“System Error 53 has occurred. The network path was not found.” is a common and frustrating error when trying to access a Windows network share. Unlike “Access Denied” (Error 5), which means you’ve reached the server but were rejected, Error 53 means your computer cannot even find a route to the server.

This error almost always points to a problem with network connectivity or name resolution. This guide will walk you through the steps to diagnose and resolve this issue.

Understanding the Root Cause: Connectivity and Name Resolution

Error 53 occurs when your computer is unable to establish a network connection to the SMB (Server Message Block) share. The most common reasons for this are:

  1. Name Resolution Failure: Your computer cannot resolve the server’s hostname (e.g., s2) to an IP address.
  2. Network Path Blocked: A firewall on the client, server, or somewhere in between is blocking the SMB port (TCP 445).
  3. Server is Offline: The server is powered off or disconnected from the network.
  4. Client-Side Network Issues: The client machine has incorrect network settings or is not on the same network.

The Solution: A Step-by-Step Diagnostic Process

Follow these steps on the client machine to diagnose and fix the problem.

Step 1: Check Basic Network Connectivity with ping

The first step is to see if your client can reach the server at a basic network level. Open a Command Prompt or PowerShell and use the ping command.

ping s2
  • If you get a reply: This means name resolution is working and there is a network path to the server. The problem is likely a firewall blocking the SMB port. Proceed to Step 3.
  • If it fails: This indicates a problem with name resolution or a complete network block. Proceed to Step 2.

Step 2: Fix Name Resolution

If ping fails, your computer likely doesn’t know how to find s2.

Option A: Use the IP Address Directly

As a temporary test, try accessing the share using the server’s IP address instead of its hostname.

net view \\192.168.0.44
dir \\192.168.0.44\image\nms\job\update-MPS\zip

If this works, the problem is definitely DNS.

Option B: Add an Entry to the hosts File (Client-Side)

For a more permanent fix (without relying on DNS), you can manually map the hostname to its IP address in the hosts file on your client machine.

  1. Open Notepad (or your preferred text editor) as an Administrator.
  2. Open the hosts file located at: 
    C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts
  3. Add a new line at the bottom with the IP address and hostname of your server. 
    192.168.0.44    s2
  4. Save the file. No reboot is needed.

Now, try pinging the hostname again. It should succeed.

Step 3: Ensure the SMB Port (445) is Open

If ping works but you still get Error 53, a firewall is likely blocking the SMB port (TCP 445).

On the Server (s2):

Run the following PowerShell commands as an Administrator on the server to ensure the firewall allows SMB traffic.

# Enable the built-in "File and Printer Sharing" firewall group
Enable-NetFirewallRule -DisplayGroup "File and Printer Sharing"

# As a fallback, create a specific rule for the SMB port
New-NetFirewallRule -Name "Allow SMB-In" -Direction Inbound -Protocol TCP -LocalPort 445 -Action Allow -Profile Any

# Ensure the SMB server service is running and set to start automatically
Start-Service LanmanServer
Set-Service LanmanServer -StartupType Automatic

On the Client:

While less common, a firewall on the client machine could also be blocking outbound traffic on port 445. You can use Test-NetConnection to verify this.

Test-NetConnection -ComputerName s2 -Port 445

If TcpTestSucceeded is False, check the outbound rules on your client’s firewall.

Conclusion

“System Error 53: The network path was not found” is a network-level error that can be resolved by following a logical diagnostic process:

  1. Test connectivity with ping.
  2. If ping fails, fix name resolution using the IP address or the hosts file.
  3. If ping succeeds, check for firewalls blocking the SMB port (445) on both the client and the server.

By systematically working through these steps, you can quickly identify the root cause of Error 53 and restore access to your network shares.