Windows Cannot Find Network Path 0x80070035 Fix

When This Error Hits

You're on Windows 10 or 11, trying to access a shared folder from another PC on your home or office network. You double-click the computer name in File Explorer's Network section. Instead of seeing folders, you get a popup: "Windows cannot find network path." The error code is 0x80070035. This happens most often when one machine runs an older Windows version like 7 or 8.1, or when someone disabled SMB protocol for security reasons.

Root Cause

What's actually happening here is Windows uses the Server Message Block (SMB) protocol to talk to other computers for file sharing. Error 0x80070035 means the SMB request got no reply. The target PC either doesn't have SMB enabled, or something blocks the traffic — a firewall, wrong network profile, or missing services. Windows 10 v1709 and newer disable SMB 1.0 by default, but old devices like a Windows 7 machine or a network printer still need it.

Fix Step by Step

1. Enable SMB 1.0 on Both PCs

Yes, Microsoft says SMB 1.0 is insecure. But if you're stuck with old hardware, you need it. Turn it on, fix the issue, then disable it later if you want. Do this on both machines.

1. Open Control Panel, go to Programs and Features.
2. Click "Turn Windows features on or off".
3. Find "SMB 1.0/CIFS File Sharing Support". Check the box. It has three sub-options. You need at least the first one: "SMB 1.0/CIFS Client".
4. Click OK, restart when prompted.

The reason this works is SMB 1.0 is the only protocol older Windows versions speak by default. Without it, they just ignore the request.

2. Set Network Profile to Private

If your network shows as "Public" in Windows, file sharing is blocked. Change it:

1. Open Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi (or Ethernet).
2. Click your active network name.
3. Under "Network profile type", select "Private".

Private profile allows network discovery and file sharing. Public profile turns them off. Simple switch, easy to miss.

3. Turn On Network Discovery and File Sharing

Windows sometimes toggles these off after updates. Force them on:

1. Open Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Advanced sharing settings.
2. For your current profile (Private), select "Turn on network discovery" and "Turn on file and printer sharing".
3. Also check "All Networks" section. Set password protected sharing to "Turn off password protected sharing" if you want easy access. Keep it on if you need security.
4. Click Save changes.

4. Check Windows Defender Firewall

Your firewall might block the SMB ports. The fix is to allow File and Printer Sharing through the firewall:

1. Open Windows Security > Firewall & network protection.
2. Click "Allow an app through firewall".
3. Click "Change settings" (needs admin rights).
4. Find "File and Printer Sharing" in the list. Make sure both Private and Public checkboxes are checked. If it's missing, click "Allow another app" and add C:\Windows\System32\rundll32.exe with the name "File and Printer Sharing".

What many don't realize is that Windows Firewall creates separate rules for each network profile. If you changed your profile to Private but the firewall rule only allows Public traffic, the connection fails.

5. Enable NetBIOS over TCP/IP

NetBIOS is the old naming system Windows uses to find computers by name. If it's disabled, you get this exact error even if SMB works.

1. Press Win+R, type ncpa.cpl and hit Enter.
2. Right-click your active network adapter, select Properties.
3. Double-click "Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)".
4. Click "Advanced", go to "WINS" tab.
5. Select "Enable NetBIOS over TCP/IP".
6. Click OK all the way.

This matters because Windows uses NetBIOS to resolve computer names to IP addresses on small networks. Without it, when you type \\PCNAME\share, Windows doesn't know where PCNAME is.

6. Restart the Required Services

Four services must be running for network sharing to work. They often stop after updates.

1. Press Win+R, type services.msc and hit Enter.
2. Find these four services. For each, right-click > Properties > set Startup type to "Automatic" and click Start if stopped.

If LanmanWorkstation won't start, check dependencies. It needs the "Network Connections" service running.

7. Map the Drive with IP Instead of Name

Skip DNS and NetBIOS entirely. Use the target machine's IP address.

1. Find the target PC's IP: on that machine, open Command Prompt, type ipconfig, look for IPv4 Address.
2. On your machine, open File Explorer, type \\192.168.1.100\sharedfolder (replace with the real IP and folder name).

If this works but the computer name didn't, the problem is name resolution. NetBIOS or DNS is broken.

Still Fails? Check These Two Things

Check Workgroup Names

Both machines must be in the same workgroup. By default Windows uses "WORKGROUP". If one is changed to "HOME" or "OFFICE", they won't see each other.

1. Right-click This PC > Properties > Advanced system settings > Computer Name tab.
2. Click "Change" and set Workgroup to same name on both.

Credential Manager Cache

Windows stores old network passwords. If you changed passwords on the target machine, cached credentials cause the error.

1. Open Control Panel > Credential Manager > Windows Credentials.
2. Remove any entries under "Windows credentials" that show the target computer name or IP.
3. Try accessing the share again — Windows will ask for fresh credentials.

That last one trips up people who recently reset a password on the host machine. The stale credential gets rejected silently, producing the same "network path not found" message.