How To: Map Network Drives (PC & Mac)

How To: Map Network Drives (PC & Mac)

Here are instructions on how to map a network drive to your computer.

In Windows 10:

Map a network drive to get to it from File Explorer in Windows without having to look for it or type its network address each time.

  1. Open File Explorer from the taskbar or the Start  menu, or press the Windows logo key  + E.

  2. Select This PC from the left pane. Then, on the Computer tab, select Map network drive. 

            Screenshot of File Explorer

  1. In the Drive list, select a drive letter. (Any available letter will do.)

  2. In the Folder box, type the path of the folder or computer, or select Browse to find the folder or computer. To connect every time you sign in to your PC, select Reconnect at sign-in.

  3. Select Finish.

Note: If you can't connect to a network drive or folder, the computer you're trying to connect to might be turned off, or you might not have the correct permissions. Try contacting your network administrator.

In Windows 11:

Map a network drive to get to it from File Explorer in Windows without having to look for it or type its network address each time.

  1. Open File Explorer from the taskbar or the Start  menu, or press the Windows logo key  + E.

  2. Select This PC from the left pane. Then, on the File Explorer ribbon, select More  > Map network drive.

    Where to find Map Network Drive in Windows 11 File Explorer

  3. In the Drive list, select a drive letter. (Any available letter will do.)

  4. In the Folder box, type the path of the folder or computer, or select Browse to find the folder or computer. To connect every time you sign in to your PC, select Reconnect at sign-in.

  5. Select Finish.

Note: If you can't connect to a network drive or folder, the computer you're trying to connect to might be turned off, or you might not have the correct permissions. Try contacting your network administrator.

In Mac OSX:

1. Click on the desktop to make the Finder active. 

2. Click the Go tab & select "Connect to Server" from the dropdown menu.

3. Alternatively, you can press "Command+K" to bring up the same menu.


4. Type the Server Address (i.e. "smb://share2/shares2").  Click the "+" button to save this location if you'll need to access it frequently.

5. Click Connect.  In the following window, select "Connect as Registered User".



6. In the "Name" field, type in your domain name.  This will be the first 5 letters of your last name, followed by the number 9, then the first initial of your first name. For example, the name "John Smith" would be "smith9j".

7. In the "password" field, type in the password associated with your domain name.

8. Click Connect.  A finder window will open displaying the contents of the shared drive, and an icon for the drive will appear on your desktop.

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