How to Map a Network Drive on Windows

/ How To Fix, Windows / By
Windows mapped network drive illustration

Mapping a network drive gives a shared folder its own drive letter, such as Z:, so it appears under This PC like a local drive.

This applies to Windows 10 and Windows 11 connecting to shared folders on a home, office, NAS, or server network.

Does This Affect You?

Use this when you know the shared folder path and want quick repeat access without browsing the network every time.

Map the Drive in File Explorer

  1. Open File Explorer and select This PC.
  2. Choose Map network drive from the toolbar, More menu, or right-click menu.
  3. Pick an unused drive letter, often near the end of the alphabet.
  4. Enter the folder path, such as computer-nameshare-name or 192.168.1.50share-name.
  5. Check Reconnect at sign-in.
  6. Check Connect using different credentials if the share has a different username and password.
  7. Click Finish and enter credentials if prompted.

Map from Command Prompt

  1. Open Command Prompt. Administrator rights are not usually required.
  2. Run the command below with your drive letter and shared path.
  3. Enter credentials if prompted.
  4. Open This PC to confirm the drive appears.
net use Z: computer-nameshare-name /persistent:yes

To remove it later from Command Prompt, run net use Z: /delete.

Mapped Drive Troubleshooting

Disconnect a Drive

Right-click the mapped drive under This PC and choose Disconnect. This removes only the shortcut, not the shared files.

Missing After Restart

Make sure Reconnect at sign-in was enabled and that the computer, NAS, or server sharing the folder is awake and online before you sign in.

Credential Errors

Open Control Panel > Credential Manager > Windows Credentials, remove old saved credentials for the share, and reconnect so Windows asks fresh.

Use IP Address for Reliability

If computer names fail on your network, map by IP address instead. For NAS devices, reserve the IP in your router so it does not change.

Turn On Network Discovery

Enable Network discovery and File and printer sharing in advanced sharing settings if Windows cannot see local network devices.

Sources

  • Microsoft Support: Map a network drive in Windows
  • Microsoft Support: Fix network drive connection problems
  • Microsoft Learn: Set up file sharing over a network in Windows
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