net use Z: \\server\share /user:OtherDomain\jsmith /savecred You will be prompted for the password once. After that, any script or command using that same mapping will reuse the stored credential—useful for scheduled tasks, but a security consideration. Network paths with spaces require quotation marks. Drive letters do not:
net use Z: \\server\share /user:DOMAIN\username * The asterisk ( * ) tells Windows to prompt for a password without echoing it to the screen. For fully automated scripts (use with caution), you can include the password directly: map drive from command line
net use * /delete While net use works everywhere, PowerShell offers richer control and better integration with modern authentication, including Azure AD and certificate-based logins. New-PSDrive for Persistent Mappings PowerShell’s drive cmdlets are primarily for creating session-scoped PSDrives (like HKLM:\ for the registry). However, with the -Persist flag, you can create a standard Windows mapped drive: Drive letters do not: net use Z: \\server\share
New-PSDrive -Name "Z" -PSProvider FileSystem -Root "\\server\share" -Persist This creates a drive visible in File Explorer and across all applications—identical to net use Z: \\server\share . PowerShell handles credentials more securely using PSCredential objects: However, with the -Persist flag, you can create
net use \\server\share That’s right—you can net use a UNC path with no drive letter. It won’t appear as a drive, but it will be an authenticated, persistent connection that applications can still access via the full UNC path. Mastering net use and New-PSDrive turns drive mapping from a point-and-click chore into a scriptable, repeatable, and automatable operation. Whether you are deploying 200 workstations, maintaining a headless server, or simply tired of typing passwords into a dialog box, the command line offers speed, control, and depth that the GUI never will.
Next time you need to map a drive, don’t open File Explorer. Open Command Prompt or PowerShell—and feel the difference.
net use Z: \\server\share This maps the share \\server\share to drive letter Z: . If the share requires authentication, net use will prompt you for a username and password. But you can supply them inline for automation: