Fix 'Network path not found' error in Windows 10/11

Getting the "Network path not found" error when you try to open a shared folder on another PC? It's annoying, especially when you know the folder is there. Most of the time, this isn't a hardware problem — it's a Windows setting that got turned off. Here's how to fix it.

The fix that works for most people

Windows has a setting called network discovery. When it's off, your computer can't see other computers on the network, and they can't see you. This is the #1 reason for "Network path not found."

1. Open the Control Panel. You can search for it in the Start menu.
2. Click Network and Sharing Center.
3. On the left side, click Change advanced sharing settings.
4. You'll see two sections: Private (for home/work networks) and Guest or Public. Expand Private.
5. Select Turn on network discovery. Also select Turn on file and printer sharing.
6. Click Save changes. You might see a User Account Control prompt — click Yes.

After saving, try accessing the share again. Open File Explorer, type \\COMPUTERNAME\SHARENAME in the address bar, and hit Enter. Replace COMPUTERNAME with the name of the machine hosting the folder, and SHARENAME with the actual share name.

If that works, you're done. If not, move to the next step.

Check the firewall

Windows Firewall can block file sharing traffic. Here's how to let it through:

1. Open Control Panel > Windows Defender Firewall.
2. Click Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall (on the left).
3. Click Change settings (you need admin rights).
4. Scroll down and find File and Printer Sharing. Make sure both Private and Public checkboxes are checked.
5. Click OK.

Now try the share again. If it still fails, restart both computers — sometimes a reboot clears up weird SMB state.

Why this works

Network discovery uses a protocol called SSDP (Simple Service Discovery Protocol) and the Function Discovery Resource Publication service. When network discovery is off, Windows doesn't broadcast its presence, and it doesn't respond to broadcasts from other machines. So when you type \\COMPUTERNAME\SHARE, your PC tries to find that computer — but if network discovery is off, the lookup fails. The error message is "Network path not found" instead of something more helpful like "I can't see that computer because discovery is off."

The firewall part: File sharing uses ports 445 (SMB) and 139 (NetBIOS). If the firewall blocks those, the traffic never gets through, even with discovery on. The "File and Printer Sharing" rule handles these ports automatically.

Less common variations

1. The SMB 1.0/CIFS problem

Some older devices (like network-attached storage from 2010 or older Windows 7 machines) still use SMB version 1. Windows 10 and 11 have SMB1 disabled by default for security — it's a vulnerable protocol. If you're sharing with an old device, you might need to enable it, but I don't recommend it unless there's no other option.

To check if SMB1 is needed:

1. Open Control Panel > Programs > Turn Windows features on or off.
2. Scroll down and look for SMB 1.0/CIFS File Sharing Support. If it's unchecked, you can try checking it, but only do this temporarily for testing. Remove it after you confirm the fix.

2. Wrong workgroup name

Both computers need to be in the same workgroup (for home networks, not domains). The default is WORKGROUP. If someone changed it, shares won't work.

Check this:

1. Right-click This PC on the desktop, select Properties.
2. Under Computer name, domain, and workgroup settings, click Change settings.
3. Click the Change button next to "To rename this computer or change its domain or workgroup..."
4. Make sure both computers show the same workgroup name (e.g., WORKGROUP).
5. Click OK and reboot.

3. Network profile set to Public

Windows treats Public networks as untrusted and blocks discovery by default. If your network shows as "Public" in Settings > Network & Internet, change it to "Private":

1. Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi (or Ethernet).
2. Click the network name you're connected to.
3. Under Network profile, select Private.
4. Wait a few seconds, then try the share again.

4. Windows Credential Manager has old credentials

Sometimes Windows remembers a wrong username/password for the target computer and doesn't prompt you for new ones. This can cause "Access denied" (slightly different from "not found"), but I've seen it cause the same error.

Clear them:

1. Open Control Panel > Credential Manager.
2. Click Windows Credentials.
3. Look for any entries under Generic Credentials that mention the target computer name.
4. Click the arrow to expand, then Remove.
5. Try accessing the share again — Windows will prompt you for fresh credentials.

Prevention

To avoid this in the future, do these three things once:

• Set your network to Private the first time you connect to it. Windows will remember that.
• Turn on network discovery and file sharing in Advanced sharing settings, and set them as the default for Private networks.
• Keep File and Printer Sharing enabled in the firewall. If you ever run a security scanner that disables it, re-enable it manually.

That's it. Nine times out of ten, network discovery being off is the culprit. The firewall clears up the other cases. If you're still stuck after all that, you might be dealing with a DNS or NetBIOS name resolution issue — but that's a rarer problem, and I'll cover that in another guide.