-bfe2-ac979ae62599?messageId=9a6bbedc-9b37-45d1-a072-571604ad821f

And a response there led me to a solution - I installed the Client for NFS on the Win11 machine and it was then able to see and access the Win8.1 PC (everything under C;\Users)

The Win81 machine was also able to acccess the Shared folders on the Win11 PC.

No change with the Vista machine but I can live with that.

(Note: the SMB protocols referred to in the answer above are being retired due to a security problem)