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Remotely access G drive

Remotely access G drive

Owned by Andrew Molloy
Last updated: May 08, 2025
Faculty looking for the Arch RemoteLab should click here.

These methods are only for connecting from a personally-owned computer. SU-provided computers can already connect to G without any special steps.

On or off campus

This method works over AirOrangeX and while off campus.

Important note: this method only lets you reach G:\ARCH-FILER, not G:\ARCH. ARCH is where most of the main school folders are located, including the archive (except for the current semester, which is on ARCH-FILER). To reach ARCH, follow the Alternative Method steps below instead.

  1. Install the SU Azure VPN following these directions.

    • After you’ve installed the VPN, return here and continue with the steps below.

  2. Sign into the VPN (it must be connected while you access the G drive).

  3. Connect to the G drive using the following steps:

 Click here for instructions to connect to the G drive...

Windows

 Click here to expand...
  1. Open Windows Explorer (file manager) and click This PC on the left.

  2. Click 'Map network drive' on the ribbon. If you don't see it, click the small expansion arrow on the far right to show the ribbon. 

    Windows 10:

    Windows 11:

    Windows 11 alternate method:

    Right click on 'This PC' and choose 'Map network drive'. If you don't see it, click 'Show more options' then look for Map network drive.

  3. In the Map Network Drive box:
    1. Set Drive to G
    2. Set Folder to \\shared.ad.syr.edu\drive
    3. Enable 'Reconnect at sign-in'
    4. Enable 'Connect using different credentials'
    5. Click Finish

  4. In the Windows Security box:
    1. Type your NetID, preceded by "ad\" (without the quotes), so for example, ad\mynetid
    2. Fill in your NetID password
    3. Enable 'Remember my credentials'
    4. Click Ok

  5. You should now have access to the G drive.
Note: when you restart your computer, the mapped drives should automatically reappear if you are on AirOrangeX.

If you are off campus, you may see an alert about ‘disconnected drives’, since mapped drives only work on campus. Just ignore the message and next time you are on the campus network they should connect normally.

Connection Errors

  • If you receive one of these messages
    • "Cannot map directory path" because "The specified network password is not correct"
    • "The local device name is already in use"
    • "G:\ is not accessible. The user name or password is incorrect"
  • Then try these steps:
    • Close any open file manager windows.
    • Using Windows search, type 'Credential Manager' and start the app. Click 'Windows Credentials'.
    • Scroll down the list and look for an entry with your SU email address or NetID. Select it and click Edit. Enter your NetId password again.

macOS

 Click here to expand...
  1. With the Finder showing, click Go > Connect to Server, or type cmd-K
  2. For address, enter smb://shared.ad.syr.edu/drive then click Connect. (Before clicking Connect, click the ‘+’ sign to add it to your favorites for quick future access.)



  3. In the authentication box that shows up, enter your NetID and NetID password, then click Connect. If you want to save your password, enable ‘Remember this password in my keychain.’



  4. You should now be connected to the G drive.

Alternative method if you can't use the SU VPN

With this method, you are not connecting to the G drive directly from your computer, rather you are logging into an SU remote Windows machine where you can see the G drive.

You have two choices for how to connect from off campus. Each link will take you to a new page with instructions.

Which method is best? The web browser is more convenient and preferable if all you need is G drive access. If you also need to connect to the Arch RemoteLab, check out this page instead.

Method 1: Connect through a web browser (click here for steps).

 Learn how to copy files from your laptop to the remote computer...

Note: you could also use OneDrive or Google Drive instead of the these steps.

  1. Click the up arrow icon in top right of the browser tab.
  2. This will open up a window where you can select files or folders on your computer.

  3. Wait while the files upload.
  4. After the files are uploaded, on the remote computer, open the Windows File Explorer (yellow icon).
  5. To find the uploaded files, click This PC on the left, then double click 'Remote Desktop Virtual Drive on RDWebClient' on the right.
  6. You should see Downloads and Uploads folders. Look inside Uploads and your files should be there. You can now copy them to the G drive or somewhere else.
 Learn how to copy files from the remote computer to your laptop...

Note: you could also use OneDrive or Google Drive instead of the these steps.

  1. On the remote computer, open Windows File Explorer
  2. Click This PC on the left, then double click 'Remote Desktop Virtual Drive on RDWebClient' on the right.
  3. You should see Downloads and Uploads folders. Put files in the Downloads folder (such as from the G drive) that you want to copy to your laptop.
  4. As soon as you put files in Downloads, a down arrow icon will appear in the browser tab. Click it to start downloading your files.

Method 2: Connect using a Remote Desktop app (click here for steps).