NAS Device Not Showing up on Windows? Six Solutions Here!

Your Windows computer cannot recognize Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices, resulting in the inability to access the stored data? This article will provide a variety of solutions.

NAS devices are connected to your computer over the network, providing flexible and scalable data storage space. However, NAS devices sometimes fail to display on computer networks, which is frustrating.

Reasons for NAS drives not visible

Since NAS devices are connected through the network, first check whether the computer and NAS devices are on the same network. Other possible reasons include: SMB v1 disable, DNS cache corruption, network discovery disable, Windows firewall blocking, etc.

How to fix NAS is not visible on Windows

Method 1: Check the network connection

Make sure your device is connected to a stable network and that your NAS device and computer are located in the same LAN.

Method 2: Enable Windows Network Discovery

The Network Discovery feature allows your computer to find other network devices. If this feature is not enabled, the NAS device may not be found.

Step 1: Press Win I to open Windows settings.

Step 2: For Windows 10 users, go to Network and Internet > Status > Network and Sharing Center > Change Advanced Sharing Settings . In the Network Discovery section, select Enable Network Discovery and click Save Changes.

For Windows 11 users, go to Network and then Internet > Advanced Network Settings . Find Private Network, enable Network Discovery and File and Printer Sharing options.

Method 3: Enable SMBv1

Server Message Block (SMB) is used to share files and printers on the network. Windows 10 (except Home and Professional), Windows 11, and Windows Server 2019 and later do not have SMBv1 installed by default. Older NAS requires SMBv1 to be enabled on the computer.

Step 1: Enter "Control Panel" in the Windows search bar and press Enter to open the Control Panel.

Step 2: Go to Programs > Enable or turn off Windows features . Locate and select "SMB 1.0/CIFS File Sharing Support" and click "OK".

After completing this step, you need to restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

Method 4: Disable Windows Firewall

Misconfiguration of Windows Firewall can sometimes cause NAS devices to fail to display. You can temporarily disable the firewall to try to resolve this issue.

Step 1: Press Win S , enter "Windows Defender Firewall", and press Enter to open the window.

Step 2: Select “Enable or Turn off Windows Defender Firewall” in the left pane.

Step 3: Under "Private Network Settings" and "Public Network Settings", select "Close Windows Defender Firewall (not recommended)". Click OK to save the changes.

After that, check whether the NAS device can be detected. If it is still invisible, remember to re-enable Windows Firewall and try the next one.

Method 5: Clear DNS cache

Corrupted cache files may interfere with the normal operation of NAS devices. Try to clear the DNS cache.

Step 1: Press Win R to open the run window.

Step 2: Enter "cmd" in the dialog box, and press Shift Ctrl Enter to run the command prompt as administrator.

Step 3: Copy and paste "ipconfig /flushdns" into the command window and press Enter to execute.

Method 6: Reset NAS

To avoid data loss, it is recommended to back up data before resetting the NAS device. You can connect the disk of your NAS device directly to your computer and then use the data recovery software to recover files. After the data transfer is complete, you can start resetting your NAS device. (For the reset method of Synology NAS, please refer to the relevant documents.)

Summarize

This article provides six solutions to the problem that Windows computers cannot recognize NAS devices, you can try them one by one.

The above is the detailed content of NAS Device Not Showing up on Windows? Six Solutions Here!. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!