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This wikiHow teaches you how to disconnect a mapped network drive from your computer network. You can do this on both Windows and Mac computers.

Method 1
Method 1 of 2:

On Windows

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  2. It's a computer-shaped item on the left side of the File Explorer window. You may have to scroll up or down here to find it.
  3. You'll find this in the upper-left side of the File Explorer window. Clicking it prompts a toolbar to appear at the top of the window.
  4. It's in the "Network" section of the toolbar. A drop-down menu will appear.
    • Make sure you click the bottom half of this icon and not the top half, as clicking the top half will open a new Network Drive window.
  5. This option is at the bottom of the drop-down menu. Clicking it will prompt a window with a list of all connected network drives to open.
  6. Click on the drive that you want to disconnect.
  7. It's at the bottom of the window. This will disconnect the drive.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 2:

On Mac

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  1. Click the blue, face-like app icon in your Mac's Dock.
  2. On the left side of the Finder window, look for the name of the network drive that you want to disconnect. You'll usually find this below a "Shared" heading.
  3. Click the mapped network drive that you want to disconnect.
  4. It's in the main Finder window. Doing so will disconnect your drive from the computer network.
    • If you don't see Disconnect, you can also click the "Eject" button to the right of the network drive.
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Tips

  • You can reconnect the drive at any time as long as the path to the drive folder remains the same.



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About This Article

Jack Lloyd
Written by:
wikiHow Technology Writer
This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Jack Lloyd. Jack Lloyd is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. He has over two years of experience writing and editing technology-related articles. He is technology enthusiast and an English teacher. This article has been viewed 257,227 times.
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Co-authors: 18
Updated: February 24, 2025
Views: 257,227
Categories: Operating Systems
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 257,227 times.

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