Windows comes with a module called “SMBShare” which contains 42 cmdlets to manage network shares. This module works with Windows PowerShell and PowerShell 7:
PS> Get-Command -Module SMBShare CommandType Name Version Source ----------- ---- ------- ------ Function Block-SmbShareAccess 2.0.0.0 SMBShare Function Close-SmbOpenFile 2.0.0.0 SMBShare Function Close-SmbSession 2.0.0.0 SMBShare Function Disable-SmbDelegation 2.0.0.0 SMBShare Function Enable-SmbDelegation 2.0.0.0 SMBShare Function Get-SmbBandwidthLimit 2.0.0.0 SMBShare Function Get-SmbClientConfiguration 2.0.0.0 SMBShare Function Get-SmbClientNetworkInterface 2.0.0.0 SMBShare Function Get-SmbConnection 2.0.0.0 SMBShare Function Get-SmbDelegation 2.0.0.0 SMBShare Function Get-SmbGlobalMapping 2.0.0.0 SMBShare Function Get-SmbMapping 2.0.0.0 SMBShare Function Get-SmbMultichannelConnection 2.0.0.0 SMBShare Function Get-SmbMultichannelConstraint 2.0.0.0 SMBShare Function Get-SmbOpenFile 2.0.0.0 SMBShare Function Get-SmbServerCertificateMapping 2.0.0.0 SMBShare Function Get-SmbServerConfiguration 2.0.0.0 SMBShare Function Get-SmbServerNetworkInterface 2.0.0.0 SMBShare Function Get-SmbSession 2.0.0.0 SMBShare Function Get-SmbShare 2.0.0.0 SMBShare Function Get-SmbShareAccess 2.0.0.0 SMBShare Function Grant-SmbShareAccess 2.0.0.0 SMBShare Function New-SmbGlobalMapping 2.0.0.0 SMBShare Function New-SmbMapping 2.0.0.0 SMBShare Function New-SmbMultichannelConstraint 2.0.0.0 SMBShare Function New-SmbServerCertificateMapping 2.0.0.0 SMBShare Function New-SmbShare 2.0.0.0 SMBShare Function Remove-SmbBandwidthLimit 2.0.0.0 SMBShare Function Remove-SmbComponent 2.0.0.0 SMBShare Function Remove-SmbGlobalMapping 2.0.0.0 SMBShare Function Remove-SmbMapping 2.0.0.0 SMBShare Function Remove-SmbMultichannelConstraint 2.0.0.0 SMBShare Function Remove-SmbServerCertificateMapping 2.0.0.0 SMBShare Function Remove-SmbShare 2.0.0.0 SMBShare Function Revoke-SmbShareAccess 2.0.0.0 SMBShare Function Set-SmbBandwidthLimit 2.0.0.0 SMBShare Function Set-SmbClientConfiguration 2.0.0.0 SMBShare Function Set-SmbPathAcl 2.0.0.0 SMBShare Function Set-SmbServerConfiguration 2.0.0.0 SMBShare Function Set-SmbShare 2.0.0.0 SMBShare Function Unblock-SmbShareAccess 2.0.0.0 SMBShare Function Update-SmbMultichannelConnection 2.0.0.0 SMBShare
To start finding your way into these cmdlets, start with those that use the verb “Get”: they read information and can’t accidentally change system settings.
For example, Get-SmbShare lists all the network shares available on your machine:
PS> Get-SmbShare Name ScopeName Path Description ---- --------- ---- ----------- ADMIN$ * C:\WINDOWS Remoteadmi... C$ * C:\ Standardfr... HP Universal Printing PCL 6 * S/W Laser HP,LocalsplOnly S/W Laser HP IPC$ * Remote-IPC OKI PCL6 Class Driver 2 * OKI PCL6 Class Driver 2,LocalsplOnly OKI PCL6 C... print$ * C:\Windows\system32\spool\drivers Printerdr...
To discover how to add, configure or remove SmbShares, try looking at cmdlets with the noun “smbshare”:
PS> Get-Command -Module SMBShare -Noun SmbShare CommandType Name Version Source ----------- ---- ------- ------ Function Get-SmbShare 2.0.0.0 SMBShare Function New-SmbShare 2.0.0.0 SMBShare Function Remove-SmbShare 2.0.0.0 SMBShare Function Set-SmbShare 2.0.0.0 SMBShare
New-SmbShare lets you add a new basic network share. Before you go ahead and run commands that change your system, it’s a good idea to read the cmdlet documentation and look at the examples included:
PS> Get-Help -Name New-SmbShare -Online
This opens the documentation page in your default browser. The documentation explains the available parameters plus provides examples like this:
PS> New-SmbShare -Name VMSFiles -Path C:\ClusterStorage\Volume1\VMFiles -FullAccess Contoso\Administrator, Contoso\Contoso-HV1$
It illustrates how simple it is to create a new file share and secure it with access permissions. You’d have to adjust the parameters of the example before you run the command, and at minimum update the local folder path you want to share, plus the account names that are supposed to have full access.
