How to map network shared drive when server is NOT network joined.

Yes. For Azure AD–joined devices managed by Intune, a non-domain-joined file server can still be mapped as a network drive by using a common local account on the server and deploying a script or configuration via Intune.

Key points and options:

1. Basic requirement

• The file server must expose an SMB share and be reachable over the network (IP or DNS name).
• A local account on the server (for example, filesvc) with permissions on the share will be used by all 8 users.

2. Map the share with net use and explicit credentials Use a script that runs in the user context on each Azure AD–joined device, for example:

net use Z: \\FILESERVER\ShareName /user:FILESERVER\filesvc P@ssw0rd /persistent:yes

Notes:

• FILESERVER is the server’s NetBIOS name or IP.
• filesvc is a local account on the server.
• /persistent:yes reconnects at logon.

3. Deploy via Intune (PowerShell script)

• Create a PowerShell script in Intune that runs in the user context and calls net use:

$driveLetter = 'Z:'
$sharePath   = '\\FILESERVER\ShareName'
$username    = 'FILESERVER\filesvc'
$password    = 'P@ssw0rd'

# Remove existing mapping if present
if (Get-PSDrive -Name $driveLetter.TrimEnd(':') -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue) {
    net use $driveLetter /delete /y
}

net use $driveLetter $sharePath /user:$username $password /persistent:yes

• Assign the script to the Azure AD user group that contains the 8 users.

4. Alternative: Map without a fixed drive letter Some apps work better with UNC paths. You can also map without a fixed letter:

net use * \\FILESERVER\ShareName /user:FILESERVER\filesvc P@ssw0rd

5. Security considerations

• A single shared credential is simple but less secure and not auditable per user.
• Store credentials securely (for example, using Intune’s script obfuscation and limiting script assignment only to the required users). Avoid hard-coding passwords in scripts where possible.

6. If the server were Azure Files instead of a physical file server

• Azure Files supports mapping via net use from Azure AD–joined devices using identity-based authentication or storage account keys. The same net use approach applies, but the UNC path would be:

net use Z: \\<YourStorageAccountName>.file.core.windows.net\<FileShareName>

with credentials as described in the Azure Files documentation.

References:

• Mount SMB Azure file share on Windows
• Cloud-native endpoints and on-premises resources