Software⏱️ 3 min read📅 2026-06-11

How to Fix: An error occurred while connecting [drive] to [share]. The local device name is already in use

Error connecting network drive due to local device name already in use.

Quick Answer: Try restarting your workstation or disabling and re-enabling the network drive.

📋 Table of Contents

  1. 🛑 Root Causes of the Error
  2. ✅ Best Solutions to Fix It
  3. ✨ Wrapping Up

The error 'An error occurred while connecting [drive] to [share]. The local device name is already in use' affects users who map network drives on Windows 8 PCs. This issue can be frustrating, especially when it occurs frequently and disrupts productivity.

To address this problem, we will explore the root causes of the error and provide two primary fix methods to resolve the issue.

🛑 Root Causes of the Error

  • The first main reason why this error happens is due to the lack of device enumeration on the server-side. When a PC sleeps and wakes up, it may not correctly re-establish connections with the network drive on the server. This can cause the local device name to be reused, resulting in the error message.
  • An alternative reason for this issue could be related to the Windows 8 client's behavior when reconnecting to a mapped network drive. In some cases, the client may not properly release the local device name before re-establishing the connection, leading to the 'The local device name is already in use' error.

✅ Best Solutions to Fix It

Disable and Re-enable Network Drive

  1. Step 1: Step 1: Open File Explorer on your workstation and navigate to the mapped network drive. Right-click on the drive and select 'Properties'.
  2. Step 2: Step 2: In the Properties window, click on the 'Map Network Drive' button at the bottom left corner of the window.
  3. Step 3: Step 3: Click on the 'Unload' button to disconnect from the network drive.
  4. Step 4: Step 4: Wait for a few seconds and then reconnect to the network drive by clicking the 'Load' button. This will re-establish the connection and resolve the error.

Update Network Drive Settings

  1. Step 1: Step 1: Open the Control Panel on your workstation and navigate to 'Network and Sharing Center'.
  2. Step 2: Step 2: Click on 'Change adapter settings' in the left-hand menu.
  3. Step 3: Step 3: Right-click on the network drive connection and select 'Properties'.
  4. Step 4: Step 4: In the Properties window, uncheck the box next to 'Reconnect at sign-in' to prevent the local device name from being reused. Click 'OK' to save changes.

✨ Wrapping Up

To avoid this issue in the future, consider implementing one of the above fix methods on your Windows 8 PCs. Additionally, ensuring that both PCs are running the latest version of Windows 8 and that network drives are properly configured can help prevent this error from occurring.

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