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How to access shares in Windows 10? Using a Microsoft account doesn't seem to work..

Question

Thursday, April 7, 2016 6:42 AM | 1 vote

I have two computers on same LAN: \Computer1 \Computer2. On both computers, I am logged in with the same Microsoft account "[email protected]".

I have enabled File Sharing on both computers and shared a folder \Computer1\Sharedfolder. On \Computer2 I am trying to access the shared folder. I am asked to provide a username and password.
So I try the usernames:

None of the above were able to access the share.

What am I doing wrong?

Kthxbai

All replies (20)

Monday, April 11, 2016 10:58 AM ✅Answered | 1 vote

Um no.  You can determine the actual username by going into user control panel (win key + "X">control panel>user control panel)

Even using a MS ID you still had to input a "username".  Mine looks something like this

Wanikiya and Dyami--Team Zigzag Windows IT-PRO (MS-MVP)

Wednesday, May 18, 2016 2:00 PM ✅Answered | 1 vote

OK - Sorry for not replying sooner.

I have been investigating this by searching the webs. I found one solution, or workaround that worked for me: Enable Homegroups. Although homegroups does not work afterwards (the computers does not show up in theH Homegroup list), it did fix the sharing. I can now share folders like I wanted to, and without the need to type in user credentials.

Thanks.

Kthxbai

Friday, April 8, 2016 2:29 AM | 2 votes

Hi Kthxbai,

Please also take a look at the article below:

https://techjourney.net/cannot-connect-to-cifs-smb-samba-network-shares-shared-folders-in-windows-10/

Please note: Since this website is not hosted by Microsoft, the information may change without notice. Microsoft does not guarantee the accuracy of this information.

Do the following:

1. Enable guest access:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanWorkstation\Parameters

Right click on the Parameters key name, and select New -> DWORD (32-bit) Value.

Then Name the new value as AllowInsecureGuestAuth and set its value data to 1;

2. Verify the network credentials, you may check the article above for more details.

Regards

Please remember to mark the replies as answers if they help, and unmark the answers if they provide no help. If you have feedback for TechNet Support, contact [email protected].

Sunday, April 10, 2016 1:28 PM | 1 vote

What error messages do you get?

(None of the above were able to access the share is not helpful)

Best regards, George

Sunday, April 10, 2016 6:31 PM | 1 vote

Check into the Homegroup settings on both computers. If either one is joined to a Homegroup and the other isn't or if each computer is joined to a different Homegroup it will cause your issue. Unless you use a Homegroup set the advanced sharing options to disallow Windows to manage homegroup connections and use user accounts and passwords instead.

Make sure both computers are set to use the same Workgroup.

One user account-password should be the same on both computers but that account does not have to be the one that is logged in to on either computer. It could also be a local account, with or without a password.

Monday, April 11, 2016 9:34 AM

George - No error messages. It just asks for username/password again and again, just like when it is not accepting the login. How many times must I try before the error message shows up?

Kthxbai

Monday, April 11, 2016 10:03 AM | 1 vote

Before Windows 8 we always used local accounts to access another Workgroup computer and I think this is what you need to do. Create local accounts on both computers. Use the same name and password on both. Reboot both computers and log in with the local accounts. You might get warnings that you are using a local account. Ignore/accept that. When logged in you should be able to access the share without further login, otherwise enter the local credentials.

Best regards, George

Monday, April 11, 2016 10:05 AM | 1 vote

Just curious.  File sharing seems to be asking for the username and password not the email address/pword.  What is the username for [email protected]?

I am assuming you have tried username@computer1.......  etc

Wanikiya and Dyami--Team Zigzag Windows IT-PRO (MS-MVP)

Monday, April 11, 2016 10:19 AM

Just curious.  File sharing seems to be asking for the username and password not the email address/pword.  What is the username for [email protected]?

I am assuming you have tried username@computer1.......  etc

Wanikiya and Dyami--Team Zigzag Windows IT-PRO (MS-MVP)

I thought the e-mail connected with the Microsoft account IS the username..? Definetly seems like it when logging in.

Kthxbai

Tuesday, April 19, 2016 3:03 PM | 1 vote

Actually not completely true.
Your top name example is called the 'Full Name'. Just open the 'Local users and groups' to see the actual 'name' as well.

In your example that is not the 'Name' - which is the logon credential user name. The password is locally set.

The 'Full Name' is what displays, like 'Jesse James'
The username could be frank123.
The Microsoft Account uses a seperate password and is derived from a hotmail account setup, or MSN... It uses a Friendly name which is not on the computer credential setup (could just be originally blank).

My problems are similar but is not client to client and not a home version of Windows.

Problem:

DomainX.local on my Windows 2012 r2 servers are set up using frank123 and the client is set up on a workgroup 'DomainX' Laptop with the same username & credentials as the domain uses.

The user starts out running Windows 8.1 Pro.

User frank123 is an 'Administrator' on the client and an 'Enterprise Administrator' on the domain and its servers.

When the client user frank123 upgrades to Win10 pro he disregards anything to do with the Homegroup stuff.

He also is prompted to change his logon to his Microsoft account email, so he can use Cortana and the App Store.

Now after changing, frank123 cannot copy client files to his server's drives or shares. The display you show above looks similar on his Windows laptop but now hides his credential logon name he used to use, although the profile directory still remains as 'frank123'. The profile is also slightly different as it is frank123 if logging on to the server locally or on the client and frank123.servername on any server if he remotes (RDP).

Win10Pro changes him from an 'administrator' to a 'standard user'. See change account type in your example.

The client computer dumbs the user DOWN and uses a method not used on the domain, even though workgroup credentials worked before because they matched the local server ones. Now he cannot cross over files unless he does so on the server.

Perhaps this is the real problem? I have this problem. The server (any one) GPO security setting does not restrict the use of Microsoft account names - so I am still stuck. Perhaps I need to RESET to being the administrator that I started out as?

Or just stop using the email account and add a username as a second way to copy files?

Michael

Wednesday, April 20, 2016 12:10 AM | 1 vote

  The easy way to see what name the file sharing software expects is to actually look at the Network (formerly Network Places) display. Doubleclick on the machine icon, doubleclick users and see what it says.

  If your Microsoft account is [email protected] your internal account name might be just fredb. That is all you need.

  It is always safest to include the machine name as well. If the machine is called ajax and the user is fredb as above, use the name ajax\fredb to gain access to the shares.

Bill

Wednesday, April 20, 2016 3:14 PM | 1 vote

Not helpful at all. Perhaps you did not understand the problem of what happened during the upgrade.

Michael

Thursday, April 21, 2016 1:57 AM | 1 vote

  I think that is for the OP to decide.

Bill

Thursday, May 19, 2016 1:55 PM

No homegroups on Windows Servers. This answer seems to be about Workgroup computers. My problem above is between Win 10 and servers using MicrosoftAccount logon in a domain.

Still no answer to date on gap in Windows enterprise environments in Business settings.

Thanks..

Michael

Thursday, January 26, 2017 3:03 AM

In theory what you are doing is correct. The MS account email you are using is part of the Administrator group (verify via Control Panel\User Accounts\User Accounts) so it should allow access to even \computer1\C$. Based on default Security anyone part of the Administrators group has access to the root directory \computer1\C$ (unless its turned off). So even if you did not have a folder shared and used \Computer1\C$\users\user>\Sharedfolder you should be able to access it that way. If you check c:\users\user> one could assume that since the MS account is tide to that folder that <user> is the username but that fails to work. If you check Computer Management\Local Users and Groups you will see your username but no indication its tide to MS account. To me this reminds me of symbolic link in away.

The only way I see to make it work is either create another user account with Admin rights and use that account or enable Administrator account and hide it.

Tuesday, May 8, 2018 8:05 PM | 1 vote

The "Control Panel" option has been removed from the Win+X menu...

Tuesday, November 13, 2018 5:13 PM

Okay, here's what worked for me: (Win10 Pro both machines, but should work with Win10 Home 'guest')

Add the Microsoft account of the user to the machine hosting the share. 
Settings
Accounts
Family and Other People
Add Someone else to this PC
(the email address used for the Microsoft Account).

This adds the Microsoft Account user to the local machine. It will be identifiable easily since it will have the same email, that was used to add it to the machine, as its description. Usually typing the first three to four letters of the first name then clicking "find" will bring it up. You can also check all the users of the machine and see which one has the matching email.

At this point, you can establish the share: Right Click the folder, click "Properties", then click "Sharing", then "Advanced Sharing". Select "Share this folder". 

Now this is the important bit: The Microsoft account must have both "Share Permissions" and "Security Access" to any given shared folder. It needs both. Add the user to the Share Permissions AND you might want to Right click the folder again after you apply that to check "Properties" then "Security" to ensure the user has appropriate read / write permissions.

This method tested November 2018, between a Win10 Pro and a Win10 Home system.

Sunday, November 18, 2018 5:12 PM

Okay, here's what worked for me: (Win10 Pro both machines, but should work with Win10 Home 'guest')

Add the Microsoft account of the user to the machine hosting the share. 
Settings
Accounts
Family and Other People
Add Someone else to this PC
(the email address used for the Microsoft Account).

This adds the Microsoft Account user to the local machine. It will be identifiable easily since it will have the same email, that was used to add it to the machine, as its description. Usually typing the first three to four letters of the first name then clicking "find" will bring it up. You can also check all the users of the machine and see which one has the matching email.

At this point, you can establish the share: Right Click the folder, click "Properties", then click "Sharing", then "Advanced Sharing". Select "Share this folder". 

Now this is the important bit: The Microsoft account must have both "Share Permissions" and "Security Access" to any given shared folder. It needs both. Add the user to the Share Permissions AND you might want to Right click the folder again after you apply that to check "Properties" then "Security" to ensure the user has appropriate read / write permissions.

This method tested November 2018, between a Win10 Pro and a Win10 Home system.

this method was what worked for me. under advanced sharing > permissions, add a group or usernames. when you click on that button, type the email address of the microsoft account you are using. then check names. it should auto populate.

what i kept doing was clicking on advanced and browsing/listing the accounts. it doesn't appear. you would think it should but it doesn't. i even added the adminstrator user and administrators group - thinking that the microsoft account i'm using is part of either/both of it - it doesn't work. you have to specifically add the account and it should work afterwards. it's the "microsoft" way.

Tuesday, December 17, 2019 12:08 PM

Thanks for this, I was able to set shares on D: and E: by adding my Microsoft email id with full control, this avoids having to set "Network" (basically everyone on the same network). This permission lets me map the drives and access them assuming I am logged in with the same Microsoft user id on both computers (I am).

BTW I was not required to add the email address to the security tab of the drive I shared, advanced sharing was enough. I guess because the email address id I added is already an Administrator.

Microsoft is frustrating, now completely removing Homegroup making it more difficult for people to share files across the same LAN. I reckon they only do this to force people to use Onedrive :/

Monday, April 20, 2020 10:15 PM

Thank you! It works for me