set SHARE=\\fileserver\dept
set DRIVE=M:
net use %DRIVE% %SHARE% /persistent:yes
Don’t teach users to map manually. Deploy a CMD script via Group Policy:
User Configuration > Policies > Windows Settings > Scripts (Logon/Logoff)
For decades, mapping a network drive in Windows has been a graphical affair: open File Explorer, right-click "This PC," select "Map network drive," choose a letter, type a path, and enter credentials. This point-and-click method is adequate for a one-off task. However, for IT professionals, power users, or anyone managing multiple connections, this GUI workflow is slow, error-prone, and non-repeatable. The command line—specifically net use in CMD and its more powerful successors in PowerShell—offers a fundamentally better way. "Better" here means faster, scriptable, persistent, resilient, and auditable. cmd map network drive better
Use IF statements with the net user command: Don’t teach users to map manually
net user %username% /domain | find "SalesGroup"
if %errorlevel%==0 net use S: \\server\sales /persistent:yes