Browse an UNC path using Windows CMD without mapping it to a network drive

If you use pushd and popd instead of cd you won't get that UNC error.

pushd <UNC path> will create a temporary virtual drive and get into it.
popd will delete the temporary drive and get you back to the path you were when you entered pushd.

Example:

C:\a\local\path> pushd \\network_host\a\network\path

U:\a\network\path> REM a temporary U: virtual drive has been created

U:\a\network\path> popd

C:\a\local\path> REM the U: drive has been deleted

C:\a\local\path>

I use Git Bash to do this, since I already have it installed. As an added bonus, it also has better colors, lets me use ls, rm, etc., and uses the correct slash for paths.

Kliu's "ContextConsole Shell Extension" (aka Open Command Prompt) says it, "can even open directories from network paths (UNC paths)" (from an Explorer window).

http://code.kliu.org/cmdopen/

I also hit the UNC problem with C:\> cd \\somewhere in a C program. Found this page and learnt about the net command: net use x: \\computer name\share name and used it successfully! Thanks to all who post their experiences for others to learn from. :-)

If you're using XP you can have a look at this site https://web.archive.org/web/20150518102450/https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/156276

(In case the link breaks again: Under Software\Microsoft\Command Processor: add a DWORD value called DisableUNCCheck if it doesn’t already exist and set it to 1.)

There is a registry value that you need to add, log out, log in again ... and now your cmd.exe does support UNC-Paths. It seems to me that you still can't cd to the path, but you can use it in other commands like dir, copy ...

An alternative might be using the pushd command, that will let you switch to the share (i guess by assigning it a temporary drive letter) https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administration/windows-commands/pushd