Fix SMB Network Folder Refresh Issues – Windows 10/11 Server 2026

This method disables SMB metadata caching on the client side to force immediate folder refresh.

1. Open PowerShell as Administrator by right-clicking Start button and selecting Windows PowerShell (Admin)
2. Check current SMB caching settings:

   Get-SmbClientConfiguration | Select-Object DirectoryCacheLifetime, FileInfoCacheLifetime, FileNotFoundCacheLifetime

3. Note the current values (default is usually 10 seconds for DirectoryCacheLifetime)
4. Disable directory and file info caching:

   Set-SmbClientConfiguration -DirectoryCacheLifetime 0 -FileInfoCacheLifetime 0 -Confirm:$false

5. Restart the SMB client service to apply changes:

   Restart-Service -Name lanmanworkstation -Force

6. Verify the changes took effect:

   Get-SmbClientConfiguration | Select-Object DirectoryCacheLifetime, FileInfoCacheLifetime

Configure the server-side shared folder to prevent client-side offline caching.

1. On the file server, open Server Manager → File and Storage Services → Shares
2. Right-click the problematic shared folder and select Properties
3. Click the Settings tab, then Advanced button
4. In the Advanced Sharing dialog, click Caching button
5. Change caching mode to No files or programs from the shared folder are available offline
6. Click OK to apply changes
7. Alternatively, use PowerShell on the server:

   Set-SmbShare -Name "YourShareName" -CachingMode None

8. Verify the setting:

   Get-SmbShare -Name "YourShareName" | Format-List CachingMode

Disable the Windows Offline Files feature system-wide on client computers.

1. Open Control Panel → Sync Center
2. Click Manage offline files in the left panel
3. In the Offline Files dialog, click Disable offline files
4. Click OK and restart the computer when prompted
5. For domain environments, use Group Policy:
   • Open Group Policy Management Console
   • Navigate to Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → Network → Offline Files
   • Enable Allow or Disallow use of the Offline Files feature and set to Disabled
6. Alternatively, disable via registry:

   Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\CSC" -Name "Start" -Value 4

7. Restart the computer to apply registry changes

Manually configure SMB caching parameters through registry modification for fine-tuned control.

1. Open Registry Editor by pressing Win + R, typing regedit, and pressing Enter
2. Navigate to HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\lanmanserver\parameters
3. Create or modify the following DWORD values:
   • DirectoryCacheLifetime: Set to 0 (disables directory caching)
   • FileInfoCacheLifetime: Set to 0 (disables file info caching)
   • FileNotFoundCacheLifetime: Set to 0 (disables negative caching)
4. Right-click in the right panel → New → DWORD (32-bit) Value
5. Enter the parameter name and set the value to 0
6. Repeat for all three parameters
7. Close Registry Editor and restart the computer
8. Verify settings using PowerShell:

   Get-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\lanmanserver\parameters" | Select-Object DirectoryCacheLifetime, FileInfoCacheLifetime

Optimize SMB protocol settings and ensure proper version compatibility for better refresh performance.

1. Check current SMB protocol versions in use:

   Get-SmbConnection | Select-Object ServerName, Dialect, Encrypted

2. Verify SMB client configuration:

   Get-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName SMB1Protocol

3. Disable SMB1 if still enabled (security risk):

   Disable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName SMB1Protocol -NoRestart

4. Configure advanced SMB client settings:

   Set-SmbClientConfiguration -RequireSecuritySignature $true -EnableSecuritySignature $true -Confirm:$false

5. Set optimal buffer sizes for network performance:

   Set-SmbClientConfiguration -FileInfoCacheEntriesMax 0 -DirectoryCacheEntriesMax 0 -Confirm:$false

6. Restart SMB services to apply all changes:

   Restart-Service -Name lanmanworkstation, lanmanserver -Force

7. Test connectivity and verify SMB version:

   Test-NetConnection -ComputerName "YourFileServer" -Port 445