How do we fix the Photo app to access files on shared(mapped) drives?

Hi

Welcome to Microsoft community.

To resolve issues with the Photos app not accessing or displaying images from shared (mapped) drives in Windows, you can try a combination of the following methods to change settings or tweak your system configuration. Unfortunately, the Windows Photos app does have limitations and might not work perfectly with network drives or shared folders due to how it manages security and file access. However, here are steps you can try to improve the situation:

Method 1: Re-Register the Photos App

Sometimes simply re-registering the Photos app can resolve unexpected behavior:

1. Open PowerShell with administrative privileges.

2. Type the following command and press Enter:

Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.Windows.Photos | Remove-AppxPackage

Then, reinstall the Photos app from the Microsoft Store.

Method 2: Use a Different Photo Viewer

You've mentioned using IrfanView which is a good alternative. Setting it as the default photo viewer may provide a more seamless experience with network drives.

Method 3: Grant Full Permission to the Network Drive

1. Right-click on the network drive in "This PC" and select "Properties".

2. Go to the "Security" tab and click "Edit" to change permissions.

3. Select "Add", write Everyone, and click "OK".

4. Select "Everyone" in the list, check "Full control" and click "OK".

Method 4: Map Network Drive with Different Credentials

If your network drive requires specific credentials, making sure Windows is using the correct ones can help:

1. Disconnect the network drive if it's already mapped.

2. Re-map the drive by going to "This PC" > "Map network drive" > "Connect using different credentials".

3. Enter the necessary username and password for the network resource.

Method 5: Turn On SMB 1.0/CIFS File Sharing Support

If the Photos app is having trouble due to SMB version compatibility:

1. Go to "Control Panel" > "Programs" > "Turn Windows features on or off".

2. Scroll down to "SMB 1.0/CIFS File Sharing Support", check it, and click "OK".

3. Restart your computer.

Method 6: Configure Indexed Locations

Ensuring your network drive or shared folder is indexed by Windows Search might help:

1. Go to "Control Panel" > "Indexing Options".

2. Click "Modify" and add your network drive or shared folder to the list of indexed locations.

Please feel free to let me know how it goes.

Best regards

Derrick Qian | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

H Derrick,

Method 1: doesn't help. This symptom seems to be a bug in the app itself. This happens on every PC that uses the Photo app to access pictures stored on network drives

Method 2: Of course we need to add another program to the system to replace microsoft photo App. Microsoft needs to fix the App

Method 3: I accessed with administrative rights and still get the same issue. This solution is inappropriate for a Network share.

Method 4: Same repsonse as for Method 3. Bypassing network security is never the answer.

Method 5: Microsoft Photo app should never require older depracated protocols in order to work. It is supposed to be leadu=ing edge but is obviously not enterprise ready.

Metod 6: worked kind of. I only works if you access the files directly form the App once the index has been added. This requires going to every computer to set up. The users just want to find the file on the network and be able to view the picture.

So it looks like the App is not enterprise ready and needs to be replaced. When will Microsoft fix the app?

Hi

Thanks for your reply.

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