Learning how to enable and disable the SMB1 and SMB2 protocol in Windows 10 is important, as it is a network file sharing protocol included.
How to ACTIVATE and DEACTIVATE the SMB1 and SMB2 Protocol in Windows 10
It provides the ability to read and write files and make other service requests to network devices.
Typically, you will use SMB to connect to non-Windows devices, such as a file-sharing-capable router, network-attached storage (NAS), or other computers running some version of Linux .
SMB1 and SMB2 protocol
Although they have previously released three main versions of the protocol, there is a high probability that there are still devices running the original version.
For example, version 1 (v1) of SMB, which can be insecure as well as old, and the version of Windows 10 no longer installs by default after the updates that were made in autumn and April of the year 2018.
However, if you have a network device that you can no longer access due to this problem, you can still temporarily enable the protocol to retrieve files .
In this Windows 10 guide, we will walk you through the steps to enable and disable the SMB1 and SMB2 protocol to regain access to files stored on the network.
How to temporarily enable the SMBv1 protocol in Windows 10
If you do not have direct access to the device running the SMB service, you can temporarily enable the SMBv1 protocol in order to retrieve your files by following these steps :
- Open Control Panel.
- Click on Programs.
- Click the Turn Windows features on or off link.
- Expand the option for SMB 1.0 / CIFS File Sharing Support.
- Check the SMB 1.0 / CIFS Client option.
- Click the OK button.
- Click the Restart Now button.
After completing these steps, you will be able to see and reconnect to network devices running the old protocol on your local network from your Windows 10 computer.
Of course, you should only use these steps as a temporary solution to regain access to your files stored on the network.
Ideally, if you keep your data on a drive connected to a router with NAS or file sharing capabilities.
It is best to contact the manufacturer of the device for specific instructions to update the device to a version compatible with SMBv2.02 or later.
If the manufacturer cannot provide an update, you should consider obtaining a network device that includes support for the more secure version of the network protocol.
After migrating your data off the network or updating software that supports the more secure version of the protocol, it is recommended that you disable SMBv1 on your computer.
Methods with PowerShell
Using the PowerShell program, you can enable and disable the SMB1 and SMB2 protocol in Windows 10. Sometimes, various users choose to replace the cmd command prompt with PowerShell in Windows.
If your computer has the Windows Server 2012 R2 and 2016 service, you must use these parameters that we will indicate below to deactivate or activate SMB v1.
- To deactivate:
Disable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName smb1protocol
- To enable:
Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName smb1protocol
To perform the same procedure of activating and deactivating the protocol but in the version of SMB v2 / v3 , you use these parameters again:
- To deactivate:
Set-SmbServerConfiguration -EnableSMB2Protocol $ false
- To enable:
Set-SmbServerConfiguration -EnableSMB2Protocol $ true
Server system
You can also enable and disable the SMB1 and SMB2 protocol in Windows 10 with server system .
In case you are using Windows Server 2012 R2 and Windows Server 2016 servers, you must use the following parameters for SMB v1.
- To deactivate:
Disable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName SMB1Protocol
- To enable:
Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName SMB1Protocol
Performing the same procedure but with the SMB v2 / v3 protocol, you must use these parameters:
- To deactivate:
Set-SmbServerConfiguration -EnableSMB2Protocol $ false
- To enable:
Set-SmbServerConfiguration -EnableSMB2Protocol $ true
You will copy and paste all these parameters into the PowerShell program , which will allow you to activate and deactivate the SMB1 AND SMB2 protocol in Windows 10.
