Unraid SMB: Share Name, Port 445, Secure vs Private

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• Windows shows 'access denied' / wrong password / 0x80070005 → 'Confirm the Unraid side first' (check the share's Security Mode + user assignment) and 'Confirm the Windows side' (Credential Manager + Win11 24H2 hardening). If Win11 just got upgraded to 24H2, jump straight to the 24H2 hardening bullets — guest fallback is off by default now.
• '\\tower' or '\\unraid-ip' fails — network path not found / 0x80070043 / 0x80004005 → 'Common patterns and the fix path'. Run `Test-NetConnection <unraid-ip> -Port 445` first; that one test splits 'unreachable' from 'reachable but auth/permission failed'.
• Windows Network discovery is empty / I don't know the share name → 'Find the share name from Windows (when Network discovery is empty)'. `net view \\<unraid-ip>` is the answer.
• Share opens read-only, but I'm supposed to have write access → 'Confirm the Unraid side first', specifically the SMB Security Settings > Security Mode + user read/write assignment. The Windows side is fine; the fix is on Unraid.
• Share worked yesterday, broke after a Windows update → 'Confirm the Windows side (incl. Windows 11 24H2 SMB hardening)'. 24H2 disabled guest auth on Pro and tightened SMB signing requirements; both can silently break previously-working shares.
• Should I enable SMBv1 to support some old device → No. See the Stop before list and the FAQ. Use a separate VLAN for legacy devices instead.

Confirm the Unraid side first

• Open Users and confirm the user has a password set; blank-password users cannot authenticate over SMB by default.
• Open Shares > <share> > SMB Security Settings and read the Export and Security Mode fields — Public, Secure, and Private behave very differently for read/write.
• Open Settings > SMB and confirm SMB is enabled, the workgroup matches the Windows workgroup if you rely on browsing, and Enhanced macOS Interoperability is off if Windows is your primary client.
• Note the exact share name as it appears in the Unraid UI; it is case-sensitive in some paths.

Find the share name from Windows (when Network discovery is empty)

• From PowerShell or Command Prompt: `net view \\<unraid-ip>` (e.g. `net view \\192.168.1.50`) lists every visible SMB share on the Unraid server — works even when Windows Network discovery shows nothing.
• Modern alternative from PowerShell: `Get-SmbShare -CimSession <unraid-ip>` (requires Remote Server Administration tools) or `Get-SmbConnection` to see what your client is currently connected to.
• Direct-path test from Explorer: `\\<unraid-ip>\` (trailing backslash) in the address bar lists shares without going through Network discovery. `\\<unraid-hostname>\` also works if NetBIOS / mDNS name resolution is healthy.
• If `net view` returns 'System error 5' or 'access denied' but ping works, port 445 is reachable but anonymous enumeration is disabled — pass credentials first via `net use \\<unraid-ip>\IPC$ /user:<user>` and re-run `net view`.
• If `net view` returns 'System error 53' (network path not found), port 445 itself is blocked — back to the Test-NetConnection check in the next section before anything else.
• Unraid share names are case-sensitive on the wire even though Windows hides this; use the exact name shown in Unraid > Shares list. The Unraid `appdata`, `domains`, `system` shares are hidden by default (export = Yes hidden) and won't show in `net view` — use the direct path if you need them.

Confirm the Windows side (incl. Windows 11 24H2 SMB hardening)

• Open PowerShell on the Windows client and run `Test-NetConnection <unraid-ip> -Port 445` — port 445 must reach the Unraid server before permissions are the active layer.
• Open Control Panel > Credential Manager > Windows Credentials and remove any stale entry for the Unraid hostname or IP before reconnecting.
• Run `net use` to list current mappings; remove only the affected mapping with `net use <letter>: /delete` before retrying.
• Confirm the active network profile is Private (Settings > Network & Internet > <connection> > Network profile) — SMB discovery is blocked on Public.
• Windows 11 24H2 broke previously-working shares for two reasons (per Microsoft's SMB hardening updates, Sep 2024 onwards): (a) SMB signing is now required by default for ALL inbound + outbound connections — Unraid (Samba 4.22.10 in 7.3.1) supports SMB signing fine, but if a share inexplicably stopped working after a 24H2 upgrade, confirm `Settings > SMB > Enhanced macOS interoperability` is OFF (it can interfere with signing in some configs) and that the Unraid Samba version is current. (b) Guest authentication is now disabled by default on Win11 Pro 24H2 (previously only Enterprise/Edu); if your Unraid share was set to Security mode = Public and Windows used to fall through as guest, the connection now fails with 'access denied'. Fix: switch the share to Secure mode and add a named user, OR explicitly set the Group Policy `Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Network > Lanman Workstation > Enable insecure guest logons` (not recommended — exposes the client to attacks).
• Win11 24H2 SMB auth rate limiter is on by default (2s delay per failed NTLM/Kerberos attempt). If you're retrying credentials quickly during debugging and each attempt takes longer than expected, that's the rate limiter — not a real auth problem.

Common patterns and the fix path

• If Test-NetConnection fails: port 445 is blocked or the Unraid box is unreachable; check the trusted LAN/subnet and any host firewall before changing share settings.
• If port 445 works but credentials are rejected: stale Credential Manager entry, wrong username format (try `tower\jawahar` style — `<unraid-hostname>` backslash `<user>` — with the actual Unraid hostname and your Unraid username), or blank-password user on Unraid. The backslash must be a single literal `\`; double-escaping it produces 'wrong credentials' even when the user/password is right.
• If credentials work but the share opens read-only or denies write: the share Security Mode/Export setting denies that user's group; fix on the Unraid Shares page, not on Windows.
• If browsing is empty but \\<ip>\<share> opens: discovery only — set DHCP reservation, use the direct path, and skip the discovery debugging detour.

Last reviewed

2026-05-07 · Reviewed by HomeTechOps. Reviewed for Unraid <-> Windows SMB triage using Test-NetConnection, Credential Manager, net use, Unraid SMB Security Settings, and the SMBv1/Public-share safety boundary.

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