How to Map Network Drives in Microsoft Intune Using Custom ADMX Files

First, you need to obtain four specific files: windows.admx, windows.adml, drivemapping.admx, and drivemapping.adml. The Windows files are available on any domain controller or Windows installation.

Navigate to your domain controller and copy the files from:

C:\Windows\PolicyDefinitions\windows.admx
C:\Windows\PolicyDefinitions\en-US\windows.adml

For the drive mapping files, download them from the GitHub repository referenced in Microsoft's Learn documentation. These files contain the specific policy definitions needed for network drive mapping.

Create a dedicated folder on your workstation to organize these files:

mkdir C:\ADMX-Files
# Copy all four files to this location

Open your web browser and navigate to the Microsoft Intune Admin Center. This is where you'll manage all device configurations and policies.

https://intune.microsoft.com

Sign in with your administrator credentials. Once authenticated, you'll see the main Intune dashboard.

Navigate to the ADMX import section by following this path:

1. Click Devices in the left navigation pane
2. Under the Configuration section, click Import ADMX
3. You'll see the Import ADMX templates page

This section shows any previously imported ADMX files and their status. If this is your first time, the list will be empty.

The import order is crucial because drivemapping.admx depends on windows.admx. Import the Windows base files first to avoid namespace errors.

Click the + Import button and follow these steps:

1. Select windows.admx from your prepared files
2. Click Upload
3. Wait for the "Success" status to appear
4. Click + Import again
5. Select windows.adml
6. Click Upload
7. Confirm "Success" status

The import process typically takes 30-60 seconds per file. Don't proceed until you see the success confirmation.

Monitor the import status in the ADMX list. Both files should show:

Status: Success
Imported: [Current date/time]
Namespace: Microsoft.Policies.Windows

Now that the Windows base templates are imported, you can safely import the drive mapping specific files.

Continue with the drive mapping files:

1. Click + Import
2. Select drivemapping.admx
3. Click Upload
4. Wait for "Success" status
5. Click + Import again
6. Select drivemapping.adml
7. Click Upload
8. Confirm "Success" status

After successful import, you should see all four files listed with success status. The drive mapping namespace will be different from the Windows namespace:

drivemapping.admx - Status: Success
drivemapping.adml - Status: Success
Namespace: Microsoft.Policies.DriveMapping

With the ADMX files imported, create a configuration profile that will deploy drive mappings to your devices.

Navigate to the configuration profiles section:

1. Go to Devices > Windows > Configuration profiles
2. Click + Create profile
3. Select these options:
   • Platform: Windows 10 and later
   • Profile type: Templates
   • Template name: Imported Administrative templates (Preview)
4. Click Create

Configure the basic profile information:

Name: Network Drive Mapping - Department Shares
Description: Maps H: drive to department shared folders for all users

This creates the framework for your drive mapping policy. The "Imported Administrative templates" option specifically uses your uploaded ADMX files.

Click Next to proceed to the configuration settings.

Now configure the actual drive mapping settings using the imported ADMX templates.

In the Configuration settings section:

1. Switch to User Configuration in the left sidebar (not Computer Configuration)
2. Expand the policy tree to find Network Drive Mapping
3. Select your desired drive letter (e.g., "Map H: drive")
4. Click Enable

Configure these specific settings:

Drive Letter: H:
UNC Path: \\fileserver01\departments\marketing
Reconnect: Enabled
Label: Department Shared Files

The UNC path format is critical. Use this syntax:

\\[servername]\[sharename]\[optional-subfolder]

Examples:
\\fs01\shared
\\fileserver.domain.com\departments\hr
\\10.1.1.100\public

Additional configuration options:

• Hide/Show drive: Controls visibility in File Explorer
• Persistent connection: Maintains mapping across reboots
• Use different credentials: Prompts for alternate authentication

Configure which devices or users will receive the drive mapping policy through group assignments.

In the Assignments section:

1. Click the Assignments tab
2. Under "Included groups," click + Add groups
3. Select your target groups (device groups or user groups)
4. Configure assignment options if needed

Common assignment strategies:

Device-based: Assign to device groups
- All-Windows-Devices
- Department-Laptops
- Marketing-Workstations

User-based: Assign to user groups
- Marketing-Users
- Finance-Department
- All-Company-Users

For testing, start with a pilot group:

Group Name: Pilot-DriveMapping-Test
Members: 5-10 test devices or users
Purpose: Validate policy before full deployment

Review your configuration:

1. Click Review + create
2. Verify all settings are correct
3. Click Create to deploy the policy

After deploying the policy, monitor its application and verify it's working correctly on target devices.

Check policy status in Intune:

1. Navigate to your created profile
2. Click Device status tab
3. Monitor deployment progress

Policy sync can take time. Force immediate sync on a test device:

# On target Windows device
# Go to Settings > Accounts > Access work or school
# Click your organization account > Info > Sync

Verify policy application in the Windows registry on target devices:

# Check ADMX policy installation
Get-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\PolicyManager\AdmxInstalled"

# Check applied policies
Get-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\PolicyManager\Current\*" | Where-Object {$_.PSChildName -like "*Drive*"}

Look for registry entries containing your UNC path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\PolicyManager\Current\[SID]\User\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Map Network Drive MRU

Address common problems that occur with ADMX-based drive mapping and verify everything works correctly.

Issue 1: "Not Applicable" Status

This often occurs with multisession environments like Azure Virtual Desktop:

# Check device enrollment status
dsregcmd /status

# Look for:
# AzureAdJoined : YES
# DomainJoined : NO (for pure cloud scenarios)

Issue 2: Namespace Errors

If you see namespace errors, reimport ADMX files in correct order:

1. Delete all imported ADMX files
2. Import windows.admx first
3. Import windows.adml
4. Import drivemapping.admx
5. Import drivemapping.adml

Issue 3: Drive Not Reconnecting

Check persistent connection settings and test manually:

# Test UNC path accessibility
net use H: \\fileserver01\departments\marketing /persistent:yes

# Verify connection
net use

# Remove test mapping
net use H: /delete

Final Verification Steps:

1. Log into a target device as a test user
2. Open File Explorer
3. Verify the mapped drive appears with correct label
4. Navigate to the drive and test file access
5. Reboot the device and confirm drive reconnects