Mapping network drives using Group Policy Preferences (GPP) allows administrators to centrally configure and distribute network shares to specific users across an Active Directory domain. Because drive mapping is a user-specific task, it is configured within the User Configuration portion of a Group Policy Object (GPO).
For a complete visual walkthrough of the GPO creation and configuration process, watch this step-by-step tutorial: Step 1: Create a New Group Policy Object (GPO)
Open the Group Policy Management Console (gpmc.msc) on your domain controller.
Navigate to your domain and locate the Group Policy Objects folder. Right-click the folder and select New.
Name the GPO descriptively (e.g., GPP - Network Drive Mapping) and click OK. Step 2: Navigate to Drive Maps Settings
Right-click your newly created GPO and choose Edit to open the Group Policy Management Editor. In the left pane, expand the folders using this exact path:
User Configuration → Preferences → Windows Settings → Drive Maps.
Right-click Drive Maps (or right-click blank space in the right pane) and select New → Mapped Drive. Step 3: Configure the General Tab Properties
On the General tab of the New Drive Properties window, input the following foundational settings: Action: Choose the behavior of the mapping policy: Create: Establishes a new drive mapping for the user.
Replace: Deletes the existing drive letter mapping and recreates it with these new settings.
Update: Modifies settings of an existing drive mapping without deleting it (Most common choice). Delete: Removes an existing drive mapping.
Location: Enter the full UNC path of the shared network folder (e.g., \ServerName\ShareName).
Reconnect: Check this box to make the drive mapping persistent so it automatically reconnects at every user logon.
Label as: Type a user-friendly name that will display in File Explorer (e.g., Sales Share).
Drive Letter: Click Use and select a specific letter from the drop-down menu (e.g., S:). Step 4: Configure the Common Tab & Item-Level Targeting
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