How to Access Shared Folders on a Network with Windows 11

Use PowerShell

PowerShell is a built-in application of Windows 11 that you can use to run text commands or scripts to perform various tasks, including accessing shared folders on the network. PowerShell is a more advanced and powerful version of Command Prompt, which supports more features and functions. Here are the steps:

  1. Open PowerShell by pressing the Windows key + X on your keyboard, and then select Windows PowerShell. Alternatively, you can click on the Start button, then type powershell and click on the result that appears.
  2. In the PowerShell window, type the following command, and then press Enter:
New-PSDrive -Name X -PSProvider FileSystem -Root \\computername\sharename -Credential username

Where:

  • X is the drive letter you want to use to access the shared folder. You can choose any letter that isn’t already used by other drives on your computer or device.
  • \\computername\sharename is the network address of the shared folder you want to access. You can find out the name of the computer or device sharing the folder by using File Explorer, or by typing the Get-NetNeighbor command in PowerShell. You can also use the IP address of that computer or device, for example, \\192.168.1.100\sharename.
  • username is the username you use to access shared folders. You can omit this section if your username is the same as the username used by the computer or device sharing the folder.
  1. If the command succeeds, you should see output like this:
Name Used (GB) Free (GB) Provider Root CurrentLocation
---- --------- --------- -------- ----  ---------------

X 12.34 45.67 FileSystem \\computername\sharename
  1. Open File Explorer, then click on the This PC section in the left pane. You’ll see a new drive with the letter you selected, indicating the shared folder you’re accessing. You can open, edit, delete, or copy the files contained in it. You can also create a shortcut to the drive by right-clicking on the drive name and then selecting Create shortcut.
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Using Third-Party Apps

In addition to using the built-in applications of Windows 11, you can also use third-party applications that can help you access shared folders on the network more easily and practically. Some popular and recommended third-party apps are:

  • Network Drive Mapper: This application can map shared folders on the network to your local drive with just a few clicks. You can choose the drive letter, username, password, and other options according to your needs. The app can also save your credentials, so you don’t have to enter them every time you want to access a shared folder. You can download this app from here.
  • Network File Manager 10: This application is a file manager specifically designed to manage files and folders on the network. You can browse, search, access, edit, delete, or copy files and folders shared by other computers or devices on the same network as you. The application also supports FTP, SFTP, WebDAV, and other protocols. You can download this app from here.
  • network browser: This app is a network browser that can display a list of computers or devices connected to the same network as you. You can click on the name of the computer or device to view the folder it shared, and click on the folder name to view the contents of the folder. You can open, edit, delete, or copy the files contained in it. You can download this app from here.

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