How to Fix “Cannot See Shared Folders in Windows 10 PC”

One of the most powerful features available in modern computing is the use of local area networks that allow you to share movies or music files across all the devices in your home or office. You can use a network to set up a media server, to share printers and scanners, or just to share files between two machines.

How to Fix

Although, in principle, networking your computers is fairly simple, in practice, it can be a pain to get it running properly. A common problem is the inability of one machine to see shared folders on another machine. In Windows 10, this problem has been fixed to a great extent, but it does still occur.

Follow along in this article to learn how to fix your shared folder problems in Windows 10.

Shared Folders in Windows

Older versions of Windows supported local area networks, all the way back to Windows for Workgroups 3.11 in 1993. Up until Windows 8.1, in fact, networking in Windows could fairly be described as a nightmare, presenting problem after problem. If you got a network up and running on those earlier operating systems, in fact, you became really reluctant to change anything whatsoever for fear that your precariously-functioning network would fall apart again.

Fortunately, Windows 10 has greatly improved that process. There are still issues, but networking and sharing resources within a network isn’t quite the painful experience it once was. Windows 10 simplified the process of creating a network so that now all you have to do is set up a network share, and it works like a charm, in theory.

Setting up a Shared Network Folder in Windows 10

One of the most common causes of networking glitches in Windows 10 is incorrect setup. Despite being the simplest Windows network possible, it is still very easy to get things wrong.

Here is how a Windows network should be set up.

  1. Open Windows Explorer and right-click a folder you want to share, and select Properties. Folder Properties
  2. Next, select the Sharing tab.
    Folder Sharing Properties
  3. Now, click on the Share… button.
    Folder Share Properties
  4. Enter the people you want to allow access to your files in the popup box that appears, or you can select Everyone from the drop-down menu if you don’t have specific users on your home network. Click Add when done.
    Folder Share Properties 2
  5. Modify the permissions level within the window if you need to. Read will give users the ability to read files; Read/Write will let them modify or delete files. Folder Share Properties 3
  6. Click Share when finished.
    Folder Share Properties 4
  7. Make a note of the links provided to the shared directories; you’ll need these to access the folders on the network. Click Done after you’ve completed everything and copied the link(s).

Once the share has been set up, you should be able to access it from another computer. Open Windows Explorer, select Network from the left pane, select the file, and log in using your credentials. That’s it!

PC Cannot See Shared Folders in Windows 10

If you set up sharing correctly, your PC should see shared folders in Windows 10. If you cannot see them, perform these checks.

  1. Make sure your computers are using the same network and IP version, i.e., IPv4 or IPv6. Most home networks use IPv4, so you’ll most likely want to check that.
  2. Make sure Network discovery is enabled on all computers.
  3. Make sure File and printer sharing is enabled on all computers.
  4. Toggle Turn on password protected sharing to off and retest.
  5. Make sure you are logging in using the same account you entered when you added users to Share with.
  6. If you use Windows Defender Firewall, open the Firewall app, select Allowed apps and ensure File and Printer Sharing is allowed to pass.

If none of those work, make sure all networking services are running. The following services should all be set to Automatic and be currently running:

  • DNS Client
  • Function Discovery Provider Host
  • Function Discovery Resource Publication
  • HomeGroup Provider
  • HomeGroup Listener
  • Peer Networking Grouping
  • SSDP Discovery
  • UPnP Device Host

Even though Homegroup has now been removed from Windows 10, it is still mentioned throughout the operating system.

If your PC still cannot see shared folders in Windows 10, check the credentials in the computer you are trying to access files from.

  1. Open Control Panel.
    Control Panel
  2. Now, select User Accounts from the menu. Control Panel Menu
  3. Next, click on Credential Manager.
    User Accounts Menu
  4. Then, select Windows Credentials > Add a Windows credential. Windows Credentials
  5. Add the IP address of the PC hosting the file and the admin username and password of that PC, and then select OK to save.

Make sure you add the IP address and admin username and password of the computer hosting the files. You can then theoretically access the share by typing the network address in Explorer on other computers, e.g., \192.168.0.52AdminAdminpassword.

Failing all of that, there is always the Shared Folders troubleshooter. Select Settings, Update & Security, Troubleshoot, and Shared Folders. Run the troubleshooter from there.

Accessing a Shared Folder That Isn’t Password Protected

  1. Type control into the Windows Search bar and select Control Panel, or you can go to the Settings page.
    Control Panel
  2. Next, select Network and Internet.
    Network Settings
  3. Now, select Network and Sharing Center. Network and Sharing Center
  4. From Network and Sharing Center, select Change advanced sharing settings. Advanced sharing settings
  5. Ensure Network discovery and File and printer sharing are enabled for the Private, Guest or Public, and All Networks.
  6. Check the box next to Turn on automatic setup of network connected devices where applicable. Network sharing settings
  7. Now, under All Networks, toggle Turn off password protected sharing. Network sharing settings 2
  8. Under All Networks, make sure to turn on Public Folder sharing. Shared Folder Settings
  9. Click the Save changes button to apply the new settings.

Shared Folders in Windows 10

Networking in Windows 10 is just much more difficult than it should be. If your PC cannot see shared folders in Windows 10, one of these fixes should have you up and running. They have all worked for me.

We have more networking resources available for you!

Wondering what kind of router you should get? Check out our guide to the right wireless router for your needs.

Having problems with your WiFi network? Here’s our troubleshooting guide to wireless networks.

Wondering about network security? Here’s a guide to what WPS means in your network.

Want a more secure network? Here’s how to set up WPA2 Enterprise security on your network.

We’ve also got an explanation about custom firmware.

Did the suggestions help solve your dilemma? Have any other suggestions or tips for helping with Windows 10 networking? Feel free to share them with the community in the comments below!

16 thoughts on “How to Fix “Cannot See Shared Folders in Windows 10 PC””

donald biden says:
my desktop pc has no password. when i want to see and access its shared folders from another computer, this other computer wants me to enter a password for the desktop pc. even though there is no password, the system wants it and will not let me in. how do i fix this?
danny yeoh says:
For your issue the step above with “Network and Sharing Center window” change the option to NO PASSWORD REQUIRED and try it
Philip McLeod says:
I have an issue that my desktop PC running version 1903 can sometimes see my DELL laptop (not always) but returns a message that it cannot access it.
My laptop is running version 1909. Apart from the different version there is no difference in the settings. The laptop can see and access the Desktop PC most of the time with no problem.
I have been through every web page I can find and triple checked all settings etc and advise but nothing seems to work.
Any further clues? Maybe Ver 1909 fixed an issue in Ver 1903
David Spector says:
In my case, I was using a shortcut to the IP address of the remote computer. This sometimes works, sometimes doesn’t. More reliable is to use a UNC address (or a network drive letter assigned to the UNC address). If your remote computer name is ME, then its UNC address is \\ME . So a shortcut to \\ME will connect to computer ME as soon as you share one or more folders located on the ME file system. To share, view the folder in File Explorer, right-click, select Properties, then select tab Sharing, then click Advanced Sharing. Check Share this folder and enter any name to be seen when you click the \\ME shortcut on your local computer. Be sure to click Permissions in the Advanced Sharing dialog if you need to be able to write to the remote computer. By default, you can only read data. Write down this information, as it is fundamental yet often not known even by experts.
David Spector says:
You say to enable IPv6 (step 5). But I can’t because I assign static IP addresses and, while I figured out the proper parameters for IPv4, I have no idea what they are for IPv6. I don’t expect an answer here, but just to let you know that the article could use improvement.
Van der Meijde says:
Hi there … I have finally resolved my issue being unable to access shared folders after a windows update. Eventually the issue was fixed by setting the switch “without password protected sharing”.
LukeChad says:
I’ve tried the suggestions, and a lot more others. Finally found the fix, especially if you wanna stream to a TV. Go to your File Explorer (window Key + E), under Libraries, right click on Videos, click Properties, then the dialog box opens up, click “Add” for the folders you want popping up on your media device/TVs.
Ben says:
There’s absolutely no need to ensure IPV6 is turned on for sharing to work though…
nik says:
Hello there ! The problem i have is the following : I can share folders normally (as well as its sub folders and files) placed at c: (or at a partition of c:) following the procedure above, however i can NOT share the structure of the sub folders and the files contained inside of a shared folder in case this shared folder is placed at any external disk ! In this case I can only see the shared folder but i can’t see anything of its content ! any ideas ?
rael says:
can i use my admin account when adding on credential manager or it should be the account of the owner of shared folder?
thanks for the answer

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