How to Access Windows 7 Shared Folders from Ubuntu

A common goal of setting up computers on a local network is being able to share files and folders. In order for file sharing to work, the computers must exist on the same network and workgroup, and the computer sharing files must have a folder configured with the proper permissions to allow other computers in the network to access it. In a previous tutorial I showed you how to set up Ubuntu on a workgroup using Samba so that they are in the same workgroup as your Windows computers. In this tutorial I will show you how you configure shared folders on your Windows 7 computer and access them from Ubuntu.

Step 1: Configure the Computers on the Same Workgroup

In order for Ubuntu and Windows 7 to share files, they have to be configured on the same workgroup.

To change your Windows 7 workgroup, see: How to Change the Workgroup in Windows 7.
To change your Ubuntu workgroup, see: How to Change the Workgroup in Ubuntu Linux to Work with Windows.

Once the workgroup is set up to be the same on both computers, proceed to step 2 to set up your shared folder.

Step 2: Configure Shared Folders and Sharing Options on Your Windows PC

If you have not already set up a shared folder on your Windows PC, you'll need to do so now. This step involves two sub-steps for which we've written individual tutorials:

• 1) Modify network sharing settings to enable network discovery and file sharing;
• 2) Configure your shared folders (See Also: Share Libraries or Folders Using Advanced Sharing).

As an example for this tutorial, I created a shared folder called "shared" on my user's Desktop of my Windows PC, which is part of a workgroup called "systems".

Step 3: Access the Shared Folder from Ubuntu

To access the shared folder from Ubuntu, you have two options - locating the share via the network browser, or connecting directly to the Windows PC. I'll detail both options.

Option A: Using the Network Browser

To use the network browser, go to 'Places -> Network' from your Panel.

When the network browser pops up, locate the icon for 'Windows Network' in the list.

Double-click 'Windows Network' and you'll see a list of workgroups that Ubuntu was able to identify on the local network.

Next, double-click the name of your workgroup, which will show you a list of computers part of that workgroup.

Finally, double-click on the name of your Windows PC (noting that name of your Ubuntu PC will also show up on this list), then navigate to the location of your shared folder. For example, since my shared folder is located on my Desktop, I'd navigate to Users -> Vanessa -> Desktop -> shared . You've now accessed the shared folder on your Windows PC.

Option B: Connecting Using the Connection Window

Alternatively, you can access the shared folder directly, without using the network browser. The main benefit of using this method is being able to save the shared folder as a bookmark in the Places list of your main panel, for easier access.

From your Panel, go to 'Places -> Connect to Server'.

This will open up your connection window.

The information you need in order to connect is very easy to find. On your Windows PC, right-click the shared folder, click Properties and then on the Sharing tab. You'll see something similar to the screen below.

In the above example, there are the settings you would use to connect to this shared folder:

• Service type: Windows share;
• Server: WINDOWS-PC (the name of the Windows PC on the network);
• Share: /Users/Vanessa/Desktop (the path to the shared folder - notice that the backslashes should become forward slashes);
• Folder: shared (the actual name of the folder being shared).

If you want to save this shared folder as a bookmark, check the 'Add Bookmark' checkbox, and enter any name you wish in 'Bookmark name'.

NOTE: If you configured your shared folder to require a username for access, you can specify that username in the User Name field. When using a workgroup, the Domain Name field will usually always be empty.

Click Connect, and a window to the shared folder will open up automatically. You may also notice that if you click on Places in your main panel, you'll see the bookmark you just created. Clicking the bookmark will bring you back to the shared folder.

Conclusion

You can easily use Ubuntu to access shared folders on a Windows 7 PC that co-exists on the same workgroup. If you want to know more about setting up other PC's on a local network, or how to further utilize the networking features between Linux and Windows 7, check out the articles listed below.

Related articles:

How to Change the Workgroup in Ubuntu Linux to Work with Windows
How to Access Ubuntu Shared Folders from Windows 7
Accessing Shared Partitions from Ubuntu & Windows 7
How to Access A Windows Shared Printer from Ubuntu
How to Customize Network Sharing Settings in Windows 7