How to Map a Network Drive on Windows 11

If you commonly use a networked generate (or “share”) with Windows 11, you can map it to a travel letter in File Explorer to make it show up more like a regional travel and quickly obtain it in the future. Here’s how to do it.

To start with, open File Explorer. If you really don’t have a shortcut to File Explorer in your taskbar, right-click on the Commence button and pick “File Explorer.”

In a File Explorer window, click the ellipses button (a few dots) in the toolbar, then choose “Map Community Drive” in the menu that seems.

In the “Map Network Drive” window, click on the “Drive” drop-down menu and select a push letter that you will assign to the network travel. It can be any letter in the listing, relying on your personalized choice.

In the “Folder” field, enter the community device and share title. If you never recall it, click “Browse” to see offered products on your nearby community.

If you want Windows to generally reconnect to this push each individual time you sign in, look at the box beside “Reconnect at indication-in.” And if you want to join with qualifications (username and password) other than the ones joined to your recent Home windows account, test “Connect Employing Different Qualifications.”

When you’re performed, click “Finish.”

Right after clicking “Finish,” Home windows 11 will endeavor to link to the community drive. If your default credentials are unsuccessful, or if you checked “Connect Working with Distinct Credentials” in the past step, you’ll see a “Windows Security” window wherever you can enter the user name and password required to obtain the generate.

If you want Windows to often recall this consumer title and password for the push (so you really do not have to enter them again), verify “Remember My Credentials.” When you are carried out, simply click “OK.”

Windows 11 will connect to the push and map it to the drive letter you picked. If you open File Explorer and glimpse at “This Personal computer,” you’ll see the mapped generate stated underneath “Network Locations.”

The mapped drive will also seem in the File Explorer sidebar underneath “Network.”

Every time you open up the mapped generate (if you have read and publish access), you can use it pretty much just like a area push linked to your equipment. But keep in brain that it will almost certainly be slower than your local drives because facts is getting transferred to and from a community in its place of by way of a regional relationship like USB or SATA.

Similar: NVMe vs. SATA: Which SSD Technologies Is More quickly?

How to Disconnect a Mapped Community Push

To disconnect a mapped network push, very first open File Explorer. In the toolbar of any File Explorer window, simply click the ellipses button (3 dots) and decide on “Disconnect Network Travel.”

In the “Disconnect Network Drives” window that appears, find the push you’d like to disconnect, then click “OK.”

Alternately, you can identify the mapped push in File Explorer, then ideal-simply click it. Pick out “Show Much more Options” in the initially menu that appears, then “Disconnect” in the second menu.

Right after that, the drive will be disconnected and no lengthier mapped. It will also totally free up the previously reserved travel letter applied by the mapped drive. Satisfied networking!

Relevant: How to Work With Community Drives & Community Areas