How-to: Connect Your SkyDrive In Windows Explorer
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January 20th, 2010
Your web drive SkyDrive offers 25 GB of free storage that you can use from everywhere. However, uploading and accessing its contents from your web browser can get tiring. Unless you connect Windows Live SkyDrive to Windows Explorer.
After going through the following how-to, you will be able to access your SkyDrive folders from a mapped network drive, e.g. drive “S:\”. You do not need any extra software to do this.
- Open your browser, and navigate to http://skydrive.live.com/.
- Sign in with your Windows Live ID.
- Copy the UID part of the displayed URL, like: https://cid-1234567890abcdef.skydrive.live.com/ .
- Leave SkyDrive open, and take note of one of your folder names.
- Open Windows Explorer.
- On the left sidebar, right-click on Network. Choose Map network drive.
- Enter the following URL: \\docs.live.net@SSL\1234567890abcdef\XYZ
- Replace “XYZ” with the folder name you noted and that you want to map.
Note: Replace “Documents” with “^2Documents”, and “Public” with “^2Public”. - Choose a drive letter, and submit the dialog.
- You will be prompted for your Windows Live ID. Sign in.
- Then, you can access all the files and subfolders within your SkyDrive folder, including copying and pasting. You can even open and edit files directly!
Wow, this is neat! Worked lke a charm for me!
I said it works like a charm and that is true, there is just one little “funny”: My SkyDrive reports “24.87 GB available out of 25 GB” ( I am not a hog), but in Windows Explorer it describes the drive: “Space free: 8.04 GB – Total size: 51.0 GB”. Neither number is correct, not that it matters. Thank you for the tip! Great!
not working here
server not found error. skydrive opend on my browser w/o problem
Can’t get this working on Win7. Any tips?
Nice one, thanks.
I’m trying this now but I get an error stating that docs.live.net@SSL cannot be found using DNS
Hmm .. doesn’t seem to work for me. I can map to the root of my Skydrive but then can’t see any folders or do anything. I can’t map to any of the folders like ‘Public’, I get Error code: 0×80070035 – The network path was not found.
Not working for me. Says server not found, immediately if @ssl is in the address, searches for awhile if I remove the @ssl but still says not found. I removed the @ssl and one time it did pop up with the name/password dialog but would not accept my login…
I messed with it for awhile, this address mounts a drive in file explorer but won’t show anything..
\\docs.live.net\cid-12345db1234ae3e7\
This did not work for me. It said it could not DNS the name. I used the IP address and it brought up the logon dialog box. I entered in my Live ID and password, but it kept failing. I am using Windows7.
It doesn’t let me connect to any folders. When i connected with no folder just the Cid\ it connected but had none of my files. It just keeps poping up and asking for my credentials and when I enter them it pops back up asking for them again(they are correct)
Josh
doesn’t work for me, cant get it to log in. Keeps asking for my password that i know is right.
Did not work for me…. is ^2Public right? states error is incorrect path.
\\docs.live.net@SSL\987654321qewrty\^2Public
unable to do this….. not working on windows 7 64 bit
\\docs.live.net@SSL\1234567890abcdef\.Public – Does not work.
\\docs.live.net\1234567890abcdef\.Public – Does not work.
Error states that it can not connect.. Is it just Me?
what about win7?!
As I said: Replace “.Public” with “^2Public”.
Some people here have problems with getting this working—do you have any idea what could be wrong?
Not yet. Working on it! Have you tried installing Office 2010 Beta and retrying?
What made it work at you—other commenters have problems… By the way: the space data in Windows Explorer are inherited from drive C:, I think.
If I use \\docs.live.net@SSL\cid-YourNumbers.skydrive.live.com\ it connects to my computer but with an empty folder and no space available to place files into. Maybe this can help somehow in understanding the link. I then tried place ^2 with a file name or without ^2 but that didnt work.
its not working for me (using Windows xp)
created a test folder on skydrive “test” and tried mapping the network drive
\\docs.live.net@SSL\a3b490859849517a\test
errors with \\docs.live.net@SSL\a3b490859849517a\test could not be found
anybody found a workaround for this
I enjoyed the article and thanks recompense posting such valuable tidings in lieu of of all of us to indicate to, I fresher it both of overturn and revelatory and I map old hat to decode it as commonly as I can.
ray ban 3025
Windows 7 users and those getting repeated login requests: One likely source of trouble is your firewall. In Windows 7 the firewall settings are different and more secure than in Vista. One workaround: Before you map your SkyDrive folder or album, log in to your Live account, TURN OFF the firewall (Control Panel – Security – Firewall). Map the drive, there may be a couple of login requests. Once it maps and the folder is displayed, go back and turn your firewall back ON.
Not working. Same prob as listed above (win 7)
* if mapped to the root loc then nothing shows up
* when trying to map to ^Documents, the connection doesnt succeed
Not working for me too. Keep asking me password again and again and never connects. I manage to connect to root i.e., \\docs.live.net@SSL\1234567890abcdef but was showing nothing under it. Please help.
Working here on Windows 7 x64.
doesn’t work on xp – just says the network path could not be found.
Change \\docs.live.net@SSL\1234567890abcdef\XYZ to \\7whmzh.docs.live.net\1234567890abcdef\XYZ. I am unable to view the root directory of Skydrive, however, but this worked for me to view items in the folders and upload items as well so I figured I would share.
Its not work for me in window xp….error the network path \\docs.live.net@ssl\1234567890abcdef\^2public could not be found
Help me for this
*****PROBLEM SOLVED – ACCESS SKYDRIVE ANY FOLDER FROM MY COMPUTER*****
Hello guys, problem for accessing the ANY Skydrive folder solved…
I had Office Beta 2010 Installed in a Windows Vista Business System.
Open any browser and login in Skydrive.live.com service with ur Userid & Password & keep it open in background.
Now simply open any Office 2010 application (I opened Word).
Directly go to File > Share > Save to Skydrive > (Select folder, u want configure to)
Wait a second for word to auto login and show folders..
navigate till the folder u want to configure for..
Now completely COPY ADDRESS from address bar (at the top) of File Save as dialogue box of Word (or other application u have used).
Now open My Computer > Map network Drive. > Paste this address > Finish.
Open My computer now & Enjoy… Its done now………………..
NR
I use Windows XP none of the solutions work for me. These examples are not workable for everyone because they are not tested in the various Windows environments. So what works for one does not work for the other. One should identify what flavor of Windows he/she is using and the suppose solution otherwise it’s a waste of everyone’s time.
I tried doing this on a Vista Business (x64) system with no success like many others – I guess Office 2010 installs some required tech for this.
However, I’ve found that you can essentially do the same thing with the help of some free third-party software: Gladinet Cloud Desktop: Starter Edition (there is also a paid Pro version). Works like a charm.
sad this still isnt working,
I’ve tried all the suggestions above in the comments.
Will not install a secondary app to make it work like gladinet,
I’m sure it’s not needed.
anyways, this is on a win7 x64 pro system.
status =unresolved
Update,
Working with Win7, is the following ..
Find above post about Office 2010 Beta.
It works, you’ll be happy.
and you’ll get a full working beta suite of apps,
uninstalling it ok too,
skydrive will still work.
Gents, I also had the problem of error when mapping the drive. Note that Mapping Drives can be done from My Computer AND Network Places.
It is imperative it is done through Network Places as noted in the instructions above.
Also you HAVE to upgrade to .NET 3.5 SP1, I had .NET 2.0 and it just would not map any drive.
Download SkyDrive Simple Viewer here – http://skydrivesimpleviewer.codeplex.com/ – to get the exact address you need to type in the Mapped Drive location.
In Win7, I experienced the same difficulties (empty directory after map/log-in) like many others, and by following NR’s suggestion using Office 2010 Beta, I was able to map a drive.
As in the model followed by MS in all products, you will need to wait until they release SkyDrive Service Pack 2 to be able to use it. Otherwise, just a fraction of lucky people will be blissfully ignorant of the pains the rest of us are going through.
Forget this crap.
Download GDrive from viksoe.dk, and use smaller but usable space by Google.
NRs method works, though if the windows firewall is turned off.
Does anyone know which file to allow access to the firewall to allow this to work?
I have now gotten this to work on Windows XP and Windows 7. The key (as stated earlier) is to use SkyDrive Simple Viewer (http://skydrivesimpleviewer.codeplex.com/ ) to determine the exact URL of your SkyDrive. I did have to enter my credentials a couple times in Windows 7 before it took. In Windows XP, it does help to add the URL into Network Places first.
One thing that is annoying is Win XP gives a “delayed write error” on almost every file I copy. The error is in the notification area (so it doesn’t stop the copy). But the files appear to have copied fine.
Thanks Bruce…that worked for me..thanks for sharing..
NR’s solution in the comment above (headed “*****PROBLEM SOLVED – ACCESS SKYDRIVE ANY FOLDER FROM MY COMPUTER*****”) worked for me! Thank you Klaus and NR!
I’m using Windows 7 Professional 64bit and Office 2010 Beta.
Office 2010 approach WORKS for me.
I am using Windows 7 Pro 64-bit. Office 2010 32-bit beta. Latest updates installed. Can map drive or add a network location using the same method for each folder. Can also add a network location in WinXP (latest updates installed) but cannot map a network drive.
Does appear to ask for a password the first time I connect after restarting the computer (even if I opt to save password) but I can live with this, I guess (unless there’s a solution?).
Thank you all.
http://skydrivesimpleviewer.codeplex.com/
This worked for me
Pfff, u are as***le, i give the solution a few days ago and u make like u find it!
F*** off stupid!
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