How to Check SMB QoS Flow Scope in Windows 11

Learn how to check SMB QoS Flow Scope in Windows 11 using PowerShell and inspect File, Share, User, Session, and None settings.

If you manage SMB file sharing on Windows 11 or troubleshoot network performance, you may eventually encounter Quality of Service (QoS) settings associated with an SMB share. Windows provides the QoSFlowScope property to define how a QoS policy is applied to SMB traffic.

The SMB QoS flow scope determines what Windows treats as an individual traffic flow when applying a Quality of Service policy. Depending on the configuration, the scope can be based on a file operation, an SMB share connection, a user connection, or an SMB session.

In this guide, you will learn how to check SMB QoS Flow Scope in Windows 11 using PowerShell, identify the current setting, check the associated QoS policy ID, filter shares by scope, export the configuration, and understand how QoS settings relate to other SMB properties.

What Is SMB QoS Flow Scope?

Quality of Service, commonly called QoS, is used to control or prioritize network traffic according to defined policies. For SMB file sharing, QoS can be applied at different levels depending on the configured flow scope.

The QoSFlowScope property is part of the SMB share configuration exposed by the SmbShare PowerShell module.

Microsoft documents four accepted SMB QoS flow scopes:

• File — QoS is applied to file operations, with each file handle treated as a flow.
• Share — QoS is applied to SMB share connections, with each connection treated as a flow.
• User — QoS is applied to each user connection.
• Session — QoS is applied to each SMB session.

The default value documented by Microsoft is None, which means a specific SMB QoS flow scope is not configured for the share.

Why Check SMB QoS Flow Scope?

Most home and basic Windows 11 computers do not require specialized SMB QoS configuration. However, checking the setting can be useful when diagnosing network performance problems or documenting an advanced SMB environment.

• Determine whether an SMB share has a QoS flow scope configured.
• Identify the level at which SMB traffic is being classified.
• Check whether a QoS policy ID is associated with the share.
• Investigate inconsistent SMB network performance.
• Document advanced file-server configurations.
• Compare QoS configuration between multiple SMB shares.
• Verify configuration before troubleshooting network bandwidth problems.

QoS flow scope should not be confused with SMB encryption, SMB signing, compression, leasing, or share permissions. It is primarily related to how QoS policies are applied to SMB traffic.

Open PowerShell in Windows 11

You can inspect SMB share properties from PowerShell. For server-side configuration and administrative operations, opening PowerShell with administrator privileges is recommended.

1. Press Windows + X.
2. Select Terminal (Admin) or PowerShell (Admin).
3. Approve the User Account Control prompt if Windows asks for confirmation.

Once PowerShell is open, you can use the Get-SmbShare cmdlet to retrieve SMB share objects.

Check SMB QoS Flow Scope

The simplest way to inspect SMB shares is:

Get-SmbShare

However, the default output does not necessarily display every available property. To specifically inspect QoS flow scope, use:

Get-SmbShare | Select-Object Name, Path, QoSFlowScope

Example output:

Name        Path                 QoSFlowScope
----        ----                 -----------
Documents   C:\Shares\Documents  None
Projects    D:\Shares\Projects   Share
Finance     D:\Shares\Finance    User

The exact result depends on how the SMB shares are configured on the computer.

Check One SMB Share

If you only want to inspect one share, specify its name:

Get-SmbShare -Name "Projects" |
Select-Object Name, Path, QoSFlowScope

This produces a smaller result that is easier to read when a computer contains many SMB shares.

You can also include the QoS policy identifier:

Get-SmbShare -Name "Projects" |
Select-Object Name, Path, QoSFlowScope, QoSPolicyId

This lets you see both the flow scope and the policy ID associated with the share.

Check QoS Flow Scope With All Share Properties

When troubleshooting an unfamiliar configuration, it can be useful to display all properties of a specific SMB share.

Get-SmbShare -Name "Projects" | Format-List *

The output may contain properties such as:

• Name
• Path
• ShareState
• AvailabilityType
• ContinuouslyAvailable
• CachingMode
• LeasingMode
• FolderEnumerationMode
• ConcurrentUserLimit
• EncryptData
• CompressData
• QoSFlowScope
• QoSPolicyId

This is useful when you want to see the QoS configuration alongside the rest of the SMB share configuration.

Understand the SMB QoS Flow Scope Values

None

None indicates that no specific QoS flow scope is configured for the SMB share.

This is a normal result for an SMB share that has not been configured for this type of traffic classification.

Name       QoSFlowScope
----       -----------
Documents  None

If you see None, it does not mean that SMB traffic is disabled or that the share cannot be accessed. It simply indicates that a specific QoS flow scope is not configured.

File

The File scope applies QoS to file operations. Microsoft describes each file handle as a flow at this scope.

This can be useful in environments where traffic needs to be classified at a more granular file-operation level.

Get-SmbShare |
Where-Object {$_.QoSFlowScope -eq "File"} |
Select-Object Name, Path, QoSFlowScope

Share

The Share scope applies QoS to SMB share connections. Each connection is treated as a flow.

This can be useful when the desired traffic classification should be associated with individual SMB share connections rather than individual files.

Get-SmbShare |
Where-Object {$_.QoSFlowScope -eq "Share"} |
Select-Object Name, Path, QoSFlowScope

User

The User scope applies QoS to individual user connections.

This can be useful in environments where traffic needs to be associated with user-level SMB connections.

Get-SmbShare |
Where-Object {$_.QoSFlowScope -eq "User"} |
Select-Object Name, Path, QoSFlowScope

Session

The Session scope applies QoS to individual SMB sessions.

SMB sessions represent an important layer in the SMB connection model. You can inspect active SMB sessions separately with Get-SmbSession.

Get-SmbShare |
Where-Object {$_.QoSFlowScope -eq "Session"} |
Select-Object Name, Path, QoSFlowScope

Check All QoS-Related SMB Properties

When investigating QoS configuration, check both the flow scope and policy ID:

Get-SmbShare |
Select-Object Name, Path, QoSFlowScope, QoSPolicyId

A result might look like:

Name        Path                 QoSFlowScope  QoSPolicyId
----        ----                 -----------  -----------
Documents   C:\Shares\Documents  None
Projects    D:\Shares\Projects   Share         SMB-POLICY-01
Finance     D:\Shares\Finance    User          SMB-POLICY-02

The actual policy identifier depends on the configuration of the environment.

Find SMB Shares With a QoS Flow Scope

If you want to find shares that have a scope other than None, use:

Get-SmbShare |
Where-Object {$_.QoSFlowScope -ne "None"} |
Select-Object Name, Path, QoSFlowScope, QoSPolicyId

This is useful when auditing a computer to determine whether any SMB shares have specialized QoS settings.

Find SMB Shares Using File Scope

Get-SmbShare |
Where-Object {$_.QoSFlowScope -eq "File"} |
Select-Object Name, Path, QoSFlowScope, QoSPolicyId

If there are no matching shares, PowerShell returns no results.

Find SMB Shares Using Share Scope

Get-SmbShare |
Where-Object {$_.QoSFlowScope -eq "Share"} |
Select-Object Name, Path, QoSFlowScope, QoSPolicyId

Find SMB Shares Using User Scope

Get-SmbShare |
Where-Object {$_.QoSFlowScope -eq "User"} |
Select-Object Name, Path, QoSFlowScope, QoSPolicyId

Find SMB Shares Using Session Scope

Get-SmbShare |
Where-Object {$_.QoSFlowScope -eq "Session"} |
Select-Object Name, Path, QoSFlowScope, QoSPolicyId

Check QoS Flow Scope With SMB Share State

QoS configuration should be considered separately from the current operational state of an SMB share.

You can inspect both properties together:

Get-SmbShare |
Select-Object Name, Path, ShareState, QoSFlowScope, QoSPolicyId

This gives you a quick view of whether the share is currently online and whether it has a QoS configuration.

Property	Purpose
ShareState	Shows the current state of the SMB share.
QoSFlowScope	Defines the scope used for SMB QoS traffic classification.
QoSPolicyId	Identifies the QoS policy associated with the SMB share.
CurrentUsers	Shows the current number of users connected to the share.

For more information about the share state itself, see How to Check SMB Share State in Windows 11.

Check QoS Flow Scope With SMB Availability Type

QoS flow scope and SMB availability type describe different aspects of an SMB share.

You can compare them with:

Get-SmbShare |
Select-Object Name, Path, AvailabilityType, QoSFlowScope, QoSPolicyId

This can be useful when documenting advanced SMB configurations that use clustering or specialized network traffic policies.

For more information about availability configuration, see How to Check SMB Share Availability Type in Windows 11.

Check QoS Flow Scope With SMB Performance Settings

QoS is only one part of SMB network performance. When troubleshooting slow file transfers, it can be useful to compare QoS configuration with SMB Multichannel, compression, encryption, and other properties.

Get-SmbShare |
Select-Object Name,
Path,
QoSFlowScope,
QoSPolicyId,
CompressData,
EncryptData,
ContinuouslyAvailable

For example, SMB compression can affect the amount of data transferred across the network, while encryption can affect how SMB traffic is protected. QoS determines how traffic is classified for quality-of-service purposes. These settings should therefore be investigated independently.

You can also review our guides for SMB Compression and SMB Encryption.

Check Active SMB Sessions

If you are troubleshooting a QoS-related SMB performance problem, checking active sessions can help you understand current SMB activity.

Get-SmbSession

This command displays active SMB sessions handled by the SMB server.

You can also check active SMB connections:

Get-SmbConnection

These commands provide different information from QoSFlowScope. The QoS property describes the share configuration, while sessions and connections show active SMB activity.

For more detailed SMB connection troubleshooting, see How to Check SMB Connections in Windows 11 and How to Check SMB Sessions in Windows 11.

Check QoS Flow Scope and SMB Share Permissions

QoS configuration does not determine whether a user is allowed to access an SMB share.

To inspect the share access control list, use:

Get-SmbShareAccess -Name "Projects"

This lets you separately investigate the permissions granted to users or groups.

If a user reports that a share is inaccessible, do not assume that a QoS configuration is responsible. Check the SMB share permissions and NTFS permissions as separate troubleshooting steps.

See How to Check SMB Share Permissions in Windows 11 for more information.

Export SMB QoS Configuration to CSV

PowerShell can export the QoS-related SMB properties to a CSV file for documentation or comparison.

Get-SmbShare |
Select-Object Name, Path, QoSFlowScope, QoSPolicyId |
Export-Csv "$env:USERPROFILE\Desktop\smb-qos-flow-scope.csv" -NoTypeInformation

The resulting file can be opened in Excel or another spreadsheet application.

This is especially useful when documenting multiple computers or comparing SMB configurations before and after a network change.

Check QoS Flow Scope on a Remote Computer

You can query SMB shares on a remote computer by using a CIM session.

Create the session:

$session = New-CimSession -ComputerName "FILESERVER"

Then query the SMB shares:

Get-SmbShare -CimSession $session |
Select-Object Name, Path, QoSFlowScope, QoSPolicyId

Replace FILESERVER with the appropriate computer name.

When finished, remove the CIM session:

Remove-CimSession $session

Remote management requires appropriate permissions and connectivity. If the remote query fails, investigate the management connection and firewall configuration rather than assuming that the SMB share is misconfigured.

Changing SMB QoS Flow Scope

Microsoft's Set-SmbShare cmdlet includes the -QoSFlowScope parameter for modifying the QoS flow scope of an SMB share.

For example, a configuration could be changed to the Share scope with:

Set-SmbShare -Name "Projects" -QoSFlowScope Share

You can also specify a QoS policy ID:

Set-SmbShare -Name "Projects" -QoSFlowScope Share -QoSPolicyId "SMB-POLICY-01"

Because these commands modify the SMB share configuration, do not run them simply to experiment on a production file server. First document the existing configuration and confirm that the desired QoS policy and flow scope are appropriate for the network design.

After making a change, verify the result:

Get-SmbShare -Name "Projects" |
Select-Object Name, Path, QoSFlowScope, QoSPolicyId

Use WhatIf Before Making a Change

When supported by the cmdlet and operation, PowerShell's -WhatIf option can help show what would happen without performing the operation.

Set-SmbShare -Name "Projects" -QoSFlowScope Share -WhatIf

Do not treat -WhatIf as a substitute for testing or reviewing the network design. It is simply a useful safety mechanism for supported PowerShell operations.

SMB QoS Flow Scope vs. SMB Multichannel

SMB QoS flow scope and SMB Multichannel are separate technologies.

SMB Multichannel can use multiple network connections to improve SMB performance and resilience when the environment supports it. QoS flow scope determines how QoS policies classify SMB traffic.

You can inspect SMB Multichannel separately with:

Get-SmbMultichannelConnection

For a detailed guide, see How to Check SMB Multichannel in Windows 11.

SMB QoS Flow Scope vs. SMB Compression

SMB compression and QoS solve different problems.

Compression can reduce the amount of data that needs to cross the network for suitable workloads. QoS controls how traffic is classified for quality-of-service policies.

You can inspect compression separately:

Get-SmbShare |
Select-Object Name, CompressData, QoSFlowScope

A share can have compression enabled or configured independently of its QoS flow scope.

Troubleshooting SMB QoS Configuration

1. Check the Current Configuration

Get-SmbShare -Name "Projects" |
Select-Object Name, Path, QoSFlowScope, QoSPolicyId

First establish exactly what is configured before changing anything.

2. Check Whether the Share Is Online

Get-SmbShare -Name "Projects" |
Select-Object Name, ShareState

An offline share should be investigated separately from QoS configuration.

3. Check Active Sessions

Get-SmbSession

This helps determine whether users are actively connected to the SMB server.

4. Check Network Connectivity

If users report slow or unstable SMB access, check the underlying network connection, adapter configuration, packet loss, latency, firewall, and TCP connectivity.

5. Check Other SMB Performance Features

Review SMB Multichannel, compression, encryption, leasing, and related configuration when appropriate.

6. Check the QoS Policy Itself

If a QoS policy ID is configured, investigate the corresponding Windows QoS policy and verify that the policy is actually intended for the SMB traffic being investigated.

7. Compare With Another SMB Share

If another share on the same server performs normally, compare their QoS and SMB configuration:

Get-SmbShare |
Select-Object Name, QoSFlowScope, QoSPolicyId, CompressData, EncryptData, ContinuouslyAvailable

This can help identify configuration differences without immediately changing anything.

Useful PowerShell Commands

Purpose	Command
List SMB shares	Get-SmbShare
Check QoS flow scope	Get-SmbShare | Select Name,Path,QoSFlowScope
Check one share	Get-SmbShare -Name "Projects"
Check QoS policy ID	Get-SmbShare | Select Name,QoSFlowScope,QoSPolicyId
Find File scope	Get-SmbShare | Where {$_.QoSFlowScope -eq "File"}
Find Share scope	Get-SmbShare | Where {$_.QoSFlowScope -eq "Share"}
Find User scope	Get-SmbShare | Where {$_.QoSFlowScope -eq "User"}
Find Session scope	Get-SmbShare | Where {$_.QoSFlowScope -eq "Session"}
View all properties	Get-SmbShare -Name "Projects" | Format-List *
Check active sessions	Get-SmbSession
Check SMB connections	Get-SmbConnection
Export QoS configuration	Get-SmbShare | Select Name,QoSFlowScope,QoSPolicyId | Export-Csv "smb-qos.csv" -NoTypeInformation

Frequently Asked Questions

What is QoSFlowScope in SMB?

QoSFlowScope defines the scope used when applying a Quality of Service policy to SMB traffic. Microsoft documents File, Share, User, and Session as the accepted scope values.

What is the default SMB QoS Flow Scope?

The documented default value is None. This means that a specific SMB QoS flow scope is not configured for the share.

How do I check SMB QoS Flow Scope?

Run:

Get-SmbShare | Select-Object Name, Path, QoSFlowScope

What does File mean in QoSFlowScope?

File applies the QoS policy to file operations, with each file handle treated as a flow.

What does Share mean in QoSFlowScope?

Share applies the QoS policy to SMB share connections, with each connection treated as a flow.

What does User mean in QoSFlowScope?

User applies the QoS policy to individual user connections.

What does Session mean in QoSFlowScope?

Session applies the QoS policy to individual SMB sessions.

Does QoSFlowScope control SMB permissions?

No. QoS flow scope is related to traffic classification and QoS policy application. SMB access permissions are controlled separately through SMB share permissions and NTFS permissions.

Can I change QoSFlowScope?

Yes. The Set-SmbShare cmdlet provides the -QoSFlowScope parameter. However, changes should be made only after understanding the QoS design and verifying the appropriate policy configuration.

Does QoSFlowScope make SMB faster?

Not automatically. QoS is primarily a traffic-management mechanism. Its benefit depends on the network, traffic conditions, QoS policies, and the goals of the environment.

Final Thoughts

Checking SMB QoS Flow Scope in Windows 11 is useful when you need to understand how Quality of Service policies are associated with SMB shares. The Get-SmbShare cmdlet provides a straightforward way to inspect QoSFlowScope and QoSPolicyId without manually searching through multiple configuration interfaces.

For most basic Windows 11 file-sharing setups, seeing None is expected. More advanced environments may use File, Share, User, or Session depending on how SMB traffic needs to be classified.

When troubleshooting SMB performance, do not look at QoS in isolation. Compare it with SMB Multichannel, compression, encryption, leasing, share state, active sessions, and network conditions. This gives you a much clearer picture of why an SMB workload may behave differently from another share.

You can continue building your SMB troubleshooting knowledge with our guides to SMB Share State, SMB Share Availability Type, SMB Multichannel, SMB Compression, SMB Leasing, and SMB Share Caching Mode.