It’s helpful to understand what folders (if any) are shared on your computer that are accessible by others on your network in order to safeguard against various accidental or purposeful accessing of the shared files.
Two popular commands built into Windows are there to help you easily find any shared folders and as a bonus, shared printers on your computer.
Find All Shared Folders
- Click [Start]
- Type in the “run box”: cmd
- In the black box, type: fsmgmt.msc
- Double click “Shares” to reveal the shared folders
- To remove a shared folder, right click the folder you wish to unshare and click “Stop Sharing.” There is no undo, so make sure you really want to stop sharing a specific folder.
Find All Shared Folders and Shared Printers
- Click [Start]
- Type in the “run box”: cmd
- In the black box, type: net share
You’ll be rewarded with the shared folders and printers. In the picture below, you can see that “C:\Shared” is a shared folder accessible by anyone on the local network. Along with the folders, you can see the available printers.
More Technical Info
“net share” command at Microsoft TechNet: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb490712.aspx
Closing
The two simple commands above can review the shared folders and printers on your computer.
Improve your security and know what folders are shared on your computer.
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