Why does my NAS say "network path was not found"?

"The network path was not found" (error 0x80070035) is a catch-all Windows shows for several distinct problems. Work through them from most to least common on a modern PC.

1. Security policy refused the connection

On Windows 11, the usual cause is that Windows reached the NAS but declined the connection — blocked unauthenticated guest access, or an SMB signing mismatch. Microsoft lists 0x80070035 among the errors seen when guest access is blocked. Fix: connect with a real NAS username and password, and enable SMB signing on the NAS.

2. SMB1 vs SMB2/3

If the NAS only offers the obsolete SMB1 protocol, Windows 11 (which ships without SMB1) can't connect. Enable SMB2/SMB3 on the NAS.

3. Name resolution or discovery

• Try the NAS hostname (\\DiskStation) and, as a diagnostic only, its IP.
• Turn on network discovery and start the Function Discovery services (see the File Explorer network question).
• Confirm the NAS and PC are on the same subnet.

What not to do

Don't disable the firewall or SMB signing as a shortcut. The secure path is a valid account plus SMB2/3 with signing on the NAS. And whatever the connection problem, keep the data behind the share backed up.