How to mount network drives as local disks in Windows

Work with network drives as if they were local hard drives It's become almost mandatory if you handle large volumes of data, work remotely, or use a NAS at home or in the office. Mapping shared resources, mounting them with a drive letter, or even using folders as mount points are things that Windows does very well… as long as we know how to configure everything carefully.

In the following lines you will see in detail how Mounting, using, and maintaining network drives and “virtual” drives in Windows 10 and Windows 11, how to fix it when something goes wrong, what alternatives you have (FTP, WebDAV, cloud, SSHFS…and what security measures you should implement to avoid leaving your network vulnerable. We'll go step by step, but directly and with real-world examples that will be useful both at home and in a corporate environment.

What does mapping a network drive really mean?

Mapping a network drive involves assign a Windows drive letter (Z:, X:, etc.) to a shared folder on another computer, NAS, server, or network device. From that moment on, that remote resource behaves to the system as if it were just another local disk, visible from "This PC" in File Explorer.

This mapping is normally done on SMB/CIFS shared foldersHowever, there are also alternatives that mimic the same behavior (such as WebDAV drives or cloud solutions that mount as disk). The goal is for the user not to have to remember paths like \\server\folder each time, but can go directly to the unit letter.

In mixed or corporate environments, this concept is extended: it is possible map different units according to user groupswhich are automatically set up at login thanks to group policies, .bat scripts or directives in Windows Server and Active Directory.

Advantages of using network drives as local disks

When mapping a unit is done correctly, Daily life becomes much more streamlinedYou stop jumping between long paths, reduce errors when searching for folders, and "old" applications that don't play well with UNC paths can work without complaining when they see a drive with a normal letter.

In a remote work environment, where you access a NAS, a file server or code repositoriesMapping these paths as units makes compilation, data synchronization, and any other tasks easier. script that depends on fixed routes. This is very useful when you need several people to share the same data centrally.

Another important point is that the Network drives allow for better use of storageYou can store a large volume of data on a NAS, accessible from all computers on the network, without having to distribute external drives from person to person. This is especially noticeable in businesses, where backups, projects, and documentation are centralized.

If you combine it with VPN With the right tools, your local network "stretches" to your home or wherever you're teleworking, maintaining the same scheme of units and routes, which greatly reduces human error.

How to connect to a network drive in Windows 10 and Windows 11

Windows offers several ways to connect network drivesfrom the classic graphical method in Explorer to commands in CMD or PowerShell. The basics are always the same: specify the path to the shared resource and the drive letter you want to use.

Direct connection via IP or network name

The quickest way to check if a network drive is responding is to type its path into the File Explorer address bar. That is, you enter \\ 192.168.1.10 o \\SERVER-NAME and press Enter. This doesn't map the drive yet, but it does allow you to verify if the resource exists and if you have permissions.

By accessing it this way, Windows may ask you for a user and passwordOn a NAS or router, these are usually the same credentials you use to access its administration panel or the user account configured on the server.

If the device has a friendly network name (for example, \\ROUTER-01 o \\NAS-OFFICE), it's more convenient to use it instead of the IP address, especially if the address can change with There.

Map a drive from File Explorer

Once you know the resource is accessible, the usual step is to create the permanent mapping. In Windows 10 and Windows 11, this can be done very visually: Open Explorer, go to "This PC"Right-click on it and choose the "Connect network drive" option.

In the window that appears, select the drive letter (Z:, X:, W: or V: are commonly used, which are rarely occupied) and in the "Folder" field enter the UNC path, such as \\server\shared_folderYou can also click "Browse" to have Windows locate devices on the network and choose the shared folder from there.

It is highly recommended to select the option "Reconnect upon logging in" If you want the drive to mount automatically every time you log into Windows, and the resource belongs to a different domain or server, select "Connect with different credentials" and enter the correct username and password.

After completing the wizard, the new drive will appear in "This device", in the "Network Locations" section with a network drive icon. From then on, it will function like any other hard drive, accessible from any application.

Connect from CMD with net use

If you prefer to use commands or need to automate the process, you can use CMD and the net use command. Open a symbol of the system and execute something like:

net use Z: \\Servidor\Carpeta /user:Usuario Contraseña /persistent:yes

In this command, the key part is that Z: It is the letter of unity, \\Server\Folder It is the network resource, and with /persistent:yes You specify that the mapping should be retained upon restart. This way, you won't have to repeat the command every time you turn on your computer.

It's a very useful method for creating scripts that automatically map multiple drives when a user logs into a computer, especially in environments with many positions where you don't want to configure them one by one by hand.

Connect from PowerShell with New-PSDrive

In PowerShell, the modern equivalent of net use is New PSDrivewhich allows mapping file units with more scripting options. A typical example would be:

New-PSDrive -Name Z -PSProvider FileSystem -Root "\\Servidor\Carpeta" -Credential "Usuario" -Persist

Parameter -Persist This indicates that the drive will be registered as a standard network drive in the system, meaning it's not limited to the PowerShell session. It's ideal for deployment or automation scripts where you set up several routes at once.

Mount local folders as drives and cache remote resources

In remote work scenarios, continuously accessing a remote network drive can be slow, even with a decent VPN. A very practical solution is cache the most used files in a local folder and present that folder as if it were the original network drive.

The idea is simple: you change the actual network drive (for example, from Z: to X:) and create a virtual drive Z: which points to a local folder synchronized with the remote data. This way, your scripts, builds, or applications still access Z:, but actually read and write to a faster local directory.

To mount a folder as a disk in Windows, you can use several options. The first is the command subst, For example:

subst Z: D:\remote\Z

With this, the route D:\remote\Z It appears as drive Z: in Explorer. The weakness is that this assignment is lost upon reboot, unless you automate the command at system startup.

Another alternative is to use third-party utilities such as Visual Substwhich give you a graphical interface to create these virtual drives and can also make them automatically applied every time you log in.

If you want something more permanent and controlled, you can go through the Windows' register. Within HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\DOS Devices You can create a string value whose name is the drive letter (for example, Z:) and whose content is \DosDevices\D:\remote\ZAfter restarting, that folder will always appear as drive Z: without needing to run any additional commands.

Mapdrive drives and other “virtual drives” in the cloud

In addition to classic mapping to an SMB server, there are solutions that create virtual units connected to the cloudThis is the case with Mapdrive or similar services integrated into applications like Dataprius, where storage is on the Internet but the user sees it as just another local disk.

On these types of platforms, a “Virtual Unit” is nothing more than a remote storage space which you access through a client application. That app is responsible for mapping a drive letter on your Windows computer and managing all traffic with the cloud servers.

The advantage is that those units can can be installed on any computer to whom permissions are granted: users see the drive letter on their computer and work with it as if it were an external disk, but in reality the files reside in the platform's cloud.

This approach is especially practical when you need share large volumes of data between multiple locations or remote users without complicating things with VPN, NAT, ports or advanced NAS configuration, although it's always a good idea to thoroughly review the provider's security and encryption policies.

Manage network drives with a NAS and file servers

In many homes and, especially, in businesses, the center of the entire shared file system is a NAS server or a Windows/Linux server which acts as a data repository. Before mapping anything on the clients, it is essential that this server is properly configured.

In the case of a typical NAS, the workflow usually involves installing the disks, creating the RAID or storage arraydefine data volumes and, finally, create shared folders with appropriate permissions for each user or group.

It is highly recommended to create a user on the NAS that match username and password using your Windows login account. If you do this, when you try to access the shared folders from your PC, you won't need to enter any additional credentials: access will be seamless.

If you're going to access that NAS from outside the local network, ideally you shouldn't expose SMB directly to the internet, but rather establish a VPN server on the same network as the NAS. Protocols like WireGuard, OpenVPN, or IPsec allow you to create a secure, encrypted tunnel so that, once connected, your computer sees the network drives as if it were physically in the office.

Mapping network drives from CMD, PowerShell, scripts, and policies

In environments with many users, it's impractical to map units one by one from the Explorer, so they resort to .bat scripts, PowerShell, and group policies to automate the process and ensure that everyone receives the units they are entitled to.

A classic way is to use a .bat file that executes several commands net use to mount the different drives. This script is associated with the user's profile in Active Directory or is executed through the logon policies.

In Active Directory, within the tab "Profile" For the user, you can specify the drive letter to be mapped and a login script. If configured correctly, every time the user logs on to any PC in the domain, that script will run and the corresponding drives will be mounted.

You can also work for security groupsEach Active Directory group has an associated script or policy that mounts a specific folder. Therefore, simply changing the groups a user belongs to modifies which network drives they see without manually altering their configuration.

When something isn't mapped correctly, it's usually fixed with a gpupdate / force to update policies or with a restart. In some cases, manually assigning the drive letter in the user profile (but without accepting certain prompts) can correct minor, recurring mapping errors.

Disconnect and remove network drives in Windows

There comes a time when a network drive is no longer needed, its IP address changes, or the shared resource is moved to another server. In these cases, it is advisable to disconnect that mapping to avoid accumulating dead units that cause errors or delays.

From File Explorer, it's very simple: open "This PC," locate the drive within "Network locations," right-click on it, and choose "Disconnect." In some versions of Windows, you can also use the same option you used to map the drive ("Map network drive"), and there you'll see an option to remove existing mappings.

In CMD you can see all active network drives by running net useTo delete a specific one, simply:

net use Z: /Delete

If the drive letter is different, simply replace the Z with the appropriate letter. It's a quick method for clean old connections or correct situations where Windows tries to mount a path that no longer exists.

Similarly, from PowerShell you can delete drives created with New PSDrive using cmdlets like Remove-PSDrive, keeping your environment tidier and free of zombie trails.

Connecting Linux and Windows: SAMBA as an SMB bridge

When the file server is not a commercial NAS or a Windows Server, but a Linux “homemade” or laboratoryThe usual practice is to use SAMBA to expose folders via SMB so that Windows can map them as network drives.

Samba is a free implementation of the SMB/CIFS protocol, present in most distributions. If it's not installed, on Debian/Ubuntu-based systems you can easily add it with:

sudo apt install samba

The configuration is done by editing the file. /etc/samba/smb.confwhere shared folders are defined within the “Share Definitions” block. For example:


path = /ruta/carpeta/compartida
read only = no
browsable = yes

Then you need to create SAMBA users with sudo smbpasswd -a usuarioAfter restarting the service, these routes will be available to Windows, which will be able to map them as \\linux-server\SharedData and treat them the same as any other SMB resource.

FTP, WebDAV, and other protocols as alternatives

Using SMB isn't always possible or advisable. It might be blocked by firewalls, disabled on the server, or simply not fit your infrastructure. In those cases, FTP and WebDAV These are two commonly used alternatives for accessing remote files.

FTP, especially when combined with FTPS or SFTP, allows transfer data quickly and securely. With a client like fileZilla You can connect to an FTP server, view files in a dual-pane interface, and move, copy, rename, or delete items quite easily.

Although FTP doesn't appear as a network drive within "This PC", in practice you can working with files almost the same way as in ExplorerEspecially if you get used to the server's folder structure. It's a good resource for users who don't need a permanent mapping but do need to manage many remote files.

WebDAV, for its part, extends HTTP by allowing not only reading, but also edit and manage files on a remote serverIn Windows, you can mount a WebDAV folder directly from Explorer, using the URL (usually starting with https://) and your credentials.

The advantage of WebDAV is that it typically relies on HTTPS, which provides encryption and compatibility with many cloud solutions, like Nextcloud. It's especially useful when you want to edit remote documents as if they were local and work with them from applications that don't understand other, more complex protocols.

Maintenance and security of network units

Once the network drives are installed, it's not enough to just forget about them. It's important periodically review your statusUpdate network drivers, check for errors on the NAS or server disks, and clean Temporary files that may be taking up unnecessary space.

If the mapped units point to heavily used volumes, it's advisable to occasionally run the disk cleaning tool or third-party utilities that automate temporary file deletion tasks and logs older systems, especially on heavily used file servers.

Regarding security, there are several basic pillars: using Use strong passwords and change them regularlyLimit who can read or write to each resource using user and group permissions, and enable encryption where possible (SMB with encryption, HTTPS, VPN, etc.).

VPNs play a key role when accessing a network drive from outside the LAN. With tools like WireGuard, OpenVPN, or IPsec You create a secure tunnel that protects data from eavesdropping and mid-attacks, which is essential if you work from public or unreliable WiFi networks.

On the Windows side, it's a good idea to review and adjust the sharing permissions and file system (NTFS), so that each user can only see and modify what they actually need. In companies, this is usually managed via Active Directory and group policies, but in home environments you should also avoid sharing folders indiscriminately.

Disable the options to assign and disconnect network drives

In certain shared environments, it may be of interest that Other users will not be able to map or disconnect network drives freely from File Explorer. Windows offers ways to hide these options using group policies and the registry.

Using the Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc), within User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > File Explorer, you can enable the policy that Remove the options “Connect to network drive” and “Disconnect from network drive” from the menuThis does not delete existing mappings, but it prevents new units from being created or deleted from the graphical interface.

Another way is the Registry Editor (regedit). In the key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer You can create a 32-bit DWORD value called NoNetConnectDisconnect and set it to 1. By doing so, the system hides the actions of connecting and disconnecting drives from the Explorer for that user.

Mounting drives to folders (mount points) in Windows

In addition to network mapping, Windows allows mount physical volumes inside empty folders, as mount points, instead of assigning them a letter. Although it's more commonly used on servers, it can be useful when you have many drives and want to avoid running out of drive letters.

To create a mount point you need administrator privileges and a formatted volume NTFS or ReFS and an empty folder where it will be mounted. From the Disk Management tool, you can select a volume, remove its drive letter (if it has one), and assign a folder path instead.

It's also possible to do this from the command line or with PowerShell, which simplifies automation in Windows Server. In practical terms, the result is that the folder behaves as if it were the root of a new disk, but without occupying a new drive letter.

When you no longer want the drive to be accessible through that folder, simply... remove the mounting point You can delete the volume from Disk Management or using the appropriate commands. The volume will still exist, but it will no longer be accessible via that specific path.

Common errors when connecting network drives and how to deal with them

It is not uncommon that, after a Windows update or a network change, the mapped units begin to failAmong the most common reasons are changes in SMB protocols, updates that disable older features, or modifications to the server configuration.

Also very common are credentials errors: misspelled username or password, password changes on the server that are not updated on the client, or access to domain resources without specifying the domain correctly (e.g., domain\user).

Incorrectly typed paths (a missing backslash, the wrong server name, a folder that no longer exists) are another common source of headaches. In these cases, it's worth trying both the network name as the direct IP address, for example \\servidor\recurso y \\192.168.1.100\recursoin case there are problems with name resolution.

Finally, there are the purely network-related issues: misconfigured firewalls, routers blocking certain ports, public networks filtering SMB traffic, or simply changed IP addresses. If nothing else works, it's advisable to... Restart the router, the server, and your PC.Temporarily disable antivirus or firewalls for testing and ensure that the drivers network settings are up to date.

When none of the SMB options work or are blocked, it may be time to re-evaluate Other access methods include FTP, WebDAV, or even cloud services with their own clients who set up virtual units.

This entire ecosystem of network drive mapping, virtual drives in the cloud, mount points, and alternatives like FTP/WebDAV allows you to adapt storage to almost any scenario; the key is to choose the right method for your environment, properly configure permissions and security, and dedicate some time to maintaining the drives so they continue to function like local hard drives without giving you any trouble.