[Solved]: How to Fix NAS Device Not Visible On Windows 10?

Summary: Are you unable to see your NAS device on Windows 10 system and unable to access data? In this post, we’ve discussed some methods and workarounds which would help you to fix the NAS device not visible issue on Windows 10 system.

Quick Navigation

1. Overview
2. NAS Device Not Visible on Windows 10
3. Enable SMB 1.0/CIFS File Sharing Support
4. Fix NAS drive not showing on network windows 10
5. Conclusion

Overview: NAS devices are used for running business applications and sharing, storing, and accessing files remotely. They’re typically connected to a network so that all the users (with permissions) on the network can access them from different devices.

Imagine a situation when the NAS device is not visible on Windows and you’re unable to access it. You may lose access to all the data stored on it. See the case below reported by a user on the Microsoft community forum:

User’s Query on a forum: I have 4 different computers, all running on Windows 10. My NAS devices are attached to my home network, and neither will show up under “Network” on any of the Windows 10 machines. The odd part is that on a couple of older/previous Windows builds, the NAS devices would pop right up.

The rub is that both NAS devices showed up and worked fine in Win7 and Win8, and even on a few of the preview builds of Win10.

 Any advice on ‘how to get to these devices, and be able to use them’ would be great!

From the above user’s query, it can be understood that the NAS devices don’t show up on newer Windows 10 builds. However, they are visible from other Windows 10 systems with previous builds.

This may have happened due to various reasons such as:

• Windows network-related settings have changed after the Windows 10 update (newer version of Windows 10).
• The user changes the settings on the Windows system, resulting in the NAS drive is not visible.
• NAS drives have some issues.

However, there are some methods by using which you can fix NAS visibility issues on Windows 10.

Also Read: An introduction to NAS, its applications, and RAID

[FIXED]: NAS Device Not Visible on Windows 10

You can try the given fixes to make changes to the network-related settings on Windows 10 system. This can help you fix the networking issues between NAS and Windows 10 PC on the network.

[NOTE]: Before following these fixes, make sure that your NAS is configured to be discoverable by Windows devices and has all the latest updates installed on it.

FIX 1. Enable NetBIOS over TCP/IP

Step 1. Click the Windows icon (Start Menu) and select Settings.

Step 2. On the Windows Settings window, select Network & Internet to open a Status window.

Step 3. Click Change Adapter Options.

You’d be able to see all the network adapters on your systems such as Ethernet, Local Area Connection, and Wi-Fi.

Step 4. Right-click an adapter you use for accessing the NAS device and click Properties

Step 5. Check/tick (if not checked) Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4), select it, and click the Properties button.

Step 6. Click the Advanced button on the window that pops up.

Step 7. On the Advanced TCP/IP Settings window, choose the WINS tab, select Enable NetBIOS over TCP/IP, and then click OK to save changes.

Step 8. Close all the windows that you opened while making these changes.

Step 9. Repeat these steps for all the adapters you use for your NAS drives.

FIX 2. Enable SMB 1.0/CIFS File Sharing Support

[IMPORTANT]: Microsoft recommends NOT to use SMBv1 due to several known security issues. If you don’t wish to use this method, you can use the workarounds discussed later to fix the issue.

Step 1. On your Windows 10 PC, launch Control Panel and click Programs.

Step 2. In the Programs window, Turn Windows features on or off.

Step 3. Grant Admin permissions (if prompted).

A Windows Feature screen would open.

Step 4. Scroll and locate SMB 1.0/CIFS File Sharing Support.

Step 5. Check (tick) SMB 1.0/CIFS File Sharing Support checkbox, and click the OK button.

Also Read: How to Minimize the Risk of Data Loss from NAS Devices?

Some Workarounds to Fix NAS drive not showing on network windows 10

• If you’re logged in to your Windows 10 system from Microsoft Account, log out of it and log in as a local user.
• Try using Wi-Fi to access the NAS device.
• Press Windows + R to open a Run dialog box, and type “\\＜NAS address=”” ip=””＞“ to view your NAS in Windows 10 File Explorer.
• Map NAS shared folders as network drives on your Windows system.

To map NAS shared folders:

• Navigate to Windows File Explorer >> This PC.
• Right-click This PC and choose Map Network Drive.
• Choose a drive letter from the Drive dropdown, type “\\＜NAS IP ADDRESS＞\＜SHARED FOLDER NAME＞” in the Folder textbox, and click Finish.

Conclusion

If you’re still unable to see/access the NAS device on Windows 10, try accessing it from a working Windows 8 or lower version of the Windows system on the same network as NAS.

If the NAS device is still invisible, there might be some issues with your NAS device. In such a case, your data on NAS disks might be at risk. Check the health of NAS disks (refer to NAS user manual or contact manufacturer to check disk health). If you find a problem with any of the disks, check Stellar NAS data recovery to recover your crucial data.