Windows 11 – How to Allow Guest SMB Connections with PowerShell

This guide shows how to allow Windows 11 to connect to SMB shares that use guest access or do not require a valid username and password.

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Command

Set-SmbClientConfiguration -RequireSecuritySignature $false
Set-SmbClientConfiguration -EnableInsecureGuestLogons $true

What You Need

• A Windows 11 computer.
• An account with Administrator access.
• An SMB share that allows guest access or does not require a valid account.

Steps

1. Right-click Start.
2. Click Terminal (Admin) or Windows PowerShell (Admin).
3. Click Yes if the User Account Control prompt appears.
4. Run this command:

Set-SmbClientConfiguration -RequireSecuritySignature $false

5. If PowerShell asks you to confirm the change, type Y, then press Enter.
6. Run this command:

Set-SmbClientConfiguration -EnableInsecureGuestLogons $true

7. If PowerShell asks you to confirm the change, type Y, then press Enter.
8. Close Terminal or Windows PowerShell.
9. 
10. Open File Explorer.
11. Enter the SMB path in the address bar.

For example:

\\SERVER-NAME\SHARE-NAME

11. If Windows still asks for a username and password, enter any value in the Username field.

Example:

x

12. Enter any value in the Password field if Windows requires one, then continue.

Check the Settings

Run this command in Terminal (Admin) or Windows PowerShell (Admin):

Get-SmbClientConfiguration | Select-Object RequireSecuritySignature, EnableInsecureGuestLogons

The expected result is:

RequireSecuritySignature EnableInsecureGuestLogons
------------------------ --------------------------
False True

What the Commands Do

• Set-SmbClientConfiguration -RequireSecuritySignature $false stops Windows 11 from requiring SMB signing for outbound SMB connections.
• Set-SmbClientConfiguration -EnableInsecureGuestLogons $true allows the Windows 11 SMB client to use insecure guest logons.
• These settings affect the Windows 11 computer you run the commands on. They do not change the SMB server.

Caution

• Only use this on a trusted private network.
• Guest SMB access is less secure than using named accounts and passwords.
• Use a proper SMB username and password where possible.
• Do not enable SMB1 unless the device specifically requires it and you understand the security risk.

Troubleshooting

• If access still fails, restart the Windows 11 computer and try again.
• If Windows keeps using old credentials, remove the saved entry from Credential Manager and reconnect.
• If the SMB server supports user accounts, create a valid SMB user instead of relying on guest access.