Written 5 Sep 2026. This is a how-to, not a product card.

Map the house share as a drive

Give Windows a letter (Z:) or keep Finder's Locations entry so the house folder on the old PC opens every time. You don't need a NAS.

Haven't made the share yet? Start with a file share. Never opened it from this laptop? Do that once first: open the house share from a laptop. Need the computer's address? Find it on the house network. This note is only the "keep it handy" step after a normal open already worked.

Skip until open already works

If File Explorer or Finder cannot open the folder yet, stop. Fix the open first. Mapping a broken path just gives you a broken letter. Don't buy a "network drive" app that stuffs ads. Don't forward SMB on the router so the letter works at a coffee shop.

What this is

On Windows, Map network drive pins the share to a letter like Z: under This PC, and can reconnect at sign-in. On a Mac, Connect to Server already drops the share under Locations; you can keep the server in Recent Servers and optionally open it at login. Same house folder. Same Samba password. Just fewer clicks tomorrow.

What you need

The path that already worked once. Swap the example for yours.

Windows:

\\192.168.1.50\photos

Mac:

smb://192.168.1.50/photos

Forgot the share password? Set it again: set or change the house-share password.

Windows: map a letter

Open File Explorer. Open This PC. In the toolbar, click Map network drive (on some builds it sits under … or under the three-dot menu).

Pick a free letter. Z: is fine. Paste the same path:

\\192.168.1.50\photos

Check Reconnect at sign-in. Check Connect using different credentials if Windows might still remember a bad password. Click Finish.

When Windows asks, use the Samba username and the share password. Check Remember my credentials if you want. Click OK.

This PC should show the letter. Open it. Copy one small file in. Copy one out. That is the check.

Later disconnect: This PC → right-click the letter → Disconnect. Or open Credential Manager, find the computer's address under Windows Credentials, and remove a stale password before you map again.

Mac: keep it under Locations

Open Finder. Go → Connect to Server (Command-K). Type:

smb://192.168.1.50/photos

Click the + so the address stays in Favorites for Connect to Server. Click Connect. Pick Registered User. Type the Samba username and share password. Check Remember this password in my keychain if you want.

The share appears under Locations in the Finder sidebar. Drag it into Favorites in the sidebar if you want it above the fold. Next boot, Connect to Server still lists it under Recent Servers; click Connect again if it is not mounted yet.

Optional: open the share at login. System Settings → General → Login Items (wording moves by macOS version). Add the mounted share, or add a shortcut you made to that server. Skip Login Items if you only need it sometimes. Soft-off on the old PC overnight means the mount will fail until the computer is awake: is the computer still on? or wake the computer from the house network.

If the letter or Locations entry fails later

Stay on house Wi-Fi or ethernet, not a guest SSID that isolates devices. Recheck the address and share name. If every device fails, start with when the house share won't open. If Samba stopped on an awake computer: when the house share disappeared, check the computer. Stale Windows password: remove it in Credential Manager, then map again. Stale Mac keychain entry: open Keychain Access, search for the computer's address or photos, delete the bad internet-password row, then Connect to Server again.

A mapped letter does not wake a sleeping PC by itself. Power light first. Then try the letter.

What this is not

This is not a NAS, Synology Drive, or a VPN. It is not opening SMB to the internet. It is not File History or Time Machine (those need their own shares): File History to the house share, Time Machine to the house share. It is not a reason to buy another laptop so you have more drive letters.

What next

Use the letter or Locations entry for a week. Dump phone photos into the same folder: save phone photos to the house share. Partner needs their own login: add another person to the house share. See who is connected: see who is using the house share. Watch disk room: see if the computer still has room. When you want a second copy of the house folder, that is a backup of the house folder.

Skip

Skip until a normal open already worked once from this laptop.
Skip third-party "network drive" apps that stuff ads.
Skip exposing SMB past the house network so the letter works at a cafe.
Skip mapping Guest. The share uses a username and password.
Skip a NAS so This PC can show a prettier icon.

Sources

Microsoft: map a network drive. Apple: connect to shared computers and servers. Apple: open items automatically when you log in. Samba wiki: standalone server. Official pages only. For the first open, see open the house share from a laptop. For the share itself, see a file share. For open failures, see when the house share won't open.

Also on this topic

A file shareA folder on the old PC that the house can open from a laptop or a phone. You don't need a NAS for this. Open the house share from a laptopThe house folder is on the old PC. Open it from Windows File Explorer or Mac Finder on the house network. You don't need a NAS for this. Open the house share from a phoneThe house folder is on the old PC. Open it from an iPhone or Android on house Wi-Fi. You don't need a NAS app for this. Open the house share from a Linux laptopThe house folder is on the old PC. Open it from Ubuntu or Fedora Files (or KDE Dolphin) on the house network. You don't need a NAS for this. Set or change the house-share passwordFinder and File Explorer ask for a share password that is not always the login. Samba keeps its own copy. Set it once. Change it when you forget. When the house share won't openFinder, File Explorer, or the phone can't open the house folder. Check the computer is on, confirm the address, then match the error (path not found, login failed, can't write, disk full). You don't need a NAS. Back up a Windows PC to the house share with File HistoryPoint Windows File History at a Samba folder on the old PC. Separate share from photos. You don't need a NAS for this. Back up a Mac to the house share with Time MachinePoint Time Machine at a Samba folder on the old PC. Separate share from photos. Cap the size. You don't need a Time Capsule or a NAS for this. A backup of the house folderA second copy of the house folder, on a USB disk you already have, or on another old computer. You don't need a NAS for this.