Windows 7 - Libraries - Include a Network Folder

**limneos**

How to Include a Network Drive or Folder in a Library in Windows 7

Information

By default, Windows 7 does not allow you to include network drives or folders in a library. This is because folders must be indexed first in order to be added to a library, and network drives cannot be indexed unless they are synchronized. This will show you how to do that and add them to a library.

METHOD ONE

Synchronize the Network Folder or Drive

WARNING: The disadvantage of this method is that it actually copies (syncs) all network files locally so that they are available offline. It actually makes networking useless since you have to bring everything on your PC. For those not interested for this approach, please use method 2.

1. Right click on the network folder or network drive you wish to include to a library (or create a new one for it) and select "Always Available Offline". A synching process will start, synchronizing your network folder.

2. Now you can add it to a library.

METHOD TWO

Using mklink Command

1. Create a temp folder on your hard drive i.e. c:\shares

2. Create another folder in the above folder. i.e. c:\shares\pictures

3. Link the Library to this folder.

4. Delete the folder (c:\shares\pictures).

5. Use the mklink in an elevated command prompt to make a symbolic link. Name the link the same as the folder you created above. i.e -
mklink /d c:\shares\pictures \\server\pictures

6. Done. Now you have a non-indexed network path as a library.

Limneos

Related Tutorials

**johnnyhonk** · 05-29-2009

There's a free video of how to do this here: http://www.winstructor.com/news/22/W...-Video%29.html

I tried it and it works great. The other option is to use the favorites feature above where the libraries are. Glad I found this out as I was not prepared to index my drive with like 20Gb of photos on it just to add it to a library.

Very good post.

**T3h Badger** · 07-05-2009

Also try this:
1. make the wanted folder available off-line (if you got the space to do that)
2. link the off line folder to the library.
3. undo off-line properties for the folder.
Done!

Converseallstar95 · 08-22-2009

Can someone help me out with this

oliveranthony · 08-22-2009

Unfortunately, the symbolic link option will cause windows 7 in-built backup to fail. This happens when the library containing the symlink is included in the backup procedure.

See here.

Windows 7 Backup Error 0x80070032?

Windows 7 should somehow check for symlinks and not try to back them up.

Converseallstar95 · 08-23-2009

Im stuck on 3 in method 2 can someone ehlp me

**Brink** · 08-23-2009

Hello Converseallstar,

I believe you would want to add the folder to the library in that step.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

PeterM42 · 08-25-2009

It looks as though the "libraries" function is a showstopper, no corporate will want to go through all that hassle. The user education factor alone is a showstopper for corporates.
From my preliminary look at Windows 7, it seems to be similar to Vista, except that it crashes apps like explorer.exe far more easily.
If this is RC, God help us! It looks as though we are going to have to wait until SP2 for anything that works.

Ref my last comment - adding a networked drive to the library takes so long, users will think it has crashed. Definitely NOT for corporate users and I can't see home users being impressed either.

oliveranthony · 08-25-2009

Quote: Originally Posted by PeterM42

Ref my last comment - adding a networked drive to the library takes so long, users will think it has crashed. Definitely NOT for corporate users and I can't see home users being impressed either.

I am a home user and I am impressed - Cheers

**swunger** · 09-19-2009

Its really odd that Microsoft have introduced libraries but without supporting folders on NAS devices. Lots of people use NAS devices now, and they're going to have a pretty poor experience with Windows 7. There seem to be various ways of working round this, but most (like making NAS data available offline) are either inefficient or too complex for the average user. This really needs to be fixed.