File Manager Access

Accounting Office 0 Reputation points
2026-08-17T18:40:39.2566667+00:00

I can't access the file manager on my computer. It says it is disconnected.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Files, folders, and storage

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  1. AI answer

    2026-08-17T18:40:55.7433333+00:00

    If File Explorer shows a location as disconnected, the most likely cause is that a network share or mapped drive is unavailable.

    Try these steps:

    1. Restart File Explorer:
      • Open Task Manager.
      • Find Windows Explorer.
      • Right-click it and select Restart.
    2. If the disconnected location is a shared folder or mapped drive, try opening it from Command Prompt: 
         net use <DeviceName>: \\<ServerName>\<ShareName>
      This can confirm whether the share is reachable outside File Explorer.
    3. Turn on network discovery and file sharing:
      • Open Control Panel.
      • Go to Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center > Advanced sharing settings.
      • Turn on Network discovery.
      • Under Private, turn on File and printer sharing.
      • Select Save changes.
    4. Make sure these services are set to Automatic and running:
      • Function Discovery Provider Host
      • Function Discovery Resource Publication
      • SSDP Discovery
      • UPnP Device Host Then restart Windows.
    5. If this started after a Windows upgrade and the shared device is older, enable SMB 1.0/CIFS Client temporarily to test compatibility:
      • Open Control Panel.
      • Go to Programs > Programs and Features > Turn Windows features on or off.
      • Check SMB 1.0/CIFS File Sharing Support > SMB 1.0/CIFS Client.
      • Restart Windows.
      Security note: SMB1 is legacy and should be used only for testing or only when required by an older device.
    6. If the disconnected item is My Documents or another folder redirected to a network share, verify that the network share is available and reestablish the connection. As a workaround, the folder can be redirected back to a local drive until the network share is available.

    If the message is specifically 0x80004005 or System error 53, additional network configuration or the TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper service may be involved.

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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