Share a Folder in Windows 10 and 11 the Right Way Before Mounting
When a mount fails, the fault is usually born on the Windows side, before DSM is even opened. A folder is mountable only when three things line up: the network profile, the share itself, and a real user account with a password. Set them once, in this order.
🎥 Watch the video - a Windows folder is shared and mounted inside Synology File Station, step by step
Think of sharing as a door with two locks. The share permission decides who may come in from the network; the folder's own security (NTFS) permissions decide what that account may touch once inside. Both locks must open for the same account, or the NAS reports a vague failure and you start blaming the wrong machine. Add one more precondition - Windows only shares politely on a Private network - and you have the whole setup. Here it is, step by step.
Advanced Sharing — the dialog that decides everything (example)
☑ Share this folder
Share name: NASShare
Permissions: Everyone — Full Control (home route in the video)
Second lock most people forgetSecurity tab (NTFS) must allow the account tooTwo locks
👆 Advanced Sharing creates the share and its name. The share name is what appears at the end of the path the NAS will use.
1
Set the Network to Private First
Open Settings → Network & internet and open your Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection
Set Network profile type to Private
On Public, Windows deliberately hides the PC and blocks incoming sharing connections - it is a safety mode for cafes and airports. Half of all "the NAS cannot see my PC" cases are simply a PC still set to Public at home.
2
Share With Advanced Sharing, Not Just the Share Button
Right-click the folder → Properties → Sharing → Advanced Sharing
Tick Share this folder and note the share name - you can shorten it to something clean like NASShare
Click Permissions and decide who gets in: Everyone with Full Control is the simple home route used in the video; a named account with Read or Change is the tighter office route
Apply → OK → OK
The quick Share wizard and Advanced Sharing reach the same place, but Advanced Sharing shows you the share name and permissions plainly - and the share name matters, because it becomes the last part of the network path.
3
Pass the Second Lock - the Security Tab
Now check the lock people forget:
In the same Properties window, open the Security tab
Confirm the account you will give the NAS (or Everyone, on the home route) is listed with at least Read, and Modify if the NAS must write or delete
Windows applies both permission sets and the stricter one wins. So a share that proudly says Full Control still refuses the NAS if the Security tab does not allow that account. Simple test: if the account cannot open the folder while sitting at the PC, it will not open it from the NAS either.
4
Use a Real Account With a Real Password
Password-protected sharing is on by default, and modern Windows is strict about it:
The account the NAS signs in with must have a password - Windows blocks network sign-ins for accounts with blank passwords
A PIN does not count. Windows Hello PINs unlock the PC locally only; they cannot be used over the network
Passwordless "guest" access is the old way, and newer Windows refuses guest SMB logons by default - always plan on a named account
If your PC signs in with a Microsoft account, the username for sharing is the full email address and the password is that Microsoft account's password. For a local account, it is just the account name and its password.
5
Test the Share From Windows Itself
Press Windows + R and type the PC's own address, like \\192.168.1.50
Your shared folder should be listed and should open
Only when the share passes this test is it worth opening File Station. This two-minute check separates Windows problems from NAS problems with zero guesswork - and it is exactly the check the video runs before mounting.
🔴 If the share fails on the PC itself, no NAS setting can rescue it. Fix Private profile, share permissions and the Security tab first - in that order - and the mount on the Synology side becomes the easy part.
🎥 Watch the Complete Process in the Video
Watch the video to see this exact share created on Windows and then mounted on the Synology NAS minutes later.
Do I need to turn on SMB 1.0 in Windows features for this?
No. Sharing between Windows 10 or 11 and a Synology NAS uses modern SMB (SMB2 and SMB3), which is already on. SMB 1.0 is an old, unsafe protocol that Windows leaves off on purpose - never enable it for a home share.
Why does Windows ask other computers for a password at all?
Because password-protected sharing is enabled by default, and that is a good thing: it means only accounts you created can reach your files over the network. The NAS simply signs in like any other computer, using the account name and password you give it in the mount wizard.
Is the share name the same as the folder name?
Not always. The folder name is what you see on the PC's disk; the share name is what appears in the network path, like \\192.168.1.50\NASShare. They start out the same, but you can set a shorter share name in Advanced Sharing, and the path always uses the share name.
This guide is based on the Technical Anshu Synology NAS video • Stuck on any step? Ask in the video comments — you will get a reply there 🙏