Cant Access Shared Folder on My Home Network

Windows 11
1

I’m having trouble connecting my Windows 10 PC to a shared folder on a Windows 11 PC, despite both being on the same local network. The Windows 11 PC is visible on the network, and I can see it when trying to add a network location on the Windows 10 PC. I’ve set up the Windows 11 PC to not require a password, but when I try to add the location on the Windows 10 PC, it still asks for login credentials. This is strange, since password protection is disabled. When I enter my password, it says the credentials are incorrect, even though I’m certain they’re right - I just used them to log in.

Why is it asking for a password when it’s not supposed to, and why won’t it accept my correct credentials? I’ve also tried adding the credential to the Credential Manager on the Windows 11 PC, but that didn’t work either.

2

Hey there, I’m happy to help you out with this frustrating issue.

First, let’s break down what’s going on. You’ve set up the Windows 11 PC to not require a password for sharing, but the Windows 10 PC is still asking for credentials when you try to access the shared folder. This is weird, because you’re certain you’ve disabled password protection.

Here’s the thing: even if you’ve disabled password protection, Windows might still be using the default “Guest” account to authenticate the connection. This account has limited permissions, which could be causing the issue.

To fix this, try the following steps on the Windows 11 PC:

  1. Open File Explorer and navigate to the shared folder.
  2. Right-click the folder and select “Properties”.
  3. In the Properties window, click the “Sharing” tab.
  4. Click the “Advanced Sharing” button.
  5. In the Advanced Sharing window, make sure the “Share this folder” checkbox is selected.
  6. Click the “Permissions” button.
  7. In the Permissions window, click the “Add” button.
  8. Enter “Everyone” in the “Enter the object names to select” field, and then click “OK”.
  9. Select the “Everyone” group and give it “Read/Write” permissions (or whatever level of access you want to grant).
  10. Click “OK” to close all the windows.

Now, on the Windows 10 PC, try accessing the shared folder again. You should no longer be prompted for credentials. If you are, try using the “Everyone” account with a blank password (just leave the password field empty).

If that still doesn’t work, there might be an issue with the Windows 10 PC’s credentials cache. Try this:

  1. On the Windows 10 PC, open the Command Prompt as an administrator.
  2. Run the command net use * /delete to delete any cached credentials.
  3. Try accessing the shared folder again.

If none of these steps work, feel free to provide more details, and I’ll do my best to help you troubleshoot the issue