How to Fix macOS Finder Not Showing Shared Network Folders or SMB Drives on Your Mac

Summary

This guide helps you troubleshoot and resolve: How to Fix macOS Finder Not Showing Shared Network Folders or SMB Drives on Your Mac. Follow the steps below to fix the issue.

Common Causes

Shared network folders allow your Mac to access files stored on office servers or other computers using the SMB protocol. If Finder stops showing these shared drives, you may be unable to open important business documents or save files to your organisation's network storage. This guide walks you through the most common fixes for macOS Finder not displaying shared network folders or SMB drives.

Quick Fix Steps

1. Restart your Mac and try accessing the shared folder again.
2. Ensure your Mac is connected to the same Wi-Fi or Ethernet network as the server or computer sharing the folder.
3. Open Finder, select Go from the menu bar, then choose Connect to Server.
4. Enter the server address in the format smb://server-name or smb://192.168.1.xxx and click Connect.

Detailed Instructions

Check Network Connectivity

Before troubleshooting Finder, confirm your Mac has a stable connection to the local network.

1. Click the Apple menu () and select System Settings.
2. Select Network from the sidebar.
3. Verify your active connection (Wi-Fi or Ethernet) shows a green status indicator and has an IP address assigned.
4. If using Wi-Fi, ensure you are connected to the correct business network, not a guest network.

Connect to the Server Manually

If the shared folder does not appear in the Finder sidebar, you can connect to it directly.

1. Open Finder.
2. In the menu bar, click Go, then select Connect to Server (or press Command + K).
3. In the Server Address field, type the SMB path to the shared folder, for example:
• smb://fileserver
• smb://192.168.1.50/shared
4. Click Connect.
5. When prompted, select Registered User and enter your network username and password.
6. Choose the volume or shared folder you want to mount and click OK.

Show Connected Servers in the Finder Sidebar

Even when connected, shared folders may not appear in the sidebar if the setting is disabled.

1. Open Finder.
2. In the menu bar, click Finder, then select Settings (or Preferences on older macOS versions).
3. Click the Sidebar tab.
4. Under Locations, ensure the checkbox for Connected servers is selected.
5. Close the Settings window and check the Finder sidebar for your network drives.

Reconnect to the Network Share

If the drive appears but will not open, disconnect and remount it.

1. In Finder, locate the shared drive under Locations in the sidebar.
2. Click the eject icon (⏏) next to the drive name, or right-click the drive and select Eject.
3. Use Connect to Server (Command + K) to reconnect using the steps above.

Troubleshooting

Check SMB Protocol Settings

Older servers or NAS devices may require legacy SMB versions that macOS disables by default.

1. Open Finder and press Command + Shift + G.
2. Enter /etc/nsmb.conf and click Go. If the file does not exist, you will need to create it using Terminal.
3. Open Terminal (found in Applications > Utilities).
4. Type the following command and press Return:
sudo nano /etc/nsmb.conf
5. Enter your Mac administrator password when prompted (you will not see characters as you type).
6. Add the following lines to the file:
[default] smb_negotiate=smb1_only
Only use SMB1 as a temporary test. SMB1 is outdated and less secure. Remove this setting and reconnect using SMB2 or SMB3 once you confirm connectivity.
7. Press Control + O, then Return to save, and Control + X to exit.
8. Restart your Mac and try connecting to the shared folder again.

Clear Finder Preferences

Corrupted Finder preferences can prevent network locations from displaying correctly.

1. Quit Finder completely. If it will not quit, press Option + Command + Esc, select Finder, and click Relaunch.
2. Open Finder and press Command + Shift + G.
3. Enter ~/Library/Preferences/ and click Go.
4. Locate the file com.apple.finder.plist.
5. Drag this file to the Trash.
6. Restart your Mac. Finder will recreate the preference file automatically.

Check Firewall and Security Software

Third-party security software or macOS firewall settings can block SMB traffic.

1. Click the Apple menu () and select System Settings.
2. Select Network, then click Firewall.
3. If the firewall is on, click Options and ensure Block all incoming connections is not selected.
4. If you run third-party antivirus or endpoint protection, temporarily disable it to test whether it is blocking the connection.

If none of these steps restore access to your shared network folders, there may be an issue with the server, NAS device, or your user permissions. Open a Ticket with 220 Internet Services and include the server address you are trying to reach and any error messages you see.

Still Having Issues?