Find network access credentials windows 10 or 11

Been there - done that. Does not work! It has something to do with microsoft's passwordless accounts. I finally - after trying everything I've read everywhere used my PHONE number for user name and skipped the password and it actually connected!

Go figure!

Thanks for your tip CAH17. I don't yet understand it, but entering my phone number (without country code) and Microsoft Account password allowed to connect to my other laptop to see the shared folders. Weird to me that it doesn't work with my Microsoft Account email address. I didn't try skipping the password like you did. Remote Desktop login still isn't working, but I don't need that right now.

Just to be clear about my situation - I'm trying to connect from my Windows 11 laptop to my Windows 10 laptop at home.

Thanks for your help. Using my Microsoft user ID and password worked for me.

Okay, I had everything working... then my file server (hosting the shares) was force upgraded to Windows 11 24H2. And since then, nothing can connect to any of the shares, and none of the methods listed here are working. I'm pulling what's left of my hair out.

WHY IS THIS SO DIFFICULT? I shared a folder on one PC, and no other PCs on the same damn network logged in with the same Microsoft account can access them... even though I have password protected sharing turned off on all PCs, it keeps prompting for network credentials, and nothing I put into that dialog works. Just a never ending cycle of "The username or password is incorrect".

ANY other ideas? Any idea why this 24H2 upgrade broke things that were working fine?

HELP

Finally something that worked for me. thank you

I have had this problem and fixed it by adding a windows credentials for the new computer on the server. After I added the new computer credentials, the server recognized the new computer and I was able to access the files on the server.

Just adding to this answer, which does indeed still work (using 7 digits of account phone number as user name).

Tested and found that this is necessary when connecting from Win 11 PRO licensed computer to a Win 11 HOME licensed computer, or from a HOME licensed computer to another HOME licensed computer, when using the microsoft account as the primary login, and not using local accounts.

When connecting between two WIN 11 PRO licensed computers, or from HOME to a PRO computer, the email and password of the host PC microsoft account is required and works.

In short:

PRO -> PRO: microsoft account user/pass authentication

HOME -> PRO: microsoft account user/pass authentication

PRO -> HOME: local account user/pass, or account phone number as username if using microsoft account or windows hello

HOME -> HOME: local account user/pass, or account phone number as username if using microsoft account or windows hello

Why does the phone number only work for HOME, and why does Microsoft not acknowledge it? I believe only PRO licenses have the ability to validate the Microsoft account over the internet when a client computer tries to browse the local share. This is probably linked to the remote desktop feature which was moved to a pro license with Windows 11. Hence when accessing a Windows 11 HOME shared drive, the microsoft username and account will fail. (Windows security sees this as MicrosoftAccount domain, i.e. MicrosoftAccount[email]. It FEELS like they retrofitted this msft account authentication for share drives and remote desktop to Active Directory in Win11, to meet business objectives, without thinking about every situation that the various SKUs they sell will encounter, since HOME cannot join a domain like this).

Since this feature change was breaking home networks after they upgrade to Win11, along with the push to change users to Windows Hello authentication from local user accounts, I believe they added the phone number username as a hidden function that maintains backwards compatibility with functions broken by the changes in Win11. Since local password accounts no longer exist on Win11 by default, and they stubbornly moved the replacement for this (online account verification) to the PRO license tier. Microsoft probably prefers users to either upgrade to PRO, or create local accounts if they stick with HOME edition, which is probably part of the script their techs must repeat. But the phone number must be some sort of intentional workaround, since any random string of seven numbers does not work. But one Microsoft would rather not publicize, since it highlights the awkward transition period they put themselves in, where they have to compromise security so they can move an intrinsic part of Windows functionality to higher license tiers.