Is Your QuickBooks Not Showing Network Drives? Fix it Now

Is your QuickBooks not showing network drives? If yes, this could result from network connection problems or the drive not being mapped correctly, among other reasons. When this issue occurs, the mapped network drives won’t be displayed when you try to open or save a file or PDF, and access to the company file will also be restricted. To troubleshoot this issue, go through this article until the end and learn what triggers such an issue in QuickBooks and how to fix it with the most straightforward solutions.

If the mapped drive is not found in QuickBooks, you might face issues like delayed business transactions and payroll. To avoid such situations, contact the support team at 1-855-856-0042 for immediate troubleshooting help.

Leading Reasons Why QB is Unable to Access the Mapped Drives

Issues while finding the mapped network drives in QB can arise for various reasons. Learning about these reasons is essential to identify the most effective troubleshooting solution and avoid such issues. Below, we have provided a list of reasons why the QuickBooks mapped drive is not working –

• The Network Discovery is turned off in your Windows OS.
• The network drive is not mapped correctly, leading to issues while finding it in QuickBooks.
• Finding the UNC path can be challenging if the IP address and DNS are not automatically obtained.
• Your QuickBooks company file might have been renamed or moved to another location.
• The computer is disconnected from the path where the QB file is saved, or the file has been deleted from the location.
• You are not logged in as an admin, or your user account does not have the required admin rights.
• QuickBooks Desktop might be damaged, or it might be improperly or incompletely installed on the PC.

These are the main reasons why you can’t find the network drives. Let’s learn how to address this issue in the next section.

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Solutions to Perform When QuickBooks is Not Seeing Mapped Drives

Problems while finding the mapped network drives in QuickBooks Desktop can be resolved by following the troubleshooting solutions mentioned below –

Solution 1 – Ensure that the Network Discovery is Turned On

If QuickBooks is not showing network drives, one prominent reason could be that the Network Discovery is turned off. To fix the mapped drive issue, turn the Network Discovery on in the following manner –

1. Type “Settings” in the Windows search box, then go to Settings and click Sharing Options.
2. Further, click and expand the Private Network, then select the Turn On Network Discovery option.
3. Click Turn on Automatic Setup of Network-Connected Devices, then select Save Changes and end the process.

Once the Network Discovery is on, rerun QuickBooks and check if the network drive is showing. If you still have issues finding the network drive, move to the next solution.

Solution 2 – Map a Network Drive in Windows for QuickBooks

If you aren’t able to find the mapped drives, try remapping the network drive in your Windows OS by going through the following steps –

Windows 7

For Windows 7 users, the following steps need to be performed to map the network drive –

1. Open the Windows Start menu, select the Computers tab, then click the Map Network Drive option.
2. Select any available Drive Letter from the Drive list, open the Folder box, and type the folder or computer path. Alternatively, you can select Browse to find the folder/computer path.
3. Lastly, select the “Reconnect at Logon” checkbox to connect whenever you log in to the PC, and click Finish.
   

Note: If you can’t connect to the network drive or folder, the PC might be turned off or not have proper permissions. In this case, contact the network admin for assistance.

Windows 8 & 10

To map a network drive on Windows 10, follow the steps below –

1. Open Windows File Explorer from the Taskbar or the Windows Start menu. Alternatively, press the Windows + E keys to access the File Explorer.
2. Select This PC from the left pane, go to the Computer tab, and select the Map Network Drive option.
3. Next, open the Drive list, select a Drive Letter (any available letter will work), and then open the Folder box.
4. Further, type the path of the folder/computer or click Browse to find the folder/computer.
5. Lastly, click Reconnect at Sign-in to connect every time you sign in to the PC and click Finish.

Windows 11

If you use Windows 11, you can map the network drive by implementing the following steps –

1. To access Windows File Explorer, go to the Taskbar or the Windows Start menu (or press the Windows + E keys).
2. Then, select This PC from the left pane, and in the File Explorer ribbon, select More.
3. Click Map Network Drive and open the Drive list to select any available Drive Letter.

Note: If you don’t see Map Network Drive on the More menu, right-click This PC in the folder pane to find the command.

4. Now, in the Folder box, type the folder/computer path or click Browse to find the folder/computer path.
5. Lastly, select Reconnect at Sign-in and click Finish to end the process.

Once done, try to open QuickBooks with the newly mapped network drive. However, if QuickBooks is not displaying mapped drives, move to the next solution.

Solution 3 – Obtain the IP Address and DNS

Trouble finding the UNC path can cause problems with the mapped drive. In such a case, you can use the server’s IP address and DNS in the following manner –

1. Open the Windows Start menu, select the Settings tab, and access the Control Panel.
2. Select Network and Internet, then choose Network and Sharing Center from the Control Panel window.
3. Further, select the Change Adapter option and open the Network Connection window.
4. Next, right-click Ethernet, select Properties from the available list, and select the Networking tab.
5. Select Internet Protocol Version 4 and choose it from the list, then uncheck the box next to it if it’s already selected.
6. Click the Properties option to access the IPv4 properties, then select the Obtain the IP Address Automatically option.
7. Now, select Obtain DNS Server Address Automatically, then click OK to save the settings.

Once done, your PC will connect to the network without requiring you to input the settings manually. Now, rerun QB and check if you can find the mapped device. If you can’t find the mapped device in QuickBooks Desktop, move to the next troubleshooting solution.

Read Also : Recover Missing QuickBooks Data After Update

Solution 4 – Find Your Company File and Open it Manually

Issues while finding the mapped device can occur if the file name has changed or the file has moved to another location. In such cases, you need to find the company file by doing a wildcard search, then access it in the following manner –

Step 1 – Search for All Company Files

Go to your server PC and perform a wildcard search for all company files by entering the following extensions in the search bar –

• *.qbw (Working Files)
• *.qbb (Back Up Files)
• *.qba (Accountants Copy Files)
• *.qbx (Accountants Transfer Files)
• *.qby (Accountants Change Files)

Make sure to include the Asterisk (*) before the extension type, and once the file is found, note down its location. Then, move to the next step to open the .QBW file.

Step 2 – Open the .QBW File

You can open the company file in QuickBooks Desktop by implementing the following steps –

1. Go to the QuickBooks File menu, select Open or Restore Company, then select Open a Company File.
2. Hit Next, select the QB company file you want to access, and click Open.

Now, check if you can access the file on the network drive. However, if you can’t open the company file on the mapped network drive, follow the next solution.

Solution 5 – Ping the Server to Check the Connection

You might face issues while finding the mapped drive if the computer is disconnected from the path where the QB file is located. To ensure you are connected to the network, you can ping the server in the following manner –

1. Press the Windows + R keys to open the Run window, then type the “CMD” text box and click OK.
2. Enter the “ipconfig/all” command, hit Enter, and note down the Host/Server Name.
3. Next, type “ping [name of your server],” press Enter, and check the reply for each packet as follows –
   • If you see a prompt reply for each packet, your PC is properly connected to the network and has no connection issues.
   • On the other hand, if the packet is lost or the reply is slow, there are network problems. You must contact an IT professional to resolve the connection issues.

Once the connection problems are resolved, check if you can access the mapped drive. If the mapped drive is not showing, move to the next solution.

Solution 6 – Configure the Windows User as an Administrator

If you can no longer see the network drive, ensure you run your PC and QuickBooks with admin rights. If not, give your user account the admin rights it requires in the following manner –

1. Open Settings on your PC, select Accounts and click Other Users.
2. In the Other Users section, select the flyout for the account you want to change, then select Change Account Type next to Account Options.
3. Lastly, select the Account Type as Admin from the drop-down menu and click OK.

Once your user account has admin rights, launch QuickBooks and check if you can access the network drive while saving a file or PDF. If QuickBooks is still not showing network drives, move to the next solution.

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Solution 7 – Repair QuickBooks with the QB Tool Hub

Problems with your QB program or the installation process can be why the mapped drive is not displaying while opening the file. To fix the problems within QuickBooks, you can use the QuickBooks Tool Hub utilities. Firstly, ensure to download and install the latest QuickBooks Tool Hub version, then follow the steps given below –

Step 1 – Run Quick Fix My Program Tool

You can use this tool to fix the program problems by running the program repair process. To use Quick Fix My Program, follow the steps mentioned below –

1. Firstly, launch QuickBooks Tool Hub, then go to the Program Problems tab and select the Quick Fix My Program tool.
2. Run the program repair, then once the tool stops running, restart QB and open your data file.

Check if you can see the mapped drive while opening the file. If QB is not showing mapped network drives, move to step 2.

Step 2 – Use the QB Install Diagnostic Tool

To fix the general installation problems in QB, run the QuickBooks Install Diagnostic tool in the following manner –

1. In QuickBooks Tool Hub, go to the Installation Issues tab, then select the QuickBooks Install Diagnostic tool.
2. Run the tool and initiate an installation repair, which can take around 20 minutes.
3. Once done, restart your PC and run QuickBooks, then access the data file.

Now, ensure you update QuickBooks Desktop to the latest version and have the most recent bug fixes and security updates. Then, access the network drive, but if the drive is still not showing, go to the next solution.

Solution 8 – Clean Install QuickBooks Desktop

If running a repair using QuickBooks Tool Hub doesn’t help fix the installation issues, you can try clean installing QuickBooks. When you clean install QuickBooks, you will have a fresh QBDT version free of any issues and glitches you encountered in the current versions.

After QB is reinstalled, rerun it and check if you can find the network drives to ensure the issue is fixed.

Conclusion

We hope this detailed guide helped you resolve the issues with the network drives. However, if the solutions are ineffective and QuickBooks is not showing network drives, you can get direct assistance in fixing the issues by contacting the support team at 1-855-856-0042.

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Erica watson

Erica Watson is writing about accounting and bookkeeping for over 7+ years, making even the difficult technical topics easy to understand. She is skilled at creating content about popular accounting and tax softwares such as QuickBooks, Sage, Xero, Quicken, etc. Erica’s knowledge of such softwares allows her to create articles and guides that are both informative and easy to follow. Her writing builds trust with readers, thanks to her ability to explain things clearly while showing a real understanding of the industry.