This wikiHow teaches you how to turn a folder on a network computer into a shared drive. In order to change it, the computer must be connected to the same network as the computer that contains the drive folder. You can map a network drive on Windows and Mac computers.
Step
Method 1 of 2: On Windows
Step 1. Open the “Start” menu
Click the Windows logo in the lower-left corner of the screen.
Step 2. Open File Explorer
Click the folder icon in the lower-left corner of the Start window.
Step 3. Click This PC
This folder is in the left options column of the File Explorer window.
Step 4. Click the Computer tab
It's in the upper-left corner of the "This PC" window. The toolbar will be displayed under the tab “ Computer ”.
Step 5. Click the Map network drive icon
This option is in the " Network " section of the toolbar. The icon looks like a gray drive with a green bar below it. Once clicked, a pop-up window will open.
Step 6. Select a drive letter
Click the " Drive " drop-down box, then select the letter you want to use for the folder you want to map.
- All hard drives are labeled with a specific letter (eg the hard drive on your computer is most likely labeled with the letter "C").
- Try choosing an unusual letter like " X" or " Z"so as not to conflict with the choice of letters" A" until " F ” which is usually used on computers.
Step 7. Click Browse…
It's in the center-right side of the window. Once clicked, a new window will open.
Step 8. Select the folder you want to use as the drive
Click the name of the computer you want to use, select the folder you want to set as the drive, and then click the folder once to select it.
If it is not connected to at least one of the computers on the network, you cannot select a folder
Step 9. Click OK
It's at the bottom of the window. After that, the selected folder will be saved as the drive destination directory.
Make sure the owner of the computer that contains the selected folder has not moved the folder at this stage
Step 10. Make sure the "Reconnect at sign-up" box is checked
Click the box to the left of this option if it's not already checked. With this option, you can always access the folder.
If you want to access a shared folder on a network that is not stored on your personal computer, you may need to enter login information. If it is, check the box labeled " Connect using different credentials " and enter the login information
Step 11. Click Finish
It's at the bottom of the window. The setup process will be completed and the computer will be connected to the selected folder. Now you can use the folder as a drive.
The selected folder will be displayed in the “This PC” window, under the “Devices and drives” section. The letters you previously selected will also appear in the folder name
Method 2 of 2: On Mac
Step 1. Open Finder
Click the blue face icon in the computer's Dock.
Step 2. Click Go
This tab is in the menu bar at the top of the screen. A drop-down menu will appear after that.
Step 3. Click Connect to Server
It's at the bottom of the drop-down menu. A new window will be opened after that.
Step 4. Enter the address of the folder you want to use
For example, if the folder is named “ Food " and saved in the folder " Documents " on a computer named " Day ”, type Days/Documents/Food/ on the right side of the marker “ smb: ”.
You may see the prefix " ftp:” or something similar instead of “smb: ”, depending on the connection type used.
Step 5. Click +
This button is to the right of the address bar. The folder address will be added to the computer.
Step 6. Click Connect
It's a blue button at the bottom of the window.
Step 7. Enter login information when prompted
The login information and password that must be entered will differ depending on the network used. Therefore, check with the system administrator if you do not know how to access the folder.
