How to Map a Network Drive in Windows 11

Mapping turns a folder on another computer or NAS into a familiar drive letter, so apps and File Explorer can reach it without you typing the network path every time. This guide covers mapping in File Explorer and with the net use command, keeping it connected at sign-in, handling credentials, a brief note on deploying drives by Group Policy, disconnecting, and fixing the errors people hit most.

Method 1 — map a drive in File Explorer

1. Open File Explorer and select This PC in the left pane.
2. Click the three-dot (See more) menu on the toolbar and choose Map network drive.
3. In Drive, pick any free letter (Windows suggests one, often Z:).
4. In Folder, type the share path in UNC form — \\ComputerName\ShareName — or click Browse to find it under Network. You can use an IP address instead of a name, for example \\192.168.1.50\Files.
5. Tick Reconnect at sign-in so the mapping returns after a restart.
6. If the share needs a different account than your Windows sign-in, tick Connect using different credentials.
7. Click Finish. Enter the user name and password if prompted, and optionally tick Remember my credentials.

The drive now shows under This PC with the letter you chose and opens like any local folder. Microsoft Support's Map a network drive in Windows article describes the same sequence — File Explorer → This PC, More → Map network drive, pick any available drive letter, type the path in the Folder box, and select Reconnect at sign-in to connect every time you sign in.

Method 2 — map a drive with net use

The net use command is faster once you know the path and is easy to drop into a script. Open Terminal or Command Prompt and run:

net use Z: \\ComputerName\ShareName /persistent:yes

Here Z: is the drive letter, the UNC path is the share, and /persistent:yes makes the mapping reconnect at every sign-in (the equivalent of the Reconnect at sign-in checkbox). Use /persistent:no for a mapping that lasts only until you sign out.

To supply a specific account, add the /user switch and let Windows prompt for the password:

net use Z: \\ComputerName\ShareName /user:ComputerName\username *

The * tells net use to ask for the password rather than putting it on the command line in plain text. To list every drive currently mapped, run net use with no arguments. Both behaviours are in the net use command reference on Microsoft Learn: type an asterisk to produce a prompt for the password, and used without parameters net use retrieves a list of network connections.

Reconnecting at sign-in and handling credentials

Reconnect at sign-in (or /persistent:yes) stores the mapping so it returns each time you log on. For that to work smoothly, Windows also needs valid credentials for the sharing computer. When you tick Remember my credentials, they are saved in Credential Manager, and the drive reconnects without asking again.

To view or clean up saved credentials, open Credential Manager (search for it, or Control Panel > User Accounts > Credential Manager) and look under Windows Credentials. From there you can edit or remove a stored entry — useful when a password changes and a mapped drive starts prompting or failing.

Mapping drives with Group Policy (brief)

On a managed network, administrators do not map drives by hand on every PC. Instead they use Group Policy Preferences > Drive Maps (under User Configuration) to push a mapping to many machines at once, targeting who gets which drive. This is the standard approach in a business or school domain; for a single home PC it is not needed. If you administer a domain and want the full walk-through, our create a file share on Windows Server guide is the right starting point for the server side of the story.

Disconnecting a mapped drive

When you no longer need a mapping:

• In File Explorer: open This PC, right-click the mapped drive and choose Disconnect.
• With net use: remove one drive by letter —

  net use Z: /delete

  or remove every mapping at once with net use * /delete — the reference confirms that specifying the connection with an asterisk cancels all network connections.

Disconnecting only removes the drive letter on your PC; it does not touch the shared folder or its contents on the other computer.

Troubleshooting the common errors

• "Windows cannot access \\PC\Share". Check the sharing computer is on and reachable — try ping by name or IP — and that the folder is actually shared. On the same network, a static IP on the host can make it easier to reach; see set a static IP in Windows 11.
• Wrong user name or password. Map again with Connect using different credentials, or clear the stale entry in Credential Manager and re-enter it.
• The network path was not found. Double-check the spelling of the computer name and share, and that both PCs are on the same network. If names do not resolve, try the host's IP address in the path, and see DNS server not responding.
• The drive letter is already in use. Pick a different free letter, or disconnect the existing mapping on that letter first.