How can an unauthenticated user access a windows share?

Solution 1:

To do what you want you'll have to enable the "Guest" account on the computer hosting the files and then grant the "Everyone" group whatever access you want.

"Guest" is a user account, but its enabled / disabled status is interpreted by the operating system as a boolean "Allow unauthenticated users to connect?" Permissions still control the access to files, but you open things up a LOT by enabling Guest.

Don't do this on a domain controller computer, BTW, because you'll be Guest on all DCs...

Solution 2:

In my case, enabling the Guest account and adding Everyone did not help (with a share on an older box with Windows Server 2008 SP2 in a domain and a Windows Server 2012 R2 machine from outside of the domain).

After following the excellent guide posted by Nikola Radosavljevic, anonymous access finally worked in my scenario.

Summary of steps:

• Adding Everyone, Guest and ANONYMOUS LOGON to the permissions of the share.
• Open the Group Policy Editor (e.g. by running gpedit.msc)
  • Computer Configuration -> Windows Settings -> Security Settings -> Local Policies -> Security Options
  • Accounts: Guest account status: Enabled
  • Network access: Let Everyone permissions apply to anonymous users: Enabled
  • Network access: Restrict anonymous access to Named Pipes and Shares: Disabled
  • Network access: Shares that can be accessed anonymously: YOUR_SHARE_NAME

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Update (Windows Server 2016)

I would like to draw your attention to the comment by @Schneider as he pointed out, that on more recent systems fewer steps are necessary.

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Update (May 2020)

@mrtumnus pointed out that the path in the group policy editor's tree could also be:

• Computer Configuration -> Policies -> Windows Settings -> Security Settings -> Local Policies -> Security Options

I have checked this on Windows Server 2019 and could not find this tree item. If anyone could provide more details regarding in which situation the setting is located at a different place, I am willing to add this information.

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Solution 3:

Enabling the Guest account is not recommended. Baz and djangofan are correct; you have to give the anonymous user permission to the share and the folder. (Security permissions in the sharing and folder tab, assuming you don't have a Home version of Windows.)

An interesting gotcha: Giving 'Everyone' access doesn't work, even though you'd think it would. In the permissions dialog in the sharing tab, you specifically have to include the anonymous user. On Windows 7, that's the local ANONYMOUS LOGON user.

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Solution 4:

In the security tab and share tab give anonymous the desired read/write access. Then anyone should be able to access the share.

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Solution 5:

I solved this by mapping a network drive to the domain share then connect with different credentials using a local account. Didn't have to enable the guest account or allow anonymous access.