Having network drives is something very interesting and very present among users. We can have a NAS server, for example, where we can store data, files, create backup copies … We can connect it in Windows 10 and make it appear as one more unit. In this article we are going to explain this process. We are going to show how to connect or disconnect network drives in Windows 10. We can do it in a simple and fast way.
How to connect network drives in Windows 10
As we say, it is possible to connect network drives to the Windows 10 operating system. We already know that it is the most widely used among desktop computer users today. For this reason, this can come in handy for many who wish to use this type of device.
Having an external hard drive is something that has become almost essential for many users. A place where you can create backup copies, store files and documents without having to use your computer’s memory. In addition we can also free up space. However, the possibility of having it available on the network means that the NAS have considerably increased their presence.
The point is that sometimes users are not sure how to add these units. It is important that they are properly configured and that we can access the information from any place and device.
We are going to have basically two options for connecting network drives in Windows. One of them is through the file explorer, the most visual and simple, and another is through the Command Prompt. We will show the necessary steps in both cases.
Connect and disconnect a network drive from the explorer
The first option we have is to connect a network drive in Windows 10 through the file explorer. The process is very simple. The first thing we have to do is go to the file explorer, go to This computer, Network and click on Connect to network drive. The available options will appear there.
We will only have to select the one that interests us and later a new window will appear to assign a letter to the drive (the default is Z). We can put the route manually, in case we know what it is, or click to examine to select it.
We will also see that by default the option to connect whenever we start Windows is marked. This is interesting if we are going to connect a hard drive that we are going to use normally. We can even give you a password.
To disconnect a unit the steps are also very simple. In this case we go back to the file explorer, enter This computer, click on Network locations and there we select the unit that we want to unmount.
We have to click with the second mouse button on the unit and click Disconnect. As we can see, it is a very fast and simple process.
Disconnect a drive from the Command Prompt
Additionally, beyond this option that we have mentioned, we can also disconnect a unit from the Command Prompt. It is very easy and we will only have to know the drive letter and execute the command that we are going to show.
For this we have to execute the following command:
Net Use drive-name: / Delete
For example it would be Net Use Z: / Delete. Automatically, as in the previous case, that network drive would be disconnected from the system. If the network drive that we want to unmount has another letter assigned, we would only have to change that letter in the command and that’s it.
In short, by following these steps that we have mentioned, we can add or remove a network drive to our Windows 10. As we have seen, it is a simple and fast process, accessible to any user. We can already have our network unit fully operational to use in the Microsoft operating system.