AnExplorer connects your Android device to Windows file shares, NAS drives, Samba servers, and macOS-shared folders over your local network using the SMB protocol.
What SMB Connects To
| Device | How It Shares | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Windows 10/11 PC | Right-click folder → Share | Built-in, no extra software |
| macOS | System Settings → Sharing → File Sharing | Uses SMB by default since macOS 10.9 |
| Synology NAS | SMB enabled in Control Panel | SMBv2/v3 supported |
| QNAP NAS | Network & File Services → SMB | Autodiscoverable |
| TrueNAS / FreeNAS | Services → SMB | Full ACL support |
| Raspberry Pi + Samba | smb.conf share defined | SSH-configurable |
| Western Digital My Cloud | Built-in SMB | Auto-discovered |
| Router USB share | Check router settings | Many support SMB |
Auto-Discovery
AnExplorer scans the local network using NetBIOS / mDNS and lists all visible SMB hosts automatically. Tap a host, enter credentials if required, and browse.
Manual Connection
Tap + Add Storage → SMB/Windows Share:
- Server: IP address or hostname
- Share name: the shared folder name (
Documents,Media) - Username / password: blank for guest access
- Domain: optional, for Active Directory / corporate environments (use
DOMAIN\usernameformat) - SMB Version: Auto (recommended), SMBv2, or SMBv3
Full File Operations
All standard file operations work over SMB at full network speed:
- Browse directory trees with sub-second response
- Upload from phone to NAS — progress bar, background-capable
- Download from NAS to phone or directly to SD card
- Rename, delete, create folders
- Cross-protocol: Copy from SMB NAS directly to an FTP server — no phone intermediate
- Cast from NAS: Browse an SMB share → Cast to TV without downloading first
Transfer Speed
Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac): 30–80 MB/s to a Gigabit NAS. Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax): up to 100+ MB/s. A 10 GB video backup takes under 5 minutes on a good home network.
Saved Bookmarks
Every added SMB share is saved with encrypted credentials. Reconnect in one tap from the sidebar — no re-entering credentials on each use.
Use Cases
| Scenario | Flow |
|---|---|
| Photos → NAS | Phone → SMB share → paste into NAS/Photo folder |
| Stream movie from NAS | Open SMB share → tap MKV → plays in built-in player |
| Download work files to phone | Browse SMB share → copy to Downloads |
| NAS → NAS via phone | Copy from NAS1 over phone to NAS2 (SMB → SMB) |
Related Features
For FTP/SFTP connections, use FTP Client. For Nextcloud/WebDAV, use Network Storage. For cloud Providers, use Cloud Storage.