Windows Explorer cannot access SharePoint until web login occurs

Question

I can open a SharePoint site in Windows Explorer by navigating to the site using Internet Explorer and clicking Library > Open with Explorer. Then, I can add the site to my Windows Explorer Favorites for easy access. I can access the site using Windows Explorer until I reboot my computer. After a reboot, clicking the Windows Explorer Favorite errors: "Windows cannot access [SharePoint directory]". If I reopen the site in Internet Explorer and click Library > Open with Explorer again, the Windows Explorer Favorite will work.

I followed the steps here to allow automatic login for Internet Explorer for the SharePoint site with no luck: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd572939(v=office.13).aspx

How can I use a Windows Explorer Favorite pointed at a SharePoint site without first having to open it using Internet Explorer?

Answer 1

The answer is you cannot, but you can get close. This is a well known problem that I have had to tackle for many years in my professional life, even with the most recent SharePoint revision within Office 365. In-order to use SharePoint via Windows Explorer the following needs to be true:

• Your Web Client Windows service needs to be started and the startup type should be set to automatic.
• The SharePoint site in question needs to be added to the trusted sites list within Internet Explorer.
• You need tick the box that says "Remember me" on the SharePoint logon page (if possible), this will usually mean that the SharePoint connection will hold for quite a while.
• You will still probably need to launch SharePoint via Internet Explorer to re-authenticate. If your password is remembered and you're kept signed in then the process is quite seamless.

There are 3rd party apps that will re-map your drives upon login using your SharePoint credentials, although I am yet to find one that is free. Another alternative is to use SharePoint workspace.