How to use Solid Explorer app to access SMB network shares from an Android device
There are many File Managers/File Explorers on the Google Play Store, but I wanted to easily access the Samba share on my server while on my home network. Solid Explorer is the solution I went with and it works well, so here is a quick guide to setting it up.
I used Android 12 Snow Cone when making the guide, the steps to make this work may be different if you’re using an older or newer version of Android. (But most likely will be the same or similar.)
Also, this guide assumes you already have an existing SMB share accessible in your home network. If you’re not sure how to set that up, see this blog post for instructions.
Connect Solid Explorer to SMB share
Make sure your Android Device is connected to the same network as the machine with the SMB share. Open the Solid Explorer app and tap the hamburger menu at the top-left to bring up the menu, then tap the 3-dots and choose Storage manager.
In Storage manager, tap the Plus (+) button to add a new connection. In the Network Connection Wizard, choose LAN / SMB and tap Next.
You should see any SMB shares in your network under server details, choose one and tap Next. Choose your authentication method and tap Next. (I suggest using Username and password unless you have properly configured the SMB share for guest access, otherwise you may experience permissions issues.)
If you chose Username and password authentication, you’ll be prompted for the login info. Enter it and tap Next. On the next screen, I always choose Yes to proceed to Advanced Settings. Tap Next.
For Protocol version choose the recommended SMB 2, then tap Next. You’ll get to review your settings, if everything is correct tap Next.
On the following screen, tap the big Connect button. If everything is properly configured, the button will turn green with a checkmark. Tap Finish.
You’ll see your server under Storage manager. Tap the back arrow (<-) to go back to the menu. You should see the SMB share among the options under Storages.
