Share a Folder in Windows Server 2016

There are many ways to setup shared folder in Windows Server 2016. You can use Server Manager to share a folder. You can also use folder properties share option to share a folder. This article shows steps to share a folder in Windows Server 2016 using folder properties share option.

Share a Folder in Windows Server 2016

Step 1. Right-click and click properties of a folder that you want to share in your network.

Step 2. Select Sharing tab and click Advanced Sharing option.

Step 3. Under Advanced Sharing option, check Share this folder option. Share name is same as folder name, but you can change if you wish. If you change the share name then users will have to use the share name to access the shared folder. It’s always best to leave folder name and share name same to avoid any confusion. Click on permissions option to modify the share permission. Share permission can be Read, Change and Full Control.  It’s easier to give full access share permission and then use NTFS folder permission to control access to the folder and it’s contents.

Click Apply to save the changes from both Share Permissions and Advanced Sharing dialog box.

Step 4. To verify if the folder got shared, you can see the folder properties above now shows network path – \\MBG-DC01\Marketing. This is also called UNC path.

Step 5. You can copy the UNC patch and search it in the windows explorer or using Run application to open and browse the shared folder. You can also mount the shared folder as a drive letter in This PC (My Computer). The PC accessing this UNC path needs to resolve server name that’s sharing the folder. In this example the PC accessing the Marketing shared folder needs to resolve and reach MBG-DC01 when using Ping. If the PC accessing the shared folder is joined to domain then it will most likely work, if it’s not joined to the domain then DNS server IP configured in the PC needs to resolve the host name to IP. If there is no DNS then you can also use IP address of the server instead of computer name, for example, \\192.168.0.30\Marketing.

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Bipin

Bipin is a freelance Network and System Engineer with expertise on Cisco, Juniper, Microsoft, VMware, and other technologies. You can hire him on UpWork. Bipin enjoys writing articles and tutorials related to Network technologies. Some of his certifications are, MCSE:Messaging, JNCIP-SEC, JNCIS-ENT, and others.

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