October 11, 2024

When using multiple Windows systems on single home network / SOHO (small office home office), it can be useful to get a list of all the files opened on a remote computer.

Say if a shared folder with files on computer A whether is being used somewhere by someone on computers B, C etc or not, this can be checked with a single command from the computer which is sharing them on the network.

Here is a very quick way to do this :

1. Open command prompt with administrator credentials ( Programs > Accessories > Command Prompt, right click and select run as Administrator).

2. Type “openfiles” (no quotes).

What this displays is  files or folders that are stored on local machine are whether in use somewhere on the network on some other computer or not.

In the above example, the system where the command was run was hosting a shared folder locally and that was in use on remote system.

This is a useful way to check when sharing files and folders temporarily or one off basis, ideally if you have a small home / office network with critical documents and folders that need to be available all the time, a file server would be a reliable choice as it can be easily identified and is always available.

Cheers.

By admin

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