This wikiHow teaches you how to set up a network drive on Windows or Mac. A network drive is a shared folder (shared folder) that can be used by more than two computers on the same network.
Step
Method 1 of 2: For Windows
Step 1. Make sure the computer is connected to the network
Each computer that wants to use the network drive must be connected to the same internet network for the network drive to appear on other computers.
Step 2. Enable network discovery
Network discovery is a feature that allows computers to collect information on devices and computers connected to the network. You must enable network discovery to make the network drive accessible to other computers. Here's how to activate it:
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Open menu Start
Windowsstart - Type control panel
- Click Control Panel
- Click option Network and Sharing Center. You may have to click the text first Network and Internet to find this option.
- Click option Change advanced sharing settings in the upper-left side of the window.
- Check the box "Turn on network discovery".
- Check the box "Turn on file and printer sharing".
- Click button Save changes which is at the bottom of the window.
Step 3. Open the Start menu
Click the Windows logo at the bottom left of the screen.
Step 4. Open File Explorer
Click the File Explorer icon, which is a folder in the bottom-left side of the window.
Step 5. Click the This PC option
It's in the left-hand side of the File Explorer window. Clicking on it will open the This PC window.
Step 6. Click the Computer tab
You'll find this tab at the top left of the window. After clicking on it, a toolbar will appear at the top of the window.
Step 7. Click the Map network drive icon
It's in the "Network" section of the toolbar. Make sure you click the icon that looks like a USB flash drive (flash drive), not the icon with text Map network drives.
Step 8. Select the hard disk partition letter (hard drive)
Click the " Drive " drop-down box and select an available hard disk partition letter. This step makes the hard disk partition letter represent the network drive. This way, it can help you choose a network drive easily.
Step 9. Click the Browse… option
It's on the right side of the window. After clicking this symbol, a pop-up window (small window containing certain information) will appear on the screen.
Step 10. Select the folder you want to use as the network drive
Click the computer you want to use to create the network drive. After that, find and click the folder you want to use.
Step 11. Click the OK button
It's at the bottom of the window.
If you receive an error message, the selected folder may not be used as a network drive because the attribute of the folder is read-only (a folder that cannot be used to store data)
Step 12. Click the Finish button
It's at the bottom of the window. Clicking on it will create and activate a network drive so that other computers connected to the network can access it.
If the computer has ever been connected to another different channel on the network, you will have to rebuild the network between the computer and the network drive
Step 13. Access the network drive from another computer connected to the network
As long as other computers connected to the network have network discovery and file sharing enabled, you can open the network drive by going to This PC and double-clicking the network drive folder under the text Devices and drives.
Method 2 of 2: For Mac
Step 1. Make sure the computer is connected to the network
Each computer that wants to use the network drive must be connected to the same internet network for the network drive to appear on other computers.
Step 2. Enable network discovery
Network discovery is a feature that allows computers to collect information on devices and computers connected to the network. You must enable network discovery to make the network drive accessible to other computers. Here's how to activate it:
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open Apple menu
Macapple1 - Click option System Preferences…
- Click option Sharing
- Check the box "File Sharing"
- Close the System Preferences window.
Step 3. Open Finder
Click the Finder icon which is the blue face in the Dock.
Step 4. Choose a directory
Click the folder in the left-hand side of the Finder window to open it. After that, click the folder you want to use as a network drive to select it.
Step 5. Click the File option
It's at the top of the screen. Clicking on it will open a drop-down menu.
Step 6. Click the Get Info option
You can find this option in the dropdown File. Clicking on it will open a window with folder information.
Step 7. Copy the folder address
Click and drag the mouse from left to right on the text next to the word " Where: " to highlight the folder address. After that, press Command+C to copy it.
Folder addresses usually contain the text "System /FolderName" or other similar text
Step 8. Click the Go option
It's at the top of the screen. After clicking the icon, a drop-down menu will appear on the screen.
If you can't find the option Go in the menu bar, open a new Finder window to display it on the screen. You can also click on the desktop to bring it up.
Step 9. Click the Connect to Server option
It's at the bottom of the drop-down menu Go. Clicking on it will open a pop-up window.
Step 10. Type in the computer name followed by a slash. You must type the computer name in the "smb:" (or "ftp:") text field at the top of the window Connect to Server.
For example, if your computer is named "Rhonda", you can type Rhonda/ in the text field
Step 11. Paste (paste) the folder address
Press Command+V key to do so. After that, you will see the computer name followed by the folder address in the text field.
Step 12. Click the + button
This button is to the right of the URL field (the address bar or the field where you can write the website address). Clicking on it will add the folder address to the Mac.
Step 13. Click the Connect button
It's blue and it's at the bottom of the window.
Step 14. Enter the password and username when prompted
The username and password that must be entered will vary depending on the network. Therefore, talk to the network system administrator if you do not know how to log in to your account.
After logging into your account, you'll see a USB flash drive icon along with the folder name on your desktop
Tips
- If you don't want to use a folder stored on your computer as a network drive, you can connect an external hard drive to your router using an ethernet cable or USB if your router supports it. After that, select the option router in the Browse window on the network drive. This will make the network drive more stable because the router is rarely changed or turned off.
- Note that the computer that holds the network drive folder must be continuously turned on and connected to the internet or network in order for other computers to access the network drive. Therefore, make sure that you update your computer during office hours.
