Setting Up a Shared Workspace Without IT Support — Step by Step

Who This Guide Is For

This guide assumes you are the most technical person in your office — which may mean you occasionally restart the router. It does not assume IT experience. If you can follow numbered steps and feel comfortable clicking through Windows settings, you can complete this setup.

What you will have at the end: a shared folder that every team member can access from their desk, mapped as a drive letter, without needing USB drives or emailing files to each other.

What You Need Before Starting

• At least 2 Windows computers on the same office network (connected to the same router, either wired or via WiFi)
• A machine to act as the host — preferably one that stays on during work hours (it does not need to be a dedicated machine; any staff member's work PC works as long as it is not regularly turned off mid-day)
• 10GB of free space on the host machine for the shared folder (adjust based on your team's needs)
• 15–30 minutes of uninterrupted time

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Step 1 — Designate the Host Machine

The host machine is where the shared folder lives. It needs to be powered on whenever team members need access.

Choose the machine that:

• Runs continuously during work hours
• Is relatively fast and has a stable connection (wired preferred)
• Is not a laptop that people regularly take home

If no machine is reliably on, consider a small NAS device (Synology DS223 is a reasonable entry-level option). If you are proceeding with a standard Windows machine, continue to Step 2.

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Step 2 — Create the Shared Folder Structure

On the host machine:

1. Open File Explorer
2. Navigate to a drive other than C: if possible (e.g., D: or E:). If only C: is available, that is fine.
3. Create a new folder: right-click in an empty area → New → Folder → name it TeamFiles
4. Inside TeamFiles, create subfolders that reflect your team's work:
   • Active Projects
   • Clients
   • Templates
   • Resources

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Step 3 — Set the Network Profile to Private

On the host machine:

1. Open Settings (Win+I) → Network and Internet
2. Click your active connection (Ethernet or WiFi)
3. Find "Network Profile Type" → select Private network

If it is already set to Private, move on.

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Step 4 — Enable File Sharing

On the host machine:

1. Settings → Network and Internet → Advanced Network Settings → Advanced Sharing Settings
2. Under Private networks:
   • Network Discovery: Turn on
   • File and Printer Sharing: Turn on
3. Under All Networks:
   • Password Protected Sharing: Turn on
4. Click Save Changes

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Step 5 — Share the TeamFiles Folder

On the host machine:

1. Right-click the TeamFiles folder → Properties
2. Go to the Sharing tab → click Advanced Sharing
3. Check Share this folder
4. Set the Share name to TeamFiles (no spaces, keep it simple)
5. Click Permissions
6. Select Everyone → click Remove
7. Click Add → type the username of a staff member who needs access → click Check Names → OK
8. Set their permission to Full Control (or Read for view-only access)
9. Repeat for each staff member
10. Click OK → Apply → OK

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Step 6 — Create Local Accounts for Each Team Member

For staff to connect with their own credentials, you need a matching local account on the host machine.

On the host machine:

1. Settings → Accounts → Other Users → Add someone else to this PC
2. Click "I don't have this person's sign-in information" → "Add a user without a Microsoft account"
3. Create a username (e.g., jsmith) and a password
4. Set account type to Standard User
5. Repeat for each team member

Note for small team simplicity: You can alternatively create one shared account (e.g., teamaccess) with one password shared with all staff. Simpler to manage, but provides no per-user access differentiation.

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Step 7 — Find the Host Machine's Name

You will need this to connect from other machines.

On the host machine:

1. Settings → System → About
2. Under "Device name" — note this name (e.g., DESKTOP-ABC123)

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Step 8 — Connect From Each Team Member's Machine

On every other machine in the office:

Test the connection first:

1. Press Win+R → type \\DESKTOP-ABC123\TeamFiles (replace with your host machine name) → press Enter
2. Enter the credentials you created in Step 6 → click Remember My Credentials → OK
3. The shared folder should open in File Explorer

Map it as a permanent drive:

1. Right-click This PC in File Explorer → Map network drive
2. Choose drive letter Z: (or any available letter)
3. Enter the path: \\DESKTOP-ABC123\TeamFiles
4. Tick Reconnect at sign-in and Connect using different credentials
5. Enter the credentials → Finish

The shared folder now appears as Z: every time Windows starts.

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Step 9 — Test With Your Team

Before declaring it done:

1. Have each team member open Z: and confirm they can see the folder structure
2. Have one person create a test file in Z:\Active Projects\
3. Have another person open that file from their machine
4. Have someone delete the test file

If all three work: setup is complete.

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Step 10 — For Ad-Hoc File Handoffs

The shared folder is for files that need to be centrally accessible. For quickly sending a specific file to a specific colleague — without going through the shared folder — a direct LAN transfer tool is faster.

Oxolan: install on each machine, other machines appear in the sidebar automatically, drag a file and send. No shared folder needed.

Get Oxolan for Windows

LocalSend: free, cross-platform, same approach — works between Windows and Mac.

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Troubleshooting the Most Common Problems

"The network path was not found" → The host machine may be off, or on a Public network profile. Check Step 3 on the host.

"You do not have permission to access this folder" → The credentials entered don't match a local account on the host. Check Step 6.

The shared folder is not visible in File Explorer → Network → Check that the four Windows services are running on the host machine. Open services.msc and look for Function Discovery Resource Publication — if it is stopped, right-click and Start.

Drive mapping disconnects after restart → The Reconnect at sign-in option may not have stored credentials. Re-map the drive and tick the "Remember my credentials" option carefully.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Do all machines need to be on the same WiFi network? Yes — all machines need to be on the same local network (either wired or wireless to the same router). Different office locations on separate networks cannot share files this way without additional infrastructure.

Can Mac users access the shared folder? Yes. On a Mac: Finder → Go → Connect to Server → type smb://DESKTOP-ABC123/TeamFiles → enter credentials → Connect. The folder appears in Finder like any other drive.

What happens to files in the shared folder if the host machine crashes? Files exist only on the host machine's drive. If the drive fails, the files may be lost. back up the TeamFiles folder with Windows Backup or to an external drive regularly.

Can we use this for more than file sharing — like a shared inbox or task list? The shared folder itself is just file storage. You could create a shared Excel file in the folder that acts as a simple task list. For more structured collaboration (comments, assignments, due dates), a dedicated tool like Notion or Trello handles it better.