On my local area network (LAN), I have a number of shared folders, from different computers, that I regularly access. Those folders are accessed from Linux, MacOS, and — yes — Chromebooks. By doing this, I can not only access the various files and folders I need to work with but I can also save files to those shares, which often serves as a pseudo backup solution.
It’s a win-win all around.
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How you access network shares depends on the operating system you use. In some cases, it can also depend on which file manager your OS employs.
Once upon a time, Chrome OS required you to install a third-party app to connect with remote shares. Fortunately, that service is now built into the My Files app, so you don’t have to install anything or enable the feature in settings…it just works.
Let me show you how it’s done.
How to connect to a network share from your Chromebook
What you’ll need: To make this work, you’ll need a Chromebook with an updated version of Chrome OS. (If you have an older Chromebook with an earlier version of Chrome OS, follow the steps outlined in this article instead.) You’ll also need a share available on your network. This share can be from Linux, MacOS, or Windows. The share can be either protected with username/password credentials, or it can be anonymous (without a username or password). The important thing is that the share must be accessible. You can always test it with other operating systems, to make sure you can successfully access the share.
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I’m going to demonstrate connecting to a share from a Linux machine that’s at IP address 192.168.1.73, the share name is Public, and it does have a login requirement.
Let’s make the connection.
Log in to your Chromebook and open the My Files app from the desktop menu (or from your Shelf if you have it pinned there).
Click the three-dot menu button at the top right corner of the My Files app and then select the Services sub-menu. From that new menu, click SMB File Share.
The SMB file share entry is baked into Chrome OS. Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNET
In the resulting pop-up window, you’ll need to configure the following:
- File share URL: This will be in the form of \\192.168.1.73\Public. You can also wait for Chrome OS to automatically detect the share and select it from the discovered list.
- Display Name: This will be automatically filled in (once the share URL is added) or you can manually add a descriptive name.
- Username: If the share is protected by a username/password, type the username here.
- Password: If the share is protected by a username/password, type the password here.
Once you’ve completed filling out the information, click Add to shave the share.
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You can either wait for Chrome OS to discover your share or configure the URL manually. Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNET
Once the share is added, you’ll find a new entry at the bottom left corner of the My Files app. The name of that entry will correspond with the Display Name you configured for the share. You can click that entry to access the files and folders in the share.
I’ve named my share HIVE Public to easily remember which machine it’s associated with. Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNET
One thing to keep in mind is that the newly added share will remain (even after a reboot). If you want to remove the share, two-finger tap (or right-click) the share listing in My Files and select Close. Once you’ve closed a share, you’ll have to go through the process of re-adding it, should you need access.
I can also share the share with the Linux subsystem. Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNET
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You can add as many shares as necessary to Chrome OS My Files without worrying that the space used by the remote share would count against your Chromebook storage. This is a great way to expand your Chromebook without depending on SD cards or external drives.