Error 0x80070035 — The Network Path Was Not Found (Fix for Windows 10 and 11)

What This Error Means

When you type \\PCNAME\ShareName in the File Explorer address bar or the Run dialog and see:

Windows cannot access \PCNAME\ShareName Error code: 0x80070035 The network path was not found.

Windows is telling you it cannot resolve the path to a network share. It found the PC name in DNS or LLMNR — or it did not — and could not establish a connection to the shared resource.

This is the most common Windows file sharing error and has at least six distinct root causes, each with a different fix.

Root Cause 1 — The Network Profile Is Set to Public

Probability: Very high. Check this first.

Windows disables all file sharing on networks classified as Public. If the host machine's active connection is set to Public, no incoming connections are possible.

Fix: On the host machine (the one being accessed):

1. Settings → Network and Internet → click the active connection (Ethernet or WiFi)
2. Under Network Profile Type → select Private network
3. Try the connection again immediately

Root Cause 2 — Network Discovery Services Are Not Running

Probability: High. Check this second.

Four services must be running for network paths to be accessible by name:

Fix: On the host machine, open PowerShell as Administrator and run:

Set-Service FDResPub -StartupType Automatic
Set-Service SSDPSRV -StartupType Automatic
Set-Service upnphost -StartupType Automatic
Start-Service FDResPub, SSDPSRV, upnphost

Then retry the connection.

Root Cause 3 — The Share Does Not Exist or the Name Is Wrong

Windows returns 0x80070035 when the PC is reachable but the share name cannot be found. This happens when:

• The share name has a typo (e.g., Project instead of Projects)
• The share was deleted or renamed
• The folder is no longer shared

Fix: On the host machine, open File Explorer → right-click the folder you expect to be shared → Properties → Sharing tab. Confirm the share name matches what you are typing exactly. Share names are case-insensitive but must otherwise match precisely.

To see all active shares on a machine: open PowerShell on the host and run:

Get-SmbShare

This lists every shared resource and its exact share name.

Root Cause 4 — The Host Machine's Firewall Is Blocking SMB

Fix: On the host machine:

1. Control Panel → Windows Defender Firewall → Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall
2. Find "File and Printer Sharing" in the list
3. Ensure the Private checkbox is ticked → OK

If third-party antivirus is installed (Kaspersky, Norton, ESET, etc.), check its network protection settings — these can block SMB independently of Windows Firewall.

Root Cause 5 — SMB1 Was Disabled and the Target Needs It

If the machine being accessed is an older device (NAS, Windows 7 machine, older printer), it may only support SMB1, which Windows 11 no longer installs by default.

Fix (check first): Do not re-enable SMB1 unless the specific device requires it and cannot be updated. SMB1 has serious security vulnerabilities.

If you must: Control Panel → Programs → Turn Windows features on or off → SMB 1.0/CIFS File Sharing Support → check the box → restart.

Better option: Update the target device's firmware to add SMB2 support.

Root Cause 6 — The Host Machine's Name Cannot Be Resolved

If Windows cannot translate PCNAME to an IP address, it cannot reach the share by name.

Fix — use the IP address directly:

1. On the host machine: Settings → Network → your connection → note the IPv4 address (e.g., 192.168.1.45)
2. On the connecting machine: type \\192.168.1.45\ShareName instead of \\PCNAME\ShareName

If IP address works but hostname does not: the name resolution layer (LLMNR/mDNS) is broken. Check that the DNS Client service is running on both machines.

Quick Diagnostic Checklist

Run through these in order:

• Host machine is powered on
• Both machines are on the same network (same router)
• Host machine network profile is set to Private
• The four sharing services are running on the host
• The share name is correct (verified via Get-SmbShare)
• Windows Firewall allows File and Printer Sharing
• The connection works by IP address (rules out name resolution)

Why This Error Recurs After Windows Updates

Windows Updates occasionally reset service startup types and network profile settings. A perfectly configured setup stops working after an update. The fix above resolves it, but the same issue may return after the next major update.

If you spend time fixing this repeatedly, an application-level file sharing tool removes the dependency on Windows' SMB stack entirely.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Error 0x80070035 appears only for one specific share but not others on the same machine. Why? The share-level permissions or NTFS permissions for that specific folder are denying access. Check that the connecting user's account is listed in the share permissions with at least Read access: right-click folder → Properties → Sharing → Advanced Sharing → Permissions.

The error appears only on one machine but other machines connect fine. Why? The issue is specific to that client machine. Most likely: it has a stale or incorrect credential for the host stored in Credential Manager (Control Panel → Credential Manager → Windows Credentials → find and remove the entry for the host machine, then retry).

I get 0x80070035 on WiFi but not on wired. Why? Different network connections may have different profile settings. Confirm the WiFi connection on the host machine is also set to Private.

Can I script the fix so it applies automatically after updates? Yes. A Task Scheduler task that runs the PowerShell commands at startup ensures the services are always running. Create a task with trigger "At startup" running the four PowerShell service commands.