Why does Windows 11 keep asking for network credentials?

Because the account you are supplying does not match what the host expects. The host wants a local account on that machine, but you are typing your own username, a Microsoft-account email, or Windows is silently reusing a wrong cached credential. Modern Windows also blocks guest logons by default, so "connect as guest" now fails with a repeating prompt.

How do I stop the network credentials prompt?

Create a local user account with a password on the host and give it access to the shared folder. On the client, delete old entries for that host in Credential Manager, then reconnect using the username in the form HOSTPCNAME\username with that account's password and tick "Remember my credentials." Qualifying the username with the host's computer name is the key step.

Windows says my password is incorrect but it is right — why?

Two usual reasons: Windows is submitting a stale cached credential instead of what you typed (clear it in Credential Manager), or you are authenticating against the wrong account because the username is not qualified — use HOSTPCNAME\username so Windows checks the host's local account rather than guessing.

"Enter Network Credentials" Keeps Asking on Windows 11 (Fix)

What This Error Means

You double-click a shared folder on another PC and Windows shows an Enter network credentials box. You type the password — it is correct — and it either loops back to the same prompt or says:

The username or password is incorrect.

This is one of the most common and most frustrating Windows 11 sharing problems, and it is almost never actually a wrong password. It is a mismatch between what account you are typing and what the host machine expects, usually caused by Microsoft-account sign-in, missing local accounts, or stale cached credentials.

Root Cause 1 — You Are Typing the Wrong Username Format

The single most common cause. The host authenticates against a local account on the host machine, but you are typing your own username, or your email, or a bare name Windows resolves to the wrong place.

Fix — qualify the username with the host's computer name: In the credentials box, enter the username as:

HOSTPCNAME\username

For example OFFICE-PC1\admin. This tells Windows to authenticate against that specific machine's local account rather than guessing. Use the host's computer name (found on the host under Settings → System → About), not the share name.

Root Cause 2 — Microsoft Account vs Local Account

If the host signs in with a Microsoft account, its "password" for sharing is not always the one you think, and Microsoft-account credentials often do not authenticate cleanly over SMB.

Fix (choose one):

On the host, create a dedicated local user account for sharing (Settings → Accounts → Other users → Add account → "I don't have this person's sign-in information" → "Add a user without a Microsoft account"), give it a password, and grant it access to the shared folder. Connect with HOSTPCNAME\thatlocaluser.
Or, if the host uses a Microsoft account, try the email address as the username with the Microsoft-account password — but a dedicated local account is far more reliable.

Root Cause 3 — Stale Cached Credentials

Windows caches credentials for network shares, and an old or wrong entry will be reused silently — so you type the right password but Windows keeps submitting the cached wrong one.

Fix: Control Panel → Credential Manager → Windows Credentials. Remove every entry that references the host machine (by name or IP), then reconnect and enter fresh credentials. Tick "Remember my credentials" once it works.

Two opposite situations both cause prompts:

If you want passwordless access on a trusted network, password-protected sharing on the host forces the prompt. On the host: Advanced sharing settings → All Networks → Turn off password protected sharing. (Only on a trusted private network.)
If password-protected sharing is off but guest access is blocked (see root cause 5), Windows still prompts and then fails. In that case you must supply a real account instead.

Root Cause 5 — Guest Access Is Blocked (Windows Default)

Modern Windows blocks insecure guest logons by default for security, so "just connect as guest" no longer works and you get an endless prompt.

The correct fix is to use a real local account (root causes 1–2). Re-enabling guest access weakens security and is not recommended, but if you understand the risk on an isolated network, it is controlled by the AllowInsecureGuestAuth policy for the LanmanWorkstation client. Prefer a real account.

Step-by-Step Fix

On the host, create a local account with a password and give it access to the shared folder.
On the client, open Credential Manager and delete old entries for the host.
Reconnect and enter the username as HOSTPCNAME\thatlocaluser with its password.
Tick "Remember my credentials."

If it still fails and you cannot even reach the machine, the problem is upstream — see system error 53 and error 0x80070035 for reachability, and access denied 0x80070005 if you get in but are refused.

The Simpler Answer

This whole class of problem exists because SMB sharing ties file access to Windows user accounts and their passwords. Tools that pair machines directly — Oxolan among them — do not use Windows accounts or shared-folder passwords at all: you approve a device once and transfer files between machines with no credential prompts to loop on. For offices that just want to move files between people, that removes the entire failure mode.