I cannot Access Shared Folders on Windows 11 Home laptop on a private network

Diana Marsh 0 Reputation points
2026-09-18T00:43:47.9966667+00:00

I am attempting to connect to another laptop on the same private network. I can ping it and I can see it listed under File Explorer --> Network. Network discovery is on, printer and file sharing is on and password protection off. However, when I try to connect to it, I get the error message "Windows cannot access PC Name" with error code 0x80070035 Network Path not found. My laptop has Windows 11 Home build 24H2; the one I am attempting to connect to is back level windows 11. Another laptop with back level windows 11 can access this same laptop with no issues. I have checked that the required services are all running: (Function Discovery Provider Host, Function Discovery Resource Publication, SSDP Discovery, UPnP device host, TCIP NetBios) on my laptop. WHat more can I do to resolve this issue?

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Files, folders, and storage
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  1. Manoel Barros 22,030 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-09-18T01:22:20.3433333+00:00

    Hi!

    Newer versions of Windows block guest access (access without a password). That is why the other laptop, running an older version of Windows 11, works. The proper approach is to set a password, which you will only need to enter once. Do it this way:

    Let's define the two computers as PC01 and PC02. PC01 is the computer where you have a folder to share. If you share folders on both PCs, perform the procedure first with PC01, and if it works, do it with PC02.

    01 - Network (PC01)

    1. Right-click on the Internet icon > Network and Internet Settings.
    2. Click on Properties > Mark the Network Profile as Private.
    3. Go back to the Network Settings > Click on Advanced Network Settings > Click on Advanced Sharing Settings.
    • In Private, check the Network discovery, Automatically configure network-connected devices, File and printer sharing.
    • Expand All Networks > Check Password protected sharing.
    1. If the User does not have a password, add a password to the user whose access to the folder you have restricted.
    • Generally, when sharing files, I prefer to create a dedicated user for that purpose. I usually create a user named share. Press Windows + R > Type cmd > press enter > Type the command below:
    
net user /add share PASSWORDHERE
    • Replace PASSWORDHERE with your desired password. Write down the password.
    • share is the username. You can change it, avoid spaces.

    02 - Shared Folder (PC01)

    1. Open the Shared Folder Properties > Click Sharing > Advanced Sharing... > Permissions > Add > Advanced > Find now > Search for the username (share) > Select the user > Click OK.
    2. Select the user and check Full Control > Click OK.
    3. You will do this procedure in Security if you have not done so already.

    03 - Hostname (PC01)

    1. Rename your computer to make adding easier and avoid network problems. Skip this step if you've already done it. Press Windows + R > Type sysdm.cpl.
    2. Under Computer Name, click Change... > Under Computer Name, enter an easy hostname, avoid spaces and special characters. Prefer names like PC01, COMPUTER01, SERVER, etc.
    3. OK > Apply > Restart your computer > Note this name.

    04 - Add Share (PC02)

    1. Right-click on the Internet icon > Network and Internet Settings.
    2. Click on Properties > Mark the Network Profile as Private.
    3. Press Windows + R > Type "control keymgr.dll" (without quotes) > Click on Windows Credentials > Add a Windows Credential.
    4. Fill in the Address, Username and Password fields > Save.
    • In username and password, enter the username and password, or the username you created.
    • In address, enter the hostname of PC01.
    1. Press Windows + R > Type \\HOSTNAMEPC01 > Press Enter.
    • Replace HOSTNAMEPC01 with the hostname of PC01 that was defined.

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  2. Diana Marsh 0 Reputation points
    2026-09-18T01:03:39.1133333+00:00

    Reviewed SMB Client event logs as suggested

    Connectivity

    The initial connection to the share was established.

    Share name: \XXXXXOMNIBOOKX\Users

    Server address: [fe80::4de9:1c2b:f7c0:89fe%5]:445

    Operational

    The SMB redirector did not select the connection initiated with the following parameters:

    Server name: XXXXX-SPECTRE

    IP Address: 192.168.2.181:445

    Transport: TCPIP

    Instance Name:\Device\LanmanRedirector

    Port Origin: The port was selected from the global registry settings.

    The failure status associated with this decision: The network path cannot be located.

    Security

    Guidance: An administrator has enabled AllowInsecureGuestAuth. Clients using insecure guest logons are more vulnerable to attackers-in-the-middle, phishing, and malware.

    I don't know how to proceed with this information

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  3. AI answer

    2026-09-18T00:44:08.4666667+00:00

    Since the device is visible in File Explorer > Network and responds to ping, discovery is working. The failure is more likely in SMB access, name resolution, authentication policy, or permissions.

    Try this in order:

    1. Test by IP address and by computer name
      • In File Explorer, try \\<target-IP>\<share>.
      • Then try \\<computer-name>\<share>.
      • If IP works but name does not, the problem points to name resolution rather than basic connectivity.
    2. Check the SMB client state on the Windows 11 24H2 laptop Run these on the affected laptop in PowerShell: 
         net use
   Get-SmbConnection
   Get-SmbClientConfiguration
      These help identify whether the client is blocking guest access, requiring signing, or hitting another SMB policy issue.
    3. Review SMB client events Open Event Viewer and go to:
      • Applications and Services Logs
      • Microsoft
      • Windows
      • SMBClient
      • Check both Connectivity and Security logs
      The event message and ID help identify the exact cause.
    4. If the target share is using guest access, use valid credentials instead On modern Windows clients, unauthenticated guest SMB access is blocked by default. This commonly causes access failures after moving to newer Windows versions.
      • Connect using a valid account on the target laptop instead of relying on guest access.
      • Re-enabling insecure guest logons is discouraged because it increases exposure to rogue-server and man-in-the-middle attacks.
    5. If the target is being reached by IP or as a workgroup/NAS-style target, try the Kerberos-capable name Windows 11 24H2 can block or restrict NTLM scenarios that occur when connecting by IP address or to targets where Kerberos is unavailable.
      • Use the target laptop’s computer name/FQDN instead of IP if possible.
      • If name-based access works and IP-based access fails, this matches NTLM/Kerberos behavior.
    6. Check whether this is a permissions mismatch on the target laptop If one Windows 11 laptop can access the share but the Windows 11 24H2 laptop cannot, verify the target shared folder grants the required access through both:
      • Share permissions
      • NTFS Security permissions
      A mismatch here can deny one user while allowing another.
    7. If the issue started after upgrading to Windows 11 24H2, check 24H2 SMB security changes first Windows 11 24H2 enforces more secure SMB defaults, including:
      • required SMB signing in some scenarios
      • guest access restrictions
      • NTLM restrictions
      If the older laptop works but the 24H2 laptop does not, this version difference is a strong indicator.

    If the target is just another Windows laptop on the same private network, the most likely next checks are:

    • test \\IP\share versus \\name\share
    • inspect SMBClient event logs
    • stop using guest-style access and connect with valid credentials
    • verify both share and NTFS permissions on the target

    References:

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