Fix ‘You may not have permission to use this network resource’ Issue in Windows – Guide
Users may not have permission to access a network drive, as indicated by an error message. To find out if they do, they should contact the server administrator. Multiple connections with different usernames are not allowed; users must disconnect any previous connections before trying again.
If your data is stored on a shared drive and you can’t access it, it can be incredibly frustrating. Fortunately, many users have found that the same shared drive works fine on other computers in the network.
Enabling file and printer sharing
If multiple computers are connected to a printer, they must have a host PC where the printer is installed. When attempting to access the printer from another computer, users may encounter an error message indicating they do not have permission. To fix this, ensure File and Printer Sharing is enabled on the network.
To access the Control Panel, simply search for it in the Start menu or use Cortana in the bottom left corner of your screen.
Press Windows + R to open the Control Panel directly: type “control.exe” and click Run.
To access the Network and Sharing Center, change the View setting in the upper right corner of the window to Category, then click Network and Internet. Click on the Network and Sharing Center button to open it, then select Change advanced sharing settings from the left menu.
Change the sharing settings for public or private networks in the “Change sharing options for different network profiles” section.
Ensure File and Printer Sharing is enabled by selecting the appropriate radio button.
Save Changes and grant administrator permissions to avoid the error message “You may not have permission to use this network resource.”
Add a Windows Credential
If you’re having trouble connecting to a remote server, adding a credential can help. You’ll need the network address, username and password of the remote computer or server to do so.
The Start button or Search (Cortana) in the taskbar can be used to access Control Panel, a utility for managing computer settings.
Press Windows + R to open the Control Panel directly: type “control.exe” and click Run.
To access Credential Manager, change the View By option at the top right of the Control Panel window to Large Icons.
Press the “Add a Windows Credential” button in the Windows Credentials section to switch your view.
Enter the remote server’s computer name or IP address into the Internet or network address field, followed by the username and password. Doing so should improve connection quality and potentially resolve any issues.
Editing the LSA Registry Entry
Editing the registry’s LSA key can enable connection to a remote computer. To do this, users must take caution when manipulating the key on the host computer in their workgroup, homegroup or other network with a centralized host.
We recommend that you back up your registry before following the steps outlined in our article, to ensure no other issues arise. However, if done correctly, no problems should occur.
To access the Registry Editor window, type “regedit” in the search bar, Start menu, or Run dialog (Windows + R). Then navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE SYSTEM CurrentControlSet Control Lsa in the left panel.
To rename a file, users must right-click on the file and locate an entry called “Anonymous Restricted” or create a new DWORD value entry. If the entry is not present, users can create it by right-clicking on the window and selecting “New » DWORD Value (32-bit).” Then, they must right-click on it and select “Modify” from the context menu.
Change the Value data in the Edit window to 0, making sure the base is set to decimal. Confirm any security dialogs that may appear and apply your changes.
You can quickly fix your computer by restarting it: click Start menu, then Power button, and select Restart. This should solve the problem.
Enable file sharing for devices using 40-bit or 56-bit encryption
To ensure compatibility between computers on a network, it’s important to use the same encryption for all devices. Different operating systems may not support the same encryption, such as 128-bit encryption being unsupported by certain versions of Windows. To avoid potential conflicts, make sure all computers are using the same encryption.
To access Control Panel, users can either click the Start button or use the Search function (Cortana) in the bottom left corner of their screen.
Press Windows + R to open the Control Panel directly: type “control.exe” and click Run.
To access the Network and Sharing Center, change the View setting in the upper right corner of the window to Category, then click Network and Internet. Click on the Network and Sharing Center button to open it, then select Change advanced sharing settings from the left menu.
The “Change sharing options for different network profiles” section of the All Networks required section should be expanded.
Ensure file sharing is enabled for devices using 40-bit or 56-bit encryption by checking the file sharing connections section and configuring the radio button.
Save Changes and grant administrator permissions to avoid the error message “You may not have permission to use this network resource.”
Final note
Having trouble connecting to a network resource? This guide provides a solution to the “You may not have permission to use this network resource” issue in Windows. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out for help. Don’t forget to share the article with your friends!
