On TrueNAS, you can share a folder with network users regardless of the operating system, including Windows 11, 10, macOS, or Linux, and in this guide, you will learn the steps to complete this task.
If you have a Network Attached Storage (NAS) with an installation of TrueNAS, you first have to create the user account that will be accessing the files, storage pool, and dataset with the necessary permissions before making the folder available to users using Samba (SMB) protocol.
This guide will teach you the steps to configure a folder share on TrueNAS with network users.
Share folder with network users from TrueNAS
To share a folder from TrueNAS, use these steps:
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Open TrueNAS (web).
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Click on Sharing from the left pane.
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Click on Windows Shares (SMB).
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Click the Add button in the top-right corner.
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Under the “Basic” section, expand and select the dataset that users will access from the network.
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Under the “Name” field, confirm a name for the folder share.
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Click the Submit button.
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Click the Enable Service button (if applicable).
Once you complete the steps, the shared folder will be created, and it can be accessed by any Windows machine.
Connect to TruNAS shared folder on Windows 11
To map a TrueNAS shared folder on Windows 11, use these steps:
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Open File Explorer on Windows 11.
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Click on This PC from the left pane.
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Click the main menu (three-dotted button) and select the Map network drive button.
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Choose one of the available drive letters in the “Drive” setting.
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Confirm the path of network share on TrueNAS (for example, \\10.1.4.171\MyDataset) in the “Folder” setting.
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Check the “Reconnect at sign-in” option to permanently connect to the TrueNAS location.
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Check the “Connect using different credentials” option.
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Click the Finish button.
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Confirm the TrueNAS share folder account credentials.
After you complete the steps, you can now access the shared folder and its contents from the “This PC” page in File Explorer or navigate to the “Network” page.