Limit the Number of Simultaneous Users on Shared Folders in Windows

Shared folders are one of the most efficient files sharing and syncing in workgroups. In an organization, it gets essential for people to be able to access work-related files quickly and efficiently. While you can share a folder with as many people as you want in a workgroup. The more the number of people, the more hassles you’ll have to encounter. Windows allows you to limit the number of simultaneous users on shared folders, and this article precisely talks about how to do that. Please make sure you stay tuned till the end of this article.

What Are Shared Folders? Why Limit The Number Of Simultaneous Users On Them?

A shared folder is largely used in a work environment on Windows to share files among an organization’s computers. The contents of a shared folder are visible to all its members. The Shared folder is hosted on the main computer in an organization that can invite and adds another computer on the network to join the shared folder.

Limiting the number of simultaneous users on a shared folder is important because the more the number of simultaneous users in a folder, the slower file transfers and other operations will be in the folder.

Now that you have a fair idea about shared folders let’s proceed further with limiting the number of simultaneous users on a shared folder.

Limit the Number of Simultaneous Users on Shared Folders

You can limit the number of simultaneous users on a shared folder in three ways. All three methods are easy to work with. Here they are:

1. From Folder Properties
2. From Computer Management
3. With Windows Terminal

Let’s have a closer look at the steps for these methods.

1] Limit The Number Of Simultaneous Users On A Shared Folder From Folder Properties

This is the most straightforward method you can use. Here are the steps for it:

• Open Windows explorer and navigate to the shared folder.
• Right-click the folder icon. This will open the context menu.
• Select Properties from the menu and head to the Sharing Tab in the Properties window.
• Click on Advanced Sharing. Enable the Share This Folder option.
• Now, you’ll see a “Limit the number of simultaneous users to:” here, you can select the number of users you want working on the shared folder simultaneously.

2] Limit The Number Of Simultaneous Users On A Shared Folder From Computer Management 

Computer Management is a utility from Windows which allows you to control everything related to the administration of a local or remote computer. You can control everything from Shared Folders, Task Scheduler app, Local Users and Groups, and much more. Here’s how to use it to limit the number of simultaneous users on shared folders:

• Search Computer Management in Windows search and open it.
• In Computer Management, expand the Shared Folders option and open the Shares option.
• Now, you’ll see a list of all the folders you have shared. Right-click on the specific folder and then open Properties. Now, in the General tab of the properties window, you’ll see the user limit section. Here you can set the limit accordingly.

3] Limit The Number Of Simultaneous Users On A Shared Folder Using Windows Terminal

Windows Terminal is the latest command line utility used to issue commands to execute specific features and make changes to the Windows system. Here’s how to use Windows Terminal to limit the number of simultaneous users on Windows Terminal:

• Right-click the Start icon and select Windows Terminal (Admin) from the menu.
• In the Windows Terminal, Paste the following command and hit enter:

net share sharename /users:number

(Replace “Sharename” with the shared folder path and “Number” with the number of users you want)

• The number of simultaneous users that the folder can accommodate will now change.

Conclusion:

Creating effective and optimized workgroups where all the important utilities are available for the members at one location is extremely important as it saves time and improves individual productivity and the team. We hope you found the article helpful. Please make sure you share it with everyone.

Can My Colleagues Access All Files On My Computer Through Shared Folders?

No, the files that can be accessed through a shared folder will only be the ones you put in. The access to files stored locally on your computer is still limited to you only.

Can Shared Folders Be Used To Share Files Outside The Workgroup?

No, a shared folder can only be used to share files within the workgroup based on your local network. You can use file sharing services or emails to share files outside your workgroup. Or, you may also use external storage devices like USB drives, external SSDs, HDDs, etc.