Windows recognizes one NAS but not the other

mikolajek · October 30, 2026, 9:55am

Hello,

I’ve started connectivity to my NAS overnight. Yesterday it was all fine, and when I turned my laptop this morning, Windows cannot see it - neither the \\nas1 nor the IP connection works. No specific error appears other than “192.168.0.3 refused to connect.” for browser and “Windows cannot access \\nas1” for the explorer

I restarted the NAS (using the button), restarted the modem/router and restarted the laptop, also clearing network settings before. It didn’t help. I have another Qnap (TS-251+) and this one connects fine. My modem and network card seem to see the NAS (3rd party network software sees it, as well as my AV), yet the Windows refuses to find it. My other laptop - Macbook Pro - can connect to the NAS without problems.

Both Windows and Qnap have their latest OS/FW installed. Can you advise what can I do to fix this?

Thank you!

Richard · October 30, 2026, 1:38pm

Huh, windows problem. Is it windows 11 ?

mikolajek · October 30, 2026, 1:52pm

That’s right… The lastest official 11 build (monthly update).

Richard · October 30, 2026, 3:33pm

Windows 11 security configurations don’t always play nice with with some “older” hardware. No guarantees, but you could try:

RUN IN POWERSHELL AS ADMINISTRATOR

Set-SmbClientConfiguration -EnableInsecureGuestLogons $true -Force

Set-SmbClientConfiguration -RequireSecuritySignature $false -Force

Set-SmbServerConfiguration -RequireSecuritySignature $false -Force

Reboot and try again - let us know what happens.

dolbyman · October 30, 2026, 3:35pm

The TS-251+ should support SMB 3.1 and the latest SMB updates that QNAP offers.

Lucas · October 31, 2026, 4:45am

Hi @mikolajek,

Thanks for the details. Since your other QNAP and your MacBook can still connect, this is often caused by the credentials Windows has saved for this NAS. Please try the steps in this guide: How to fix the “Enter network credentials” error when connecting to my NAS on Windows 10 or later?

In short: in Windows Credential Manager, remove the saved Windows credentials for this NAS (by its name and IP address), add them again with your NAS username, and then reconnect.

Please let us know whether this helps.