"Can't access shared folders" Error in Windows

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Received this error while trying to access the files on my Windows 10 laptop from my Windows 11 desktop on my home office LAN.

This is what finally worked – specifically steps 15-18 below which I only found in this post…

  • Turn on network discovery and file and printer sharing options by following these steps:
    1. Open Control Panel.
    2. Select Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center > Advanced sharing settings.
    3. Select Turn on network discovery.
    4. Select Turn on file and printer sharing under Private.
    5. Select Save changes.Screenshot of the Turn on network discovery option and the Turn on file and printer sharing option in Advanced sharing settings.
  • Set the startup type of specified services to Automatic to make the computer visible on the network. Here’s how to proceed:
    1. Go to Start.
    2. Go to Search, enter the word Services, and press Enter.
    3. Change the Startup type property to Automatic for the following services.
    • Function Discovery Provider Host
    • Function Discovery Resource Publication
    • SSDP Discovery
    • UPnP Device Host
    1. Restart the system.

You may still receive this error message:

Screenshot of You do not have permission to access the shared folder error.

Resolution

  1. Here’s how to share permission to Everyone for the folder you want to share:
  2. Press and hold (or right-click) the shared folder.
  3. Select Properties, and then select Advanced Sharing on the Sharing tab.
  4. Select Permissions, check Allow for Full Control of Everyone, and then press Enter.
  5. Select OK on the Advanced Sharing dialog box.Screenshot shows the steps to share folder permissions to Everyone.
  6. Here’s how to allow the Full Control permission to Everyone:
  7. Select Edit on the Security tab.
  8. Select Add, enter Everyone in the Enter the object names to select field, and then press Enter.
  9. Check Allow for Full control of Everyone, and press Enter.
  10. Close the Properties dialog box.Screenshot shows the steps to allow the Full control permission to Everyone.
  11. Here’s how to make sure TCP/IP NetBIOS is enabled:
  12. Go to Start.
  13. Go to Search, enter the word Services, and press Enter.
  14. Double-click TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper on the right pane, and make sure the Startup type property is set to Automatic.Screenshot of the General tab of the TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper Properties dialog, which shows the Startup type is set to Automatic.
  15. Go to Control Panel > Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center, select Change adapter settings on the left pane, and then double-click Ethernet.
  16. Select Properties and double-click Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) on the Networking tab.
  17. Select Advanced, select Enable NetBIOS over TCP/IP on the WINS tab, and then press Enter.
  18. Select OK twice to close the dialog box.Screenshot shows the steps to enable NetBIOS over TCP/IP.