How to map a My Cloud or NAS device on Windows

Please select a method to map a network drive from the table above to display that method's instructions.

Mapping a Network Drive using WD Access

WD Access is a utility that will discover all My Cloud devices on the network for easy access, while providing tools for uploading files, accessing the My Cloud dashboard, and other shortcut features.

1. Open the System Tray on the bottom-right corner of the Desktop

   

2. Click on top of the WD icon



3. Select WD Access

   

4. The available My Cloud devices will display. Select the desired My Cloud device

   

5. Click on Map to display the available Shares for the selected My Cloud device

   

6. Select the Share that will be mapped, for example the Public Share

   

7. The Map Network Drive window will open. Click on Finish

   

8. Now the selected My Cloud Share is mapped and can be found under This PC

   

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Mapping a Network Drive on Windows 8

• Manual Mapping Option 1
• Manual Mapping Option 2
• Manual Mapping Option 3

Mapping a Network Drive through Computer on Metro Screen

1. On the Desktop of the Windows 8 computer, move the mouse to the bottom-left corner of the screen and click on the Metro Start Screen.

   



2. On the Metro Start Screen, type Computer so that an automatic search for Computer goes through.

   



3. Computer will appear as a search result, under the Apps search category. Right-click on top of Computer.

   



4. From the list of options, click on Map network drive.

   



5. Click on Browse....

   



6. Search for, and expand, the desired network drive by clicking on the small arrow to the left of its name. Then, select the desired Share of that network drive and click OK.

   

   Note:

   If the network storage has Private Shares, Windows will request for the user to provide his or her credentials. These credentials will allow access based on permissions granted to the user by the administrator. For assistance providing users with credentials, please see Answer ID 13099: How to add family and friends to a My Cloud device

   
   


7. Now that the desired Share has been selected, click on Finish.

   



8. The process is now completed, and the selected Share will now display with an assigned drive letter on the Computer area.

   

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Mapping a Drive through File Explorer's Computer Tab

1. On the Desktop of the Windows 8 computer, click on top of the File Explorer icon.
   

   



2. When File Explorer opens, on the left-side panel, click on Computer.
   

   



3. Once there, on the top-left corner of the Computer area, click on the Computer tab.
   

   



4. On the displayed options, click on Map network drive.
   

   



5. Click on Browse....
   

   



6. Search for, and expand, the desired network drive by clicking on the small arrow to the left of its name. Then, select the desired Share of that network drive and click OK.

   

   
   

Note:

If the network drive has Private Shares, Windows will request for the user to provide his or her credentials. These credentials will allow access based on permissions granted to the user by the administrator of the network drive. After mapping a Public share, the user is registered as a Guest and won't be able to map Private shares. Because of this, it is recommended to always map Private shares first, so that the user logs in with his credentials, and then map Public shares as needed. For assistance providing users with credentials, please see Answer ID 13099: How to add family and friends to a My Cloud device




7. Now that the desired Share has been selected, click on Finish.

   



8. The process is now completed, and the selected Share will now display with an assigned drive letter on the Computer area.

   

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Mapping a Drive through the Drive Name or IP Address

1. On the Desktop of the Windows 8 computer, move the mouse to the bottom-left corner of the screen and click on the Metro Start Screen.

   



2. On the Metro Start Screen, type \\drivename (for instance, \\wdmycloud), and press Enter on the keyboard. Alternatively, the IP address assigned to the drive can be used as well (For instance, \\192.168.1.50).

   

   
   

Note:

If the network drive has Private Shares, Windows will request for the user to provide his or her credentials. These credentials will allow access based on permissions granted to the user by the administrator of the network drive. After mapping a Public share, the user is registered as a Guest and won't be able to map Private shares. Because of this, it is recommended to always map Private shares first, so that the user logs in with his credentials, and then map Public shares as needed. For assistance providing users with credentials, please see Answer ID 13099: How to add family and friends to a My Cloud device



3. The drive will open in File Explorer, displaying the available Shares on the drive. Right-click on top of the desired Share and click on Map network drive....

   



4. Now that the desired Share has been selected, click on Finish.

   



5. The process is now completed, and the selected Share will now display with an assigned drive letter on the Computer area.

   

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Mapping a Network Drive on Windows 7 & Vista

• Manual Mapping Option 1
• Manual Mapping Option 2

Mapping a network drive through Computer's Menu

1. On the Desktop of the Windows 7 or Windows Vista machine, move the mouse to the bottom-left corner of the screen and click on Start, which is indicated by a Windows logo.

   



2. On the Start Menu, right-click on top of Computer, and then click on Map network drive....

   



3. Click on Browse....

   



4. Search for, and expand, the desired network drive by clicking on the small arrow to the left of its name. Then, select the desired Share of that network drive and click OK.

   

   Note:

   If the network drive has Private Shares, Windows will request for the user to provide his or her credentials. These credentials will allow access based on permissions granted to the user by the administrator of the network drive. After mapping a Public share, the user is registered as a Guest and won't be able to map Private shares. Because of this, it is recommended to always map Private shares first, so that the user logs in with his credentials, and then map Public shares as needed. For assistance providing users with credentials, please see Answer ID 13099: How to add family and friends to a My Cloud device

   
   
5. Now that the desired Share has been selected, click on Finish.

   



6. The process is now completed, and the selected Share will now display with an assigned drive letter on the Computer area.

   

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Mapping a network drive through the Drive Name or IP Address

1. On the Desktop of the Windows 7 or Windows Vista machine, move the mouse to the bottom-left corner of the screen and click on Start, which is indicated by a Windows logo.

   



2. On the Start Menu, type \\drivename (for instance, \\wdmycloud), and press Enter on the keyboard. Alternatively, the IP address assigned to the drive can be used as well (for instance, \\192.168.1.50).

   

   Note:

   If the network drive has Private Shares, Windows will request for the user to provide his or her credentials. These credentials will allow access based on permissions granted to the user by the administrator of the network drive. After mapping a Public share, the user is registered as a Guest and won't be able to map Private shares. Because of this, it is recommended to always map Private shares first, so that the user logs in with his credentials, and then map Public shares as needed. For assistance providing users with credentials, please see Answer ID 13099: How to add family and friends to a My Cloud device

   
   
3. The drive will open in Windows Explorer, displaying the available Shares on the drive. Right-click on top of the desired Share and click on Map network drive....

   



4. Now that the desired Share has been selected, click on Finish.

   



5. The process is now completed, and the selected Share will now display with an assigned drive letter on the Computer area.

   

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Mapping a Network Drive using WD Quickview

WD QuickView is a tool that assists in monitoring and usage of WD drives.

1. Open the System Tray on the bottom-right corner of the Desktop

   

2. Click on top of the WD QuickView icon to display the available WD products, and select the desired network drive

   

3. Click on Map to display the available Shares for the selected My Cloud device

   

4. Select the Share that will be mapped, for example the Public Share

   

5. The Map Network Drive window will open. Click on Finish

   

6. Now the selected My Cloud Share is mapped and can be found under This PC

   

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WD Link

The WD ShareSpace, My Book World Edition and My Book World Edition II drives use the WD Link software for automatic drive mapping. Please see the links below for assistance mapping a drive using this utility:

• For assistance finding or installing WD Link, please see Answer ID 8572: Installing WD Link in Windows.
• For help mapping a drive letter using WD Link, please see Answer ID 8573: Mapping a drive letter on a WD Network hard drive using WD Link.

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