To bring Windows users into the Chromebook fold, Google is incorporating many useful features into Chrome OS. Recently, they brought network file sharing through SMB (Server Message Block) into the stable channel of Chrome OS. What it means is that you can seamlessly access network files and folder without switching to Developer mode or Canary channel. So in this article, I am going to show you how to access Windows shared folders on Chromebooks along with some helpful explanation on Windows network file sharing system. With all that said, let’s go through the guide step by step.

1. Find the Network Share Path on Windows PC

Before we begin, we have to find the share path on our Windows PC. Unlike Windows where you can just enter the credentials and connect with other computers, in Chromebook you will have to provide the IP address in proper SMB protocol. Also, this is a one-time process and you will not have to do this for every folder sharing. So now, let’s go ahead and find the network share path without any delay.

Note: Try to keep the folder name as one word to prevent any ambiguity in the file path.

Here’s an example:

smb://172.16.91.151/Movies

In case, you want to connect to a Windows drive then just enter the shared drive letter in place of the folder name.

Now that you have got the idea of network sharing path, let’s move to Chromebook for some action.

  1. Open the Files app on your Chromebook and click on the 3-dot menu on the top-right corner. Next, click on “Add new service” and open “SMB file share”.

That was quite easy, right? So, if you want to share another folder to Chromebook then just repeat step #1 and #2 from the first section and enter the folder name along with the IP address on your Chromebook. That’s it. Browse your Windows files on Chromebook just like that!