How to Create and Delete Hidden or Administrative Shares on Client Computers
(Microsoft KB314984 – Explained)

This document is an easier-to-read version of the Microsoft support article “How to create and delete hidden or administrative shares on client computers” (KB314984). It keeps the original steps and information, and then explains each part in plain language underneath.

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Article overview

Article ID: 314984

Last Review: July 5, 2006

Revision: 10.4

Applies to

• Microsoft Windows XP Professional
• Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition
• Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition
• Microsoft Windows XP 64‑Bit Edition
• Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional Edition
• Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 4.0 Developer Edition

Note: Windows XP Home Edition does not create hidden administrative shares by default.

What this is about (plain English)

This article explains a special type of network share in Windows called hidden or administrative shares. These are network-accessible folders that:

• Don’t show up in normal lists of shared folders.
• Are mainly for administrators, services, and some programs.
• Often end with a $, for example C$ or ADMIN$.

You’ll see how to:

• Create your own hidden share.
• Delete a hidden share.
• Understand the built‑in administrative shares that Windows makes automatically.

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Introduction

Original text

This step-by-step article describes how to create and delete hidden or administrative shares on Microsoft Windows XP Professional-based, Windows 2000 Professional-based, and Windows NT 4.0 Workstation-based computers.

Explanation

Windows can share folders over the network. Some of these shares are “normal” and visible to users; others are “hidden” and mostly meant for system administration. This introduction is just saying that the article will walk you through creating and deleting those hidden shares.

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More information

Original text

A hidden share is identified by a dollar sign ($) at the end of the share name. Hidden shares are not listed when you look through the shares on a computer or use the net view command.

The versions of Windows that are listed in the “Applies to” section create hidden administrative shares that administrators, programs, and services can use to manage the computer environment on the network.

By default, Windows can enable the following hidden administrative shares:

• Root partitions or volumes
• The system root folder
• The FAX$ share
• The IPC$ share
• The PRINT$ share

Root partitions and volumes are shared as the drive letter name appended with the $ sign. For example, drive letters C and D are shared as C$ and D$.

The system root folder (%SYSTEMROOT%) is shared as ADMIN$. This is your Windows folder, and the administrative share provides administrators easy access to the system root folder hierarchy over the network.

The FAX$ share is used by fax clients to send a fax. This shared folder caches files and accesses cover pages that are stored on a file server.

The IPC$ share is used with temporary connections between clients and servers by using named pipes for communication among network programs. It is primarily used to remotely administer network servers.

The PRINT$ share is used to remotely administer printers.

Hidden administrative shares that are created by the computer (such as ADMIN$ and C$) can be deleted, but the computer re-creates them after you stop and restart the Server service or restart your computer.

Hidden shares that are created by users can be deleted, and they are not re-created after you restart your computer.

Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition does not create hidden administrative shares.

Explanation

What is a hidden share?

A hidden share is just a normal shared folder whose name ends with a $. For example, Stuff is a normal share; Stuff$ is a hidden share. It doesn’t mean it’s more secure by itself; it just doesn’t show up in normal browse lists or in the output of the net view command.

What are administrative shares?

Windows automatically creates some hidden shares for system use. These are mainly for administrators and services to manage the machine remotely. Common ones:

• Drive shares: C$, D$, etc. give access to the entire drive.
• System folder: ADMIN$ points to the Windows folder (like C:\Windows).
• FAX$: used by fax features to store and access fax-related files.
• IPC$: used for “Inter-Process Communication” – basically a channel for remote management and authentication.
• PRINT$: used to manage printer drivers and printer-related files over the network.

What happens if I delete them?

You can delete built‑in shares like C$ or ADMIN$, but:

• Windows will recreate them automatically when you restart the Server service or reboot the computer.
• Some services and backup tools depend on these shares to work properly.

If you create a hidden share (for example, a folder named Data$), Windows will not recreate that after a reboot; if you delete it, it stays gone.

XP Home Edition note

Windows XP Home is different: it doesn’t create these administrative hidden shares by default. The behavior described here mostly applies to XP Professional, 2000 Pro, and NT Workstation.

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How to create a hidden share

Original steps

1. In Control Panel, double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Computer Management.
2. Expand Shared Folders, right-click Shares, and then click New File Share.
3. In the Folder to share box, type the path of the folder that you want to share, or click Browse to locate the folder.
4. Type the share name that you want to use followed by a dollar sign, and then click Next.
5. To make the share accessible to administrators only, select the Administrators have full control; other users have no access check box, and then click Finish.
6. Click Yes to create another share, or click No to return to the Computer Management console.

Explanation with extra detail

Before you start

You normally need to be an administrator (or have similar permissions) on the local machine to create shares, especially if you want an admin-only hidden share.

Step-by-step in simple terms

1. Open Computer Management:
   Go to Control Panel → Administrative Tools → Computer Management.
   (In some views of Control Panel, Administrative Tools might be under “System and Security”.)
2. Open the Shares list:
   In the left pane, expand Shared Folders, then click Shares. You’ll see existing shares in the center pane.
3. Start the “New Share” wizard:
   Right‑click Shares and choose New File Share. This starts the wizard to create a new share.
4. Choose which folder to share:
   In Folder to share, either:
   • Type the full path (for example, C:\Data\Projects), or
   • Click Browse and find the folder.
5. Give the share a name ending in $:
   When asked for the share name, type something like Projects$ instead of just Projects. That $ at the end is what makes it hidden.
6. Limit access to administrators (optional but common):
   To keep this share for admins only, check:
   “Administrators have full control; other users have no access”. This means only members of the local Administrators group can reach it.
7. Finish up:
   Click Finish. If you want to create more shares, click Yes when prompted; otherwise choose No.

How someone connects to the hidden share

Even though the share is hidden, someone who knows its name and has permission can still connect to it by typing the full UNC path, such as:

\\COMPUTERNAME\Projects$

It just won’t show up when they browse the network or run net view \\COMPUTERNAME.

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How to delete a hidden share

Original steps

1. In Control Panel, double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Computer Management.
2. Expand Shared Folders, and then click Shares.
3. In the Shared Folder column, right-click the share that you want to delete, click Stop sharing, and then click OK.

Explanation with extra detail

1. Open Computer Management again:
   Go to Control Panel → Administrative Tools → Computer Management.
2. Go to the list of shares:
   In the left pane, expand Shared Folders, then click Shares. The center pane shows all current shares, including hidden ones like Projects$.
3. Stop sharing:
   In the list, find the share name you want to remove (for example, Projects$), right‑click it, choose Stop Sharing, and confirm with OK.

Important behavior

• If it’s a share you created (for example, Projects$), it will stay gone and will not reappear after a reboot.
• If it’s a built‑in administrative share (like C$, ADMIN$, etc.), Windows will recreate it the next time the Server service or the computer restarts.

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Troubleshooting and cautions

Original text

Test the functionality of your programs and services after you disable the default administrative shares. Some Windows services depend on the existence of these shares. Additionally, some third-party programs may require that some of the administrative shares exist. For example, some backup programs may require these shares.

Explanation

If you remove or disable the default administrative shares, you must be prepared for things to break. Many services and applications assume that those shares exist.

• Windows services: Some built‑in services use C$, ADMIN$, or IPC$ to work correctly, especially for remote management.
• Backup and management tools: Many backup programs use administrative shares to access files on remote computers. Removing the shares can stop backups from running as expected.

So if you do disable these shares, always test:

• Can you still back up the machine remotely?
• Can administrators still manage the machine as they need to?
• Are any applications or scripts failing unexpectedly?

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Quick summary in plain language

• Hidden share: A normal share whose name ends in $, not visible in normal browse lists.
• Administrative shares: Special hidden shares that Windows creates automatically (like C$ and ADMIN$) for remote administration and system tasks.
• Create a hidden share: Use Computer Management → Shared Folders → Shares → New File Share, and give the share name a trailing $.
• Delete a hidden share: In the same Shares list, right‑click it and choose Stop sharing.
• Built‑in shares come back: If you remove built‑in shares like C$, Windows will recreate them after a restart; user-created ones stay removed.
• Be careful: Some services and backup tools depend on these shares, so always test after disabling them.