Windows : Shared folder access error with security policy block unauthenticared guest access

By | September 16, 2024

Getting the following error while accessing a SMB/CIFS shared folder from a Windows client machine?

You can’t access this shared folder because your organization’s security policy block unauthenticated guest access. These policies help to protect your PC from unsafe or malicious devices on the network.

After investigating and making sure you want to enable unauthenticated guest access, you may use one of the two method below to enable it :

Enable from Local Group Policy or GPO :

1. Open the group policy console ;

2. Browse to :

Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Network > Lanman Workstation

And set to “Enable” the following policy :

Enable insecure guest logons

Enable from the Registry Editor :

1. Open the Registry Editor (regedit.exe) ;

2. Browse to :

Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanWorkstation\Parameters

3. Double-click on “AllowInsecureGuestAuth” ;

NOTE : If non-existent, create a new “DWORD (32-bit) Value (with Decimal/base value data)

4. Under “Value data:”, change it from 0 to 1