Network drive (SMB)

Piktures can open the photos and videos on a network drive, such as a NAS or a computer that shares its folders, on your local Wi-Fi network. The drive must share its folders with the SMB protocol, also called Samba.

Before you start

• The phone must be on the same Wi-Fi network as the drive. Without Wi-Fi, you can neither add nor open a network drive.
• Each shared folder of the drive is a separate access. Your first access is free, whether it's a cloud or a network drive; the next ones need Premium or Prime.

Add a network drive

1. In the Storage tab, under ADD A NEW ACCESS, tap Network drive, then GET STARTED.
2. Scanning network lists the devices of your network that share folders with SMB. Tap yours. If it isn't listed, tap Do it manually and type its address in Host.
3. Type the Login and Password of the drive, and tap Sign in. To connect without an account, leave both fields empty. For a guest account, type Guest as the login. If you picked your drive in the list and Sign in stays greyed out, press the keyboard's send key.
4. In Please select a share drive, tap the shared folder to open.

The drive appears in the Storage tab, under HOME, with the name of the shared folder. Tap it to see its folders.

If the phone isn't on Wi-Fi, Piktures shows You do not seem to be on the same network and can't scan. If the login or the password is wrong, it shows Login failed.

Use your network drive

• Away from your Wi-Fi network, the drive can't be opened: Piktures shows Server not found….
• Videos play straight from the drive.
• An album can be displayed as a Grid or a List, but not as a Mosaic. Sort by offers every order except Date.
• The search only filters the open folder by type of file.
• To copy photos to the phone, select them, tap the move icon, and tap an album of the phone: the photos are copied into it. Photos from a network drive are always copied, never moved.
• To copy or move photos from the phone to the drive, select them, tap the move icon or ⋮ → Move or Copy, choose the network drive and a folder, then tap Move here or Copy here. See Copy and move between drives.
• Deleting a photo on the network drive deletes it for good: there's no trash.

Your network drive can also receive your backups: see Back up and restore your photos.

To remove the drive, see How to add a cloud. A short video shows the steps in More → How to → Network Drive (SMB).