Mapped drives not visible in File Explorer over VPN

Daniel Kaliel 1,266 Reputation points
2024-09-06T16:47:30.0566667+00:00

We deploy mapped drives via group policy. The drives map both inside the office and over the VPN when outside the office, however, when you are on the VPN outside the office not all drives are visible in file explorer even though they are mapped. All drives mapped drives are visible in file explorer when in the office.

Running a gpupdate /force, and restarting explorer.exe do not fix the issue.

In the screen shot you can see I only have two mapped drives visible F: and N: but in the command prompt I am able to get to G:

I should have around 8 mapped drives visible in explorer.

This is happening to all users, we are all on Windows 11. The VPN client is GlobalProtect.

Windows 11
Windows 11
A Microsoft operating system designed for productivity, creativity, and ease of use.
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  1. Wesley Li 10,225 Reputation points
    2024-09-16T02:36:07.03+00:00

    Hello,

    This problem is caused by several different factors. Here are some possible steps and directions to look:

    VPN routing and splitting tunnels:

    Check the configuration of the VPN client, especially the routing Settings. Make sure that the VPN connection does not have a split tunnel set up, or at least that the rules for splitting the tunnel do not block access to the mapped drive.

    If the VPN client supports it, try switching to a mode that does not use split tunnels and see if that solves the problem.

    VPN clients and Network resources:

    Ensure that the VPN client can correctly resolve and connect to the server or network where the mapped drive resides.

    Check the logs of the VPN server or gateway for error messages about connection attempts or denials.

    Network Policies and Firewalls:

    Check if there are any network policies or firewall rules that might block network traffic after a VPN connection.

    In particular, check the policy Settings on any intermediate network devices (such as routers, firewalls) between the VPN client and the server where the mapped drive resides.

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