I keep forgetting how to reconnect my NAS folder in Windows Explorer. Every time, I end up asking an AI to walk me through it again. So this time I’m writing it down — for myself as much as anyone else.

And then today, the usual steps didn’t work. The folder was gone, and reconnecting it failed too, even though the laptop was on the same Wi-Fi as the NAS. That turned into a longer fix. I’ll cover both.

The Three Ways to Access a Synology NAS

There are three main ways to get into a Synology NAS like the DS224+.

1. Mobile app (Synology DS file) Download the Synology DS file app on your phone. Works from anywhere — same Wi-Fi, or remote if you’ve set up a Cloudflare Tunnel or QuickConnect.

2. Web browser (DSM) There are two ways depending on where you are.

On the same Wi-Fi (local): Open a browser and go to the NAS’s IP address, port 5000. For example: http://192.168.x.x:5000. Fast and direct.

From anywhere (remote): Synology’s QuickConnect is the built-in answer. You register a QuickConnect ID at account.synology.com, enable it in DSM under Control Panel → QuickConnect, and then access your NAS from any browser, anywhere, with:

https://quickconnect.to/your-id

No port forwarding. No static IP. Synology’s relay server handles the connection. It is slower than local access — the traffic goes through Synology’s servers — but it works from any network without any router configuration. For a home user who just needs occasional remote access, it is the simplest option.

3. Windows Explorer (mapped network drive) This is the one I use most for moving files. You get a folder in Explorer that works like any local folder. Same Wi-Fi required.

The rest of this post is about option 3 — how to set it up, and what to do when it breaks.

How to Find Your NAS IP Address

Before you can connect in Explorer, you need the NAS’s local IP address.

In DSM, go to Control Panel → Network → Network Interface. Expand the LAN port that’s currently connected (mine says LAN 1). The static IP address shown there is your NAS’s current address on the local network.

Mine looks like 192.168.x.x. Yours will be different, but it will usually start with 192.168..

Mapping the NAS as a Network Drive

  1. Open Windows Explorer
  2. Right-click This PC in the left sidebar
  3. Select Map network drive
  4. Choose a drive letter (any unused one — I use Z:)
  5. In the Folder field, enter: \\192.168.x.x\ followed by the shared folder name. For example: \\192.168.x.x\your-share
  6. Check Reconnect at sign-in if you want it to persist after restart
  7. Click Finish, enter your NAS username and password when prompted

If it works, the drive appears in Explorer under This PC, and you can drag files in and out like a local folder.

When the Folder Disappears — the Common Reason

The most common reason the mapped drive disappears: you switched Wi-Fi networks.

The NAS is on your home network. If your laptop connected to a different Wi-Fi — a mobile hotspot, a café, a different router at home — the NAS is no longer reachable, and the mapped drive shows an error or just disappears.

Fix: reconnect to the same Wi-Fi as the NAS, then right-click the drive in Explorer and select Disconnect, and map it again.

When It Still Doesn’t Work — What Happened to Me Today

Today was different. Both laptops were on the same home Wi-Fi. One connected to the NAS folder without any problem. The other couldn’t. I tried mapping the drive again, entered the credentials — and it still refused to connect.

I described the situation to an AI. I mentioned that the failing laptop was older and had had network issues before. The AI suggested the wireless network adapter driver might have become corrupted — not a hardware failure, just bad driver state. The fix: remove the driver and let Windows reinstall it clean.

Here is what I did:

  1. Right-click the Start button → Device Manager
  2. Expand Network Adapters
  3. Find the wireless adapter — mine was listed as Realtek Wireless LAN
  4. Right-click it → Uninstall device
  5. In the dialog, check Delete the driver software for this device if that option appears
  6. Click Uninstall
  7. Restart the laptop

After the restart, Windows found and reinstalled the Realtek driver automatically. I opened Explorer, and the NAS folder was there.

What I Learned

The NAS itself was fine the whole time. The other laptop was connecting without any problem. The issue was entirely on the failing laptop — a wireless driver that had quietly gone bad.

I would not have thought to look there. I assumed it was a network configuration problem or a credentials issue. The AI suggested the driver angle, and it turned out to be right.

If your NAS connection fails on one machine but works on another, and you’re on the same Wi-Fi, the device driver is worth checking before you spend a long time on network settings.

The NAS folder is back. I’m writing this down so next time I — or you — can skip the part where we spend an hour wondering what went wrong.