VPN Users Can't See Network Folders – 'File is not available on this computer' Error

Summary

If you're working remotely and connected through VPN, you may find that some network folders are missing or give an error. This article explains how to fix that issue.

Who This Article Is For

County employees working remotely using VPN who cannot access certain folders on network drives.

Symptoms

  • Some folders on mapped network drives (such as FDFS01) are missing or inaccessible.

  • You receive the error message: "This file is currently not available for use on this computer."

Cause

This issue is usually caused by the Offline Files feature in Windows. When enabled, your computer may store copies of network files for faster access when you're not connected. However, over VPN, this feature can interfere with seeing newer folders or updates from the network, causing files or folders to appear missing or unavailable.

How to Fix It

Steps you can try

  1. Disconnect and reconnect VPN: Sometimes a fresh VPN session resolves mapping and sync problems.

  2. Log off and log back in: This reinitializes your network drive mappings and may resolve missing folders.

  3. Disable Offline Files:
    - Open the Start menu and search for Control Panel.
    - In the Control Panel search box, type offline files and press Enter.
    - Under Sync Center, click Manage offline files.
    - Click Disable offline files and restart your computer when prompted.

Disable offline files

Need Help?

If you're not comfortable changing these settings or the steps don’t fix the problem, contact the IT Service Desk at 770-822-8915 for assistance.

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