Fix Error This share requires the obsolete SMB1 protocol

SMB stands for Server Message Block, a network file-sharing protocol. It allows applications and computers to communicate and share files, printers, and various resources over a network.

Microsoft deprecated SMBv1 in 2014 and no longer installs it on Windows devices. It is not included by default, starting with Windows 10 Fall Creators Update and Windows Server 1709.

You might have stored crucial files on a file share or USB drive exclusively using SMBv1. When attempting to access the file share, you could encounter this error message:

Exact Error message and Screenshot:

You can’t connect to the file share because it’s not secure. This share requires the obsolete SMB1 protocol, which is unsafe and could expose your system to attack. Your system requires SMB2 or higher. For more info on resolving this issue, see: https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=852747

You may also find an error in the Windows event viewer SMB1 negotiate response received from the remote device when the local computer cannot negotiate SMB1.

You might encounter the following error message besides the one mentioned above. Here is a list of error messages:

• The specified network name is no longer available.
• Unspecified error 0x80004005
• System Error 64
• The specified server cannot perform the requested operation.
• Error 58

Reasons for Obsolete SMB1 Protocol Error

You’ve encountered this error because either you attempted to connect to a device that exclusively uses the SMBv1 protocol or a device that relies on SMBv1 tried to connect to a newer version of Windows, where SMBv1 isn’t enabled by default. This situation can trigger the error you’re seeing.

SMBv1 is known to have significant security vulnerabilities and is susceptible to various types of attacks. Microsoft strongly recommends using SMBv2 or SMBv3 protocol instead of SMBv1.

Note

How to Fix Obsolete SMB1 Protocol Error?

You can quickly resolve the error “You can’t connect to the file share because it’s not secure” by temporarily enabling SMBv1 on your Windows device to connect to the file share or USB drive to access the data.

However, it’s essential to disable SMBv1 on your Windows device promptly after backing up the data because it’s no longer needed and poses security risks.

You can enable SMBv1 using two methods. The first method provides a GUI-based approach for enabling SMBv1 on a Windows 10/11 device, while the second method involves using PowerShell cmdlets. Let’s explore both options:

Method 1: Enable SMBv1 on a Windows 10/11 device using GUI

To enable SMBv1 on your Windows 10/11 device, follow these steps:

• Press Windows + R together to open the Run dialog box.
• Type appwiz.cpl, Press Enter to open the Programs and Features window.

• On the Programs and Features window, find Turn Windows features on or off.

• Scroll down on the list of Features and select SMB 1.0/CIFS File Sharing Support.

• Click the OK button to enable the SMBv1 protocol on your device. Windows will then search for the required files and enable this protocol.
• Click on Restart now button and restart your device to complete this process.

Once SMBv1 has been enabled on your device, you can try to access the share once again. This time, you should be able to access the shared folder.

After you’ve copied your files or completed your work, it’s recommended to uncheck the “SMB 1.0/CIFS File Sharing Support” option to disable SMBv1.

Method 2: Enable SMBv1 on a Windows 10/11 device using Powershell

If you would like to use PowerShell to enable SMBv1, you may follow the below steps:

• Run the below PowerShell cmdlet to check the current status of the SMBv1 protocol on your computer. As you can see from the screenshot, SMBv1 is currently disabled on this computer.

Get-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName SMB1Protocol

Alternatively, you can also run the below command to get the SMBv1 Protocol status:

Get-SmbServerConfiguration | Select EnableSMB1Protocol

• You can enable SMBv1 on your device by running the PowerShell command below. Please note that you will be prompted to restart your computer to complete this operation. If you press Y and Enter, your device will be restarted immediately.

Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName SMB1Protocol

• Confirm if SMBv1 has been enabled on your device. Run the below command to confirm and look for the State parameter value, which should be set to Enabled.

Get-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName SMB1Protocol

• After you have enabled SMBv1, you can test to see if you can connect to the file share now. Once your work is done, you should disable SMBv1. You can use the below command to disable SMBv1 on a Windows device:

Disable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName SMB1Protocol

Please note that your system will restart Immediately after you type Y on the prompt and press Enter.

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