---
title: "Setting Up Samba on Ubuntu to Share Folders with Windows 11"
description: "A detailed guide to setting up a Samba share on Ubuntu for Windows 11 access, including firewall configuration and troubleshooting tips."
canonical_url: "https://blog.markkulab.net/en/post/ubuntu-samba-windows11-folder-sharing"
author: "Mark Ku"
author_url: "https://blog.markkulab.net/en/author/mark-ku"
site: "Mark Ku's Tech Notes"
date_published: "2024-12-03T01:01:35+08:00"
category: "Infra"
tags: ["ubuntu", "samba", "windows", "linux", "file sharing", "infra"]
language: "en"
license: "CC BY 4.0"
license_url: "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"
attribution: "when reusing or quoting, credit the author and link back to the original"
---

# Setting Up Samba on Ubuntu to Share Folders with Windows 11

### **Step 1: Install and Configure Samba**
Samba is a tool for sharing files between Linux and Windows systems.

1.  **Install Samba**
    ```bash
   sudo apt update
   sudo apt install samba -y
   ```

2.  **Start Samba and enable it to run on boot**
    ```bash
   sudo systemctl start smbd
   sudo systemctl enable smbd
   ```

3.  **Open the firewall to allow Samba**
    ```bash
   sudo ufw allow samba
   ```

4.  **Create a Samba User**
    - Add a new user (skip if the user already exists):
      ```bash
     sudo useradd -M -s /sbin/nologin username
     ```
    - Set the Samba password:
      ```bash
     sudo smbpasswd -a username
     sudo smbpasswd -e username
     ```

### **Step 2: Set Up a Shared Folder**
1.  **Create the shared folder**
    ```bash
   mkdir -p /var/shared
   sudo chmod 777 /var/shared
   ```

2.  **Edit the Samba configuration file**
    - Open the configuration file:
      ```bash
     sudo vim /etc/samba/smb.conf
     ```
    - Add the share settings to the end of the file:
      ```
     [shared]
     path = /var/shared
     browsable = no
     writable = yes
     read only = no
     guest ok = no
     create mask = 0777
     directory mask = 0777
     ```
	 P.S. It's best to set both `read only` and `guest ok` to `no`. I once had a worm drop some files into my Samba share.

3.  **Save and exit the configuration file**
    - Press `Ctrl+O` to save, and `Ctrl+X` to exit.

4.  **Restart the Samba service**
    ```bash
   sudo systemctl restart smbd
   ```

### **Step 3: Access the Shared Folder from Windows 11**
1.  **Check your Ubuntu's IP address**
    ```bash
   ip a
   ```
    Take note of the IP address, which will look something like `192.168.x.x`.

2.  **Connect to the shared folder**
    - Open File Explorer on Windows 11.
    - In the address bar, type:
      ```
     \\<Ubuntu_IP>\SharedFolder
     ```
      For example:
      ```
     \\192.168.1.100\SharedFolder
     ```

3.  **Test the connection**
    If everything is working correctly, you should be able to see the contents of the shared folder.

### **Troubleshooting Tips**
1.  **Manually open the required ports for Samba**
    ```bash
   sudo ufw allow proto tcp from any to any port 137,138,139,445
   sudo ufw status
   ```

2.  **Check the Samba configuration file and directory permissions**
    - Confirm that the share settings in `/etc/samba/smb.conf` are correct.
    - Check the permissions of the shared folder:
      ```bash
     ls -ld /var/shared
     ```
      If necessary, adjust the permissions:
      ```bash
     sudo chmod 777 /var/shared
     ```

3.  **Check the Samba logs**
    ```bash
   sudo tail -f /var/log/samba/log.smbd
   ```

4.  **Use the IP address instead of the hostname**
    Use `\<IP 地址>\shared` in Windows to avoid potential name resolution issues.

---

## About this article and its author

Originally published on [Mark Ku's Tech Notes](https://blog.markkulab.net/en/post/ubuntu-samba-windows11-folder-sharing)

License: [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) — when reusing or quoting, credit the author and link back to the original

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**[Mark Ku](https://blog.markkulab.net/en/author/mark-ku)** — Software Solution Provider

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