3 Easy Ways to Access a Shared Folder With Different Credentials
- You can’t access a shared folder with different credentials when its mapped drive isn’t configured for connecting with alternative user credentials.
- To access a shared folder with different credentials, you’ll need to set up a mapped drive for which connecting with different credentials is enabled.
- Some users might also need to erase saved credentials to access a shared folder with different credentials.
Windows includes networking features that enable users to share folders between their PCs via local networks. As a result, sharing a folder on one Windows PC with another can be very convenient.
You can set up shared folders, which can be accessed with different credentials, with Map Network Drive.
What is a mapped network drive?
A mapped network drive points to a shared folder on a user’s local network. Those are drives you can assign letters to that include shared network resources.
You can share a folder between two PCs on a mapped network drive with File Explorer’s Map Network Drive wizard.
Why can’t I access a shared folder with different credentials?
The default Map Network Drive wizard settings configure Windows to connect with shared folders using the PC’s local user account and password.
You can’t access a shared folder with different credentials unless you select the Map Network Drive’s Connect using different settings option.
Even with that setting enabled; however, Windows saves entered credentials for users who select the Remember my credentials option.
Credential Manager saves the shared folder’s login credentials in a vault. Users need to erase saved credentials to access shared folders with different credentials.
How can I access a shared folder with different credentials?
1. Use the Map Network Drive option
- Right-click Windows 10’s Start menu button to select File Explorer.
- Click This PC on the left side of File Explorer.
- Press the Map Network Drive button on the Computer tab to open the window in the snapshot directly below.
- Click the Browse button.
- Choose a folder you want to share on the Browse for Folder window, and press the OK button.
- Then select the Connect using different credentials checkbox.
- Press the Finish button. After that, the Windows Security window directly below will open.
- Enter the required credentials in the login text boxes. Don’t select the Remember my credentials checkbox if you’ll need to access the shared folder with different credentials at other times.
- Press the OK button.
2. Remove saved credentials for the shared folder
- To remove saved credentials for a shared folder, bring up the search tool by pressing the Windows and S keys simultaneously.
- Type Control Panel within the search box.
- Click Control Panel to open that window.
- Select the Small icons option on the Control Panel’s View by menu.
- Click Credential Manager to open the applet shown directly below.
- Then select Windows Credentials to view the saved, shared folder credentials.
- Click the Remove from vault option for the saved credentials you need to delete.
- You can now enter different shared folder credentials in the Windows Security window.
3. Clear temporarily cached credentials
- Click the search button or box on Windows 10’s taskbar.
- Type cmd within the search tool to locate the Command Prompt.
- Select Command Prompt to open its window.
- Input this command within the Prompt’s window:
net use * /delete /yes
- Press the Enter key to clear the credential’s cache, and wait a few minutes.
- Note: This method is for clearing temporarily cached credentials for shared folders. It will save you from restarting Windows to access a shared folder with alternative credentials.
Why can’t I set up a shared folder with Map Network Drive?
If you can’t select a folder to share with Map Network Drive, network discovery is probably disabled. So first, make sure network discovery is enabled in Windows 10. You can enable that feature as follows.
- Press the Windows key + I key combination.
- Click Network & Internet to open the Status tab.
- Then select the Network and Sharing Center shortcut to open the Control Panel applet shown directly below.
- Click Change advanced sharing settings on the left side of the applet.
- Select both the private and guest Turn on network discovery options.
- Press the Save changes button.
So, just make sure you select the Connect using different credentials option when mapping a drive if you need to access a shared drive with different user credentials.
Then you can access the shared folder with different credentials so long as you don’t select the Remember my credentials option.
Users can access a shared folder with different credentials without restarting by clearing temporarily cached user credentials via the Command Prompt.
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