Why can't I see my NAS icon under Network in Windows File Explorer?

Last modified date: 2026-09-02

Applicable Products

QNAP NAS models

Scenario

When you open File Explorer on a Windows computer and browse to Network, your QNAP NAS icon may not appear, even though the NAS is powered on and connected to the same network.

Root Cause

This issue is usually related to network discovery settings on either the Windows computer or the NAS, rather than a hardware problem. Common causes include:

Network Discovery is turned off in Windows.
The NAS's discovery services are disabled in QTS or QuTS hero.
A firewall on the Windows computer or the NAS is blocking discovery traffic.
Recent Windows updates have changed how automatic device discovery works, so devices that appeared before may no longer show up without adjusting these settings.

Solution

Step 1: Enable Network Discovery in Windows

Go to Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Advanced sharing settings.
Under the current network profile, turn on Network discovery and File and printer sharing.
Confirm that your Windows network connection is set to Private, not Public. Public profiles disable discovery by default.

Step 2: Enable Discovery Service on the NAS

Log in to QTS or QuTS hero and go to Control Panel > Network & File Services > Service Discovery.
On the Bonjour tab, enable the Bonjour service.

Step 3: Update Windows and Restart

Install any pending Windows updates, then restart your computer. This ensures your network stack is running the latest discovery-related fixes from Microsoft.

Tip

If the icon still doesn't appear after these steps, you can still access the NAS directly:

Open File Explorer and enter \\NAS_IP_address or \\NAS_name in the address bar.
Use Qfinder Pro to locate and connect to the NAS on your network.