How to View Shared Folders on Windows

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Co-authored by Scott St Gelais and Nicole Levine, MFA

Last Updated: February 16, 2024 Tested

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This wikiHow teaches you how to view a list of every folder you're sharing on your Windows network.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Using File Explorer

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Right-click the

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menu. It's usually at the bottom-left corner of the screen.
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This displays a list of computers that are a part of the network.
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4
Double-click the computer where you want to see shared folders. A list of shared folders on the selected computer will now appear.
- The shared files will have an icon that look like a computer drive if they're on someone else's computer. ^{[1]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Scott St Gelais
  IT Consultant
  
  Expert Interview. 27 July 2021.}
- If the files are shared but you have them locally on your computer, the folder icon will look the same, but it may have an additional icon or tag that says "Shared." ^{[2]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Scott St Gelais
  IT Consultant
  
  Expert Interview. 27 July 2021.}

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Using the Computer Management Panel

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This opens the Windows search bar.
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A list of matching results will appear.
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{"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/9\/96\/View-Shared-Folders-on-Windows-Step-8.jpg\/v4-460px-View-Shared-Folders-on-Windows-Step-8.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/9\/96\/View-Shared-Folders-on-Windows-Step-8.jpg\/aid9520866-v4-728px-View-Shared-Folders-on-Windows-Step-8.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}

It's in the left column. ^{[3]
X
Research source} This expands a list of subfolders.
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You'll only have to click it once. A list of shared folders will appear.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Using the Command Prompt

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Right-click the

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menu. It's usually at the bottom-left corner of the screen.
{"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/4\/44\/View-Shared-Folders-on-Windows-Step-11.jpg\/v4-460px-View-Shared-Folders-on-Windows-Step-11.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/4\/44\/View-Shared-Folders-on-Windows-Step-11.jpg\/aid9520866-v4-728px-View-Shared-Folders-on-Windows-Step-11.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}

This opens a terminal window to the command prompt.
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Just click the terminal window to start typing.
{"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/b\/b2\/View-Shared-Folders-on-Windows-Step-13.jpg\/v4-460px-View-Shared-Folders-on-Windows-Step-13.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/b\/b2\/View-Shared-Folders-on-Windows-Step-13.jpg\/aid9520866-v4-728px-View-Shared-Folders-on-Windows-Step-13.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}

A list of shared folders will appear.

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[1]

Expert Source

Scott St Gelais
IT Consultant

[2]

[3]

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How to View Shared Folders on Windows

Steps

Using File Explorer

Using the Computer Management Panel

Using the Command Prompt

Expert Q&A

Tips

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