In File Explorer, when you right-click on This PC, you get Map network drive and Disconnect network drive options. If you want to remove these options from the Context Menu, you can try the instructions mentioned in this post.
By mapping a network drive, you can access files and folders like an FTP server on Windows 11/10. It is relatively straightforward to map a network drive via Windows File Explorer as well as Group Policy Editor. If you do not want to allow other users to map a network drive or disconnect from the connected network drive, it is better to change settings.
Remove Map Network Drive & Disconnect Network Drive options
To remove ‘Map network drive’ and ‘Disconnect network drive’ options from This PC in Windows systems, follow these steps-
- Press Win+R to open the Run prompt.
- Type gpedit.msc and hit the Enter button.
- Navigate to File Explorer in the User Configuration.
- Double-click on Remove “Map Network Drive” and “Disconnect Network Drive” setting.
- Select the Enabled option.
- Click Apply and OK to save changes.
Let’s check out these steps in detail.
At first, open the Local Group Policy Editor on your computer. For that, pressWin+R, type gpedit.msc and hit the Enter button. Alternatively, search for gpedit.msc in the Taskbar search box, and click on Edit group policy in the search result.
After opening the Local Group Policy Editor on your Computer, navigate to this path-
User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > File Explorer
Search for the Remove “Map Network Drive” and “Disconnect Network Drive” settings on the right-hand side and double-click on it.
By default, it is saved as Not configured. Select Enabled, and click on Apply and OK buttons to save the change.
For your information, there is a Registry Editor tweak for this purpose as well.
For that, open the Registry Editor, and navigate to this path-
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
If Explorer is not available, create a key called Explorer.
Next, create a DWORD (32-bit) value, and name it as NoNetConnectDisconnect.
The default value is 0, but you need to make it as 1.
That’s it! From now onward, you won’t find those two options enabled in This PC.
Read: How to update Network Drive Login Credentials in Windows 11
How to remove map network drive and disconnect network drive GPO?
You can remove the Map network drive and Disconnect network drive options from the Group Policy Editor by configuring the Remove “Map Network Drive” and “Disconnect Network Drive” policy. You can check the location of the policy from the instructions mentioned earlier.
Read: How to map or add a Network Location or Map FTP Drive in Windows 11/10
How can I stop users from being able to map disconnect network drives?
To stop users from mapping or disconnecting network drives on a Windows computer, you can use the Group Policy Editor or Registry Editor. In GPedit, configure Remove “Map Network Drive” and “Disconnect Network Drive” and in Rgedit, create and configure NoNetConnectDisconnect. You can find the instructions earlier.
Also Read: Remove Network Drive on Windows 11.
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