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Mapped network drives missing

Question / Problem

Why can I not see any network drives within TreeSize?

Answer / Solution

Since Windows Vista and later, Microsoft enforces more strict security rules on the operating system. One side effect of this is that you may not see your mapped network drives anymore (Windows 8 and later), or they all appear disconnected (typically in Windows Vista and 7) in all applications that run with administrator privileges.

This is because Windows uses different user environments for non-elevated and elevated processes. There are some workarounds to gain access to those network drives anyway:

  • Do not run TreeSize as administrator unless it is truly needed.
  • Manually enter the UNC path (e.g. "\\server\share") for the network drive into the path drop-down list or target selection dialog and press enter.
  • Map the network drive in the context of the administrator using an elevated command prompt (run CMD as administrator). You can list the mapped drives using net use
    Type net use /? for more instructions on how to map the drive.
  • [Professional/Personal only] Use the "Map network drive" or "Add drive or UNC path" dialog from the Drive List menu bar.
  • [Not recommended because of security bypasses!] Enable "Linked Connections" as described here.