To map a Synology NAS folder in Windows 11, make sure the NAS has the SMB file service turned on and that your DSM account can open the shared folder. Then open File Explorer, select This PC, select More > Map network drive, pick a letter in the Drive list, type the path as \\NAS-address\SharedFolder in the Folder box, and select Finish. Sign in with your Synology user name and password when Windows asks.
Applies to: Windows 11 and Synology NAS models running DSM 7.2. Checked against Microsoft Support, Microsoft Learn and the Synology DSM 7.2 User’s Guide on October 7, 2026.
What “mapping a Synology drive” means
A Synology NAS (network-attached storage) keeps your files in shared folders, such as a folder called Photos or Documents that you create in DSM, the NAS’s web-based operating system. Mapping one of those folders gives it a drive letter, such as Z:, under This PC in File Explorer. You can then open, save and drag files to it like a local drive, but the files stay on the NAS.
Windows reaches the shared folder over SMB, the file-sharing protocol Windows uses for network folders. Synology’s user guide lists SMB as the protocol for Windows computers. Mapping works best on your home or office network, where the PC and the NAS share the same router.
Synology also makes Synology Drive, a separate file-sync package with a desktop app called Synology Drive Client. That app syncs and backs up files between the PC and the NAS rather than creating a drive letter. If that is what you meant, see the section on Synology Drive Client below.
Before you start
- The NAS is on and on the same network as your PC. A wired or Wi-Fi connection to the same router is enough.
- The NAS address. This is either its IP address (for example 192.168.1.20) or its server name. You see the address in the browser bar when you sign in to DSM. If you don’t know it, open find.synology.com in a browser on a computer on the same network to locate the NAS.
- A shared folder name. You type it exactly as it appears in DSM.
- A DSM user account with permission to that folder. Use your own account rather than the administrator account for everyday file access.
- A Private network profile in Windows if the NAS doesn’t show up under Network. Microsoft recommends Private only on networks with people and devices you trust.
Step 1: Check the settings on the Synology NAS
Do this part in DSM. Open a browser, go to the NAS IP address followed by :5000 (for example 192.168.1.20:5000), and sign in with an administrator account.
- Go to Control Panel > File Services and make sure the SMB service is enabled. Apply the change if you turned it on. Without SMB, Windows can’t open the NAS’s shared folders.
- Go to Control Panel > Shared Folder and note the exact name of the folder you want to map. To make a new one, select Create and follow the Shared Folder Creation Wizard.
- Go to Control Panel > User & Group > User. To add an account for yourself or a family member, select Create. In the User Creation Wizard, the Assign shared folders permissions page sets access for each folder.
- Give the account Read/Write if you want to save and edit files on the mapped drive, or Read only if you only need to open them.
Permissions can come from both the user account and the groups it belongs to. When they conflict, Synology applies them in this order: No access beats Read/Write, and Read/Write beats Read only. So if a group the user belongs to has No access to a folder, the mapped drive won’t open even when the user is set to Read/Write.
- Press Windows key + E to open File Explorer. You can also select the folder icon on the taskbar.
- Select This PC in the left pane. Your local drives appear on the right.
- Select More (the three dots on the command bar), then select Map network drive. The mapping window opens.
- In the Drive list, choose an unused letter. Letters near the end of the alphabet, such as Z: or Y:, are less likely to clash with USB drives later.
- In the Folder box, type the path with two backslashes before the NAS address and one before the shared folder, for example \\192.168.1.20\Documents. You can also select Browse to pick the folder if the NAS appears on your network.
- Select Reconnect at sign-in if you want the drive letter to come back every time you sign in to Windows.
- Select Finish. If Windows asks for credentials, enter the Synology DSM user name and password from Step 1, not your Windows or Microsoft account details. Choose to remember them if this is your own PC.
- The new drive letter appears under This PC.
To map more than one shared folder, repeat these steps for each folder and give each one its own letter. Windows maps one shared folder per letter.
Map the drive with a command instead
The net use command does the same job from Command Prompt, which is handy if you set up several PCs. Open Command Prompt and type a line in this form, replacing the address, folder and user name with yours:
net use Z: \\192.168.1.20\Documents * /user:yourDSMname /persistent:yes
The asterisk after the path makes Windows ask for the password instead of showing it on screen. Microsoft’s documentation explains that you can type an asterisk (*) instead of a letter to use the next free letter, that /persistent:yes restores the connection at the next sign-in, and that net use Z: /delete removes the mapping.
Confirm it worked, or remove the drive
- Open the new drive under This PC and create a small test file. If you gave the account Read/Write, it saves. Check that the file also shows up in the same shared folder in DSM’s File Station.
- Restart the PC once and sign in. If you chose Reconnect at sign-in, the drive letter returns.
- To remove the mapping, right-click the drive under This PC and choose the disconnect option, or use the net use /delete command above. Removing the drive letter only removes the connection. The files stay on the NAS.
Troubleshooting a Synology drive that won’t map
Windows can’t find the NAS or the path
- Confirm you can still open DSM at the NAS IP address in a browser. If that fails, the NAS is off, asleep, or not on the same network.
- Use the IP address instead of the server name in the path. Name lookup can fail on some home networks, while the IP address usually works.
- Check the spelling of the shared folder name in DSM. The path needs a shared folder, not just the NAS address.
- Make sure the PC isn’t on a separate guest Wi-Fi network that keeps devices apart.
The NAS doesn’t appear under Network
Mapping by typed path doesn’t need the NAS to appear under Network, but browsing does. Open Settings > Network & internet, select Wi-Fi or Ethernet, choose your connection, and set Network profile type to Private network. Microsoft notes that a Public profile hides your PC from other devices and stops file and printer sharing. If File Explorer shows a banner saying network discovery is turned off, select it and choose Turn on network discovery and file sharing.
Access is denied, or Windows keeps asking for a password
- Check the account’s permission for that shared folder in DSM, including the groups it belongs to. A No access setting on any group wins.
- Windows may be reusing an old saved password. Type credential manager in the taskbar search box, open Credential Manager, select Windows Credentials, delete the entry for the NAS address, and map the drive again.
- Make sure you’re entering the DSM account, not your Microsoft account.
The folder only worked with guest access
Microsoft has stopped Windows 11 Pro from using guest credentials to connect to shared folders by default (from build 25267 on), and Windows 11 version 24H2 requires SMB signing by default, which guest sign-ins don’t support. Microsoft recommends against turning guest sign-ins back on. The safer fix is to give the shared folder a named DSM user with a password and sign in with that.
Advice to turn on SMB1
Some older guides suggest turning on SMB 1.0 in Windows features. Microsoft says Windows 11 doesn’t include SMB1 by default after a clean installation, calls the protocol unsafe, and strongly recommends against reinstalling it. If a very old device only supports SMB1, Microsoft’s advice is to ask its maker for an update. Our guide to connecting to an SMB share in Windows 11 explains the newer options.
Work or school PCs
On a managed PC, your organization may control which network drives you can map or may map them for you. If the steps fail with a policy message, ask your IT team before changing settings.
Accessing the NAS away from home
Don’t open SMB to the internet by forwarding its ports on your router. Synology offers safer routes. QuickConnect, set under Control Panel > External Access > QuickConnect, lets Synology apps reach the NAS over the internet without port forwarding rules. The VPN Server package lets users connect securely to the home network first. Once connected by VPN, a mapped drive works as it does at home.
DSM can also share folders over WebDAV, which Synology says Windows File Explorer can open. It needs extra setup in DSM and is mostly useful when SMB isn’t available.
Synology Drive Client: syncing instead of mapping
If you installed the Synology Drive package on the NAS, its desktop utility, Synology Drive Client, can sync and back up folders between your PC and the NAS. Synology says its on-demand sync downloads files only when you open them, to save disk space, and requires Windows 10 version 1809 or later. Synology describes Synology Drive as license-free. Choose it when you want folders kept in sync between the PC and the NAS. Choose a mapped drive when you want to work directly on the files stored on the NAS.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to install any Synology software to map a drive?
No. Mapping uses the SMB support built into Windows 11 and the File Services setting in DSM. Synology’s own apps are optional.
Should I use the IP address or the NAS name?
Either works if your network resolves the name. The IP address is more reliable, but if the router gives the NAS a different address later, the mapping breaks. Setting an address reservation for the NAS in your router keeps it stable.
Can I map the whole NAS to one drive letter?
No. A drive letter points to one shared folder. Map each shared folder you use to its own letter.
Which DSM account should I use?
Use a regular DSM user that has permission to the shared folder. The account only needs Read/Write or Read only access to the folders you map, so keep the administrator account for managing the NAS.
Is a mapped drive the same as a backup?
No. Deleting a file from the mapped drive deletes it on the NAS. Turning on the Recycle Bin for the shared folder in DSM gives you a way to recover deleted files, but keep a separate backup of important data.
Once the drive is mapped, see our guide to mapping a network drive in Windows 11 for more options that apply to any network share. Microsoft’s page on file sharing over a network in Windows and the Synology DSM 7.2 User’s Guide cover the official settings.
Related: How to enable SMB1 on Windows 11.
Matt Jacobs has been working as an IT consultant for small businesses since receiving his Master’s degree in 2003. While he still does some consulting work, his primary focus now is on creating technology support content for SupportYourTech.com.
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