This network connection does not exist error in Windows 11/10

If This network connection does not exist error in Windows keeps troubling you, this post may help. This error message usually appears when the network drive you are trying to disconnect is in use by another local device. Fortunately, you can follow some simple suggestions to fix the error.

What causes the Network connection does not exist error?

The “This network connection does not exist” error message is due to an error with the mapped or the network drive or if the drive/resource is unavailable. However, there are several other reasons why it may occur. Some of them are:

Error establishing connection to the network drive
Network drive mapping errors
Errors within the Registry Editor
Network adapter errors
Recent Windows updates
Security software interference

This network connection does not exist error in Windows

To fix This network connection does not exist error in Windows 11/10, restart your PC and router and see. If that does not help, follow these suggestions:

Check if Driver Letter isn’t being used by other Local Drive
Make modifications in the Registry Editor
Disable Cached Credentials
Check Firewall and Security Software
Force Disconnect the Network Drive

Now let’s see these in detail.

1] Check if Driver Letter isn’t being used by other Local Drive

Firstly, check if the driver letter is in use by the local drive. This is also known to cause the network connection does not exist error. Here’s how:

Press Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box.
Type diskmgmt.msc and hit Enter.
Once the Disk Management tab opens, check the drive letters assigned to your local disks. Ensure that no drive has the same drive letter as the mapped network drive.
If the drive letter isn’t the same, it’s good. However, if it is, right-click on the drive letter of the local drive, select Change Drive Letter and Paths > Change.
Choose a different drive letter from the drop-down, click on Ok and then on Yes.
Restart your device and see if the error’s fixed.

2] Make modifications in the Registry Editor

Next, delete the MountPoints2, and the mapped network drive key in the Registry Editor. Doing so will help fix the network connection does not exist error. Here’s how:

Click Start, search regedit and hit Enter.

Once the Registry Editor opens, navigate to the following path:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MountPoints2

Right-click on MountPoints2 and select Delete.
Now, navigate to this path:
```
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Network
```
Click on the Network key and delete any other keys named with the letter of a mapped network drive.
Restart and see if the error’s fixed.

3] Disable Cached Credentials

Cached credentials can cause issues with the network drive. Disabling them can help fix the network connection does not exist error. Here’s how:

Press Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box.
Type control keymgr.dll and press Enter.
Remove any entries related to the network drive in the Stored User Names and Passwords window.

4] Disable Firewall and Security Software

Interruptions due to Firewall and Security software can also be why the network connection does not exist occur. Temporarily disable Windows Defender Firewall and third-party security software and see if the error’s fixed.

5] Force Disconnect the Network Drive

Lastly, if none of these suggestions helps. Consider disconnecting the network drive and then reconnecting it. Here’s how:

Open Command Prompt as an Administrator.
Type the following command and hit Enter. This will list all active network connections.
```
net use
```
Identify the network drive to disconnect and run the following command. Replace X with the drive letter.
```
net use X: /delete /force
```
Restart your PC and make sure the changes take effect.

Read: Network Connections Folder is empty in Windows 11/10

We hope one of these suggestions helps you.

Why is my mapped network drive not disconnecting?

The mapped network drive not disconnecting error can occur if File Explorer is not refreshing its contents. To fix this, press the F5 key to refresh the page, that’ll update the directory and remove the drive.

How do I remove a mapped drive that doesn’t exist?

To remove a mapped network drive that doesn’t exist, open the command prompt as an administrator. Then run these commands one by one to remove the non-existent mapped drive from your system: net use and then net use X: /delete /force.

Hope this helps.