Map a shared network folder to a drive letter

By Ed Bott

Drive letters might seem archaic, but they can be useful in some circumstances, such as working from a command prompt or writing batch files and scripts. Windows automatically assigns drive letters to local drives that you attach to a PC. You can also assign a drive letter to a shared network folder, so that it appears alongside your C: drive (and D:, E:, and so in) in File Explorer.

From File Explorer in Windows 10 (Windows Explorer in Windows 7), click Network in the navigation pane and then locate the icon for the shared folder. Right-click that icon and choose Map Network Drive.

From the Map Network Drive dialog box, choose a drive letter from the dropdown list. (You might want to choose a letter that's also a mnemonic, such as M: for Music or P: for Pictures.) The Folder field is already filled in with the network address. Make sure Reconnect At Sign-in is selected. If you need to enter specific credentials to access the shared folder, choose that option and then click Finish.

The shared folder now appears as if it were a local drive, using the letter you chose. You can double-click its icon to view its contents in Explorer or use that drive letter from a command prompt or as part of a batch file.

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