So now if you disconnect from the network you should still be able to access your document, as seen in the following screenshot: Once all the files have been processed you will get a message telling you that they will be available offline.įor example, I have made a single folder called “Personal” available offline, which contains a single text file called My Plans, which contains “Text Text Text Text” as seen below.
Once you’ve mapped a drive and opened it up in Windows Explorer, you can go to any sub-folder of the drive and select “Always available offline” from the context menu. Note: again, you could map the drive a different way if you want. On the next screen, you’ll be asked to pick a drive letter and optionally use different credentials. Right-click on the folder and select Map Network drive. Once you connect to the machine (you may need to input a username and password, depending on how your network is setup), you’ll see the folders that are shared on the other computer. You could also do the same thing in the Windows Explorer location box, of course. There’s a number of ways to do this, but one easy method is to use the Windows + R key combination to bring up the Run box, and then type two backslashes and the IP address or hostname of the PC you want to connect to.
If you’re new to networking, be sure to check out our guide to networking Windows 7 with XP or Vista, or the guide on how to share files and printers between Windows 7 and XP.įirst you’ll want to connect to the PC that hosts the shared folder.
Note: You should probably not be using this guide to make your 2 terabyte movie collection available offline-while it may work, it is not recommended just because the Offline Files feature isn’t made for storing massive amounts of data offline. The problem with storing all your files on a file server or networked machine is that when you leave the network, how are you going to access your files? Instead of using a VPN or Dropbox, you can use the Offline Files feature built into Windows. He currently works in R&D at Derivco International.
He served as Microsoft Regional Director in South Africa for two years and has received multiple Microsoft MVP (Most Valued Professional) awards. Taylor Gibb is a professional software developer with nearly a decade of experience.