Unable to access shared folder without user name and password in windows 10

Question

I was able to share a folder in local network without asking for credentials in windows 7 and 8. This we use to do by changing settings in Advanced Network and Sharing settings.

After updating to windows 10 it still asks for the user name and password. Even if I add Guest and Everyone with full controll in the permissions. I am sure I need to enable the Guest account before I can add guest account. For checking I went to user accounts but did not see Guest account but I accessed accounts using cmpmgmt.msc and checked the Guest account there which is enabled (because disable account was unchecked)

Has anything changed in windows 10?

Solution

Question is old but none of the answers fully cover the problem. There are a number of ways to accomplish this. There is one that works every time.

1. Press the key to open the Start menu and, without clicking anything, type sharing.
2. At the top should be Manage advanced sharing settings. Click that.
3. Expand the heading for All Networks and find the section called Password protected sharing.
4. Set that to Turn off password protected sharing.
5. Click Save changes.
6. You may need to restart or unshare and reshare for the settings to take effect.

Also make sure that the file permissions of the files and folders being shared also allow access to Everyone. File permissions are managed separately from share permissions and whichever is more restrictive wins.

This should work in Windows 7 through 10 without issue.

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Additional Notes:

In versions of windows before Vista, file sharing was unpassworded by default. If you shared files everyone on the same network as your computer could access (and alter) files in the share as they saw fit. Starting in Vista, in addition to a number of other security improvements for sharing, MS made it so sharing without a password was unavailable by default. This is the setting that reverts to the old behavior. Obviously, it shouldn't be turned off without also taking other steps to secure the shared files in shared network environments. Sharing with Everyone in such cases would be unwise.

Comments

[xarlymg89]

I add to do this in both computers. Important thing, restart the PC, otherwise it doesn't work.

[Glemi]

Worked for me immediately, without restart or unshare/reshare. Great answer! Would be interesting, though, to know what purpose of this setting turn off password protected sharing is and what the consequences or side-effects of activating it are.

[O. R. Mapper]

@Glemi: The label on the radio group gives some hint at least: According to that text, if password-protected sharing is enabled, any shared folders can only be accessed by users that have a user account on the local machine (as they will be asked for credentials to that user account when accessing the shared folder over the network).