A file server can be reachable even when Ubuntu's network browsing list does not display it. If the server owner has supplied a working SMB share address and authorised your account, connect to that specific location rather than changing discovery settings across the network.

Obtain the complete share address

Confirm the server name and exported share name with its administrator. Ubuntu documents the form smb://servername/Share. The share name is the published network entry, which may differ from the server's internal folder path. Replace the example values with the supplied address.

Open Files, choose Other Locations and enter the address under Connect to Server. Select Connect. If authentication is required, use the authorised remote account and the domain or workgroup details requested by that server. Your Ubuntu desktop password is not automatically the password for a separate NAS account.

Do not place the password inside a copied address or support screenshot. If the prompt or server identity is unexpected, verify the destination with the administrator before entering credentials. A connection failure should be recorded with its exact stage: server unreachable, authentication rejected or folder access refused.

Verify the remote working location

Once the share opens, check a recognisable harmless file or folder that the owner expects you to see. Confirm that you are in the intended share rather than another server with a similar name. Reading the root of a share does not establish permission to edit every subfolder.

If the workflow requires writing, use an agreed disposable test file in a permitted folder and reopen it through the share. Keep a local working copy and a remote copy clearly distinguished; a sidebar entry is a convenient route to the server, not an offline backup.

Finish by documenting the verified URL and required account context without its secret. If direct connection works while discovery remains absent, report that distinction. It narrows the remaining issue without treating a hidden browsing entry as proof that the server or its data has disappeared.

Sources: Ubuntu documentation.