How to Fix Error 0x80070035: The Network Path Was Not Found in Windows 11 and 10

Quick Answer

Error 0x80070035: The Network Path Was Not Found usually appears when Windows cannot reach a shared folder, PC name, or network device. The fastest fixes are to confirm both devices are on the same network, enable Network Discovery and File and Printer Sharing, restart SMB-related services, clear saved credentials, and connect by IP address instead of computer name.

1. Open Settings > Network & internet and make sure the connection is set to Private network.
2. Go to Advanced network settings > Advanced sharing settings.
3. Turn on Network discovery and File and printer sharing.
4. Press Win + R, type \\ComputerName\ShareName, and try again.
5. If that fails, try \\IP-address\ShareName, for example \\192.168.1.25\Users.

Best first test: If the share opens by IP address but not by computer name, the problem is usually DNS, NetBIOS, or Windows name resolution — not the shared folder itself.

Problem

You may see Error 0x80070035: The Network Path Was Not Found when opening a shared folder, mapped network drive, NAS path, or another Windows PC from File Explorer. The message often appears after a Windows update, router change, password change, firewall adjustment, or switching from a private to a public network profile.

The error can look like this:

Windows cannot access \\PC-NAME\SharedFolder
Error code: 0x80070035
The network path was not found.

Cause

Windows shows this error when it cannot resolve, reach, or authenticate the network path. Common causes include disabled network discovery, incorrect sharing permissions, blocked SMB traffic, stale Windows credentials, broken name resolution, or required services not running.

Prerequisites

• Use an administrator account on the Windows PC.
• Know the target computer name, share name, or IP address.
• Confirm both devices are connected to the same router, VPN, or office network.
• If connecting to another Windows PC, make sure that PC is turned on and not asleep.

Step-by-step Solution

1. Set the Network Profile to Private

Windows blocks many sharing features on a Public network profile. Change it to Private on both PCs.

1. Open Settings.
2. Go to Network & internet.
3. Select Wi-Fi or Ethernet.
4. Open your active connection.
5. Select Private network.

2. Enable Network Discovery and File Sharing

1. Open Settings > Network & internet.
2. Click Advanced network settings.
3. Open Advanced sharing settings.
4. Under Private networks, turn on Network discovery.
5. Turn on File and printer sharing.

On Windows 10, you can also open Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Change advanced sharing settings.

3. Test the Share by IP Address

On the computer hosting the shared folder, open Command Prompt and run:

ipconfig

Find the IPv4 Address, then try opening the share from the other PC:

\\192.168.1.25\SharedFolder

If this works, create a shortcut or fix name resolution using the later steps.

4. Restart Required Network Services

Several Windows services help discover computers and browse network shares. Restart them from an elevated PowerShell window.

Start-Service FDResPub
Start-Service FDProviderHost
Start-Service LanmanWorkstation
Start-Service LanmanServer
Set-Service FDResPub -StartupType Automatic
Set-Service FDProviderHost -StartupType Automatic
Set-Service LanmanWorkstation -StartupType Automatic
Set-Service LanmanServer -StartupType Automatic

If a service is already running, Windows may simply return to the prompt without showing anything. That is normal.

5. Clear Saved Windows Credentials

Old passwords can trigger connection failures that look like a missing path.

1. Open Control Panel.
2. Go to Credential Manager.
3. Open Windows Credentials.
4. Remove saved entries for the target PC, NAS, or IP address.
5. Reconnect to the share and enter the current username and password.

Use this format if the account exists on the remote PC:

RemotePCName\Username

6. Allow File Sharing Through Windows Firewall

1. Press Win + R, type control firewall.cpl, and press Enter.
2. Click Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall.
3. Click Change settings.
4. Enable File and Printer Sharing for Private networks.
5. Enable Network Discovery for Private networks.

If you use a third-party antivirus firewall, temporarily disable only its firewall component for testing. Turn it back on after confirming the cause.

7. Reset TCP/IP and DNS Cache

If the PC recently changed networks or received a new IP address, reset the network stack. Open Command Prompt as administrator and run:

ipconfig /flushdns
nbtstat -R
nbtstat -RR
netsh winsock reset
netsh int ip reset

Restart Windows after running these commands.

8. Check the Shared Folder Permissions

On the PC that hosts the folder:

1. Right-click the folder and choose Properties.
2. Open the Sharing tab.
3. Click Advanced Sharing.
4. Enable Share this folder.
5. Click Permissions and confirm the correct user or group has access.
6. Open the Security tab and check NTFS permissions too.

Important: Sharing permissions and Security permissions both matter. If one allows access but the other denies it, the connection can fail.

9. Check SMB Settings for Older NAS Devices

Modern Windows versions use newer SMB versions. Some old NAS boxes, media servers, and legacy devices may only support SMBv1, which is disabled by default because it is insecure.

Before enabling SMBv1, check whether your NAS firmware can be updated to support SMBv2 or SMBv3. That is the safer fix.

To check SMB client configuration, run PowerShell as administrator:

Get-SmbClientConfiguration | Select EnableSecuritySignature, RequireSecuritySignature

If you absolutely must connect to a legacy device, enable SMBv1 only as a temporary workaround from Windows Features. Do not enable SMBv1 on business networks unless your administrator approves it.

Examples

Open a Share by Computer Name

\\OFFICE-PC\Documents

Open a Share by IP Address

\\192.168.1.50\Documents

Map a Network Drive

net use Z: \\192.168.1.50\Documents /persistent:yes

Remove a Broken Mapped Drive

net use Z: /delete

Common Causes

• The active network is set to Public.
• Network Discovery is disabled.
• File and Printer Sharing is blocked by Windows Firewall.
• The shared folder name is typed incorrectly.
• The remote PC changed its IP address.
• Windows saved an old username or password.
• The required SMB or discovery services are stopped.
• A NAS device supports only outdated SMB versions.

Common Mistakes

• Using the Windows login PIN instead of the account password when connecting to a share.
• Checking only Sharing permissions and ignoring the Security tab.
• Trying to browse through File Explorer Network view before testing the direct UNC path.
• Leaving the network profile as Public on a home or office LAN.
• Enabling SMBv1 immediately without checking for a NAS firmware update.

Best Practices

• Use fixed DHCP reservations for PCs or NAS devices that host shared folders.
• Prefer SMBv2 or SMBv3 over SMBv1.
• Create a dedicated local user for file sharing instead of sharing with everyone.
• Keep Windows and NAS firmware updated.
• Document shared folder names and mapped drive letters for future troubleshooting.

Verification

After applying the fixes, verify the connection in this order:

1. Ping the target device:

ping 192.168.1.50

2. Open the share by IP address:

\\192.168.1.50\SharedFolder

3. Open the share by computer name:

\\OFFICE-PC\SharedFolder

4. Map the drive again if needed:

net use Z: \\OFFICE-PC\SharedFolder /persistent:yes

If the IP path works but the name path still fails, focus on DNS, NetBIOS, router name resolution, or using a static hosts file entry as a last resort.