I'm having persistent problems sharing folders between Windows 11 Pro workstations on the same network. Depending on the machine, I see errors such as "Network path not found" or "Your folder cannot be shared." This happens even when the computers can ping one another and appear under Network in File Explorer.
I've tried enabling and disabling password-protected sharing, setting the network profile to Private, turning on network discovery and file sharing, enabling insecure guest logons through Group Policy, and disabling digitally signed communications for the Microsoft network client. Most users have passwords on their accounts. Sometimes entering the destination computer's IP address in File Explorer brings up a credential prompt and allows access, but other times nothing happens at all.
Some folders are being shared directly from workstations for relatively small needs, while another location has a large volume of files that would probably be better hosted on a NAS or central file server. Is there a dependable configuration or troubleshooting process for Windows 11 file sharing, and are there security or architectural reasons to prefer a NAS or dedicated file server instead of workstation-based shares?
2 Answers
For anything beyond a few temporary files, put the shares on a dedicated file server or NAS rather than hosting them from individual workstations. Centralizing the data makes permissions, backups, availability, and drive mapping much easier to manage. A login script or similar management tool can map each user’s required shares automatically. For the small receipt and fuel-record share, a workstation may be acceptable, but it will still depend on that PC being powered on and correctly configured.
Windows 11 has tightened SMB security, so guest access and unsigned connections can fail even when basic network discovery works. If you absolutely need legacy guest-based sharing, settings such as AllowInsecureGuestAuth and RequireSecuritySignature can be changed through Group Policy or the registry, but this weakens security and should only be used on a trusted network. A better approach is usually to use named accounts with passwords, grant the appropriate share and NTFS permissions, and connect using credentials from the destination machine.
I had already tried the equivalent Group Policy settings, and they only helped inconsistently. I’m leaning toward deploying a NAS at both locations so the shared data isn’t dependent on individual workstations.