How to Check Special SMB Shares in Windows 11

Sunday, October 11, 2026

Learn how to check special SMB shares in Windows 11 using PowerShell, including C$, ADMIN$, IPC$, and administrative shares.

Windows 11 can host SMB shares that are used for normal file sharing as well as special shares created for system administration and Windows networking functions. These special SMB shares are different from the regular shared folders you create for documents, projects, or other files.

If you are troubleshooting Windows file sharing, checking special SMB shares can help you understand what SMB resources are currently exposed by the computer. It can also help you identify administrative shares and the IPC$ share that Windows uses for certain network communication tasks.

In this guide, you will learn how to check special SMB shares in Windows 11 using PowerShell. You will also learn how to distinguish special shares from regular shares, inspect their properties, filter the results, and combine the information with other SMB troubleshooting commands.

What Are Special SMB Shares?

Special SMB shares are shares that Windows treats differently from ordinary user-created file shares. Microsoft documentation identifies administrative shares, default shares, and the IPC$ share as examples of special shares.

Common examples include administrative shares such as C$, D$, and ADMIN$. Windows can use these shares for remote administration and system management.

The IPC$ share is another important special SMB resource. It does not represent a normal folder that users browse for documents. Instead, it is associated with interprocess communication and Windows network operations.

Because these shares can have administrative or system-level purposes, you should understand what they are before attempting to modify or remove them.

Why Check Special SMB Shares in Windows 11?

Checking special SMB shares can be useful when you are investigating unexpected network resources, remote administration behavior, or SMB security issues.

For example, you may want to know:

Which special SMB shares exist on the computer.
Whether administrative shares such as C$ or ADMIN$ are present.
Whether IPC$ is available.
Which local paths are associated with administrative shares.
Whether a share is special or a normal user-created share.
What the share state and availability type are.
Which users or computers are currently connected.

This information can be especially useful when combined with other SMB diagnostics such as SMB sessions, connections, open files, permissions, and server configuration.

Open PowerShell in Windows 11

The easiest way to inspect SMB shares is with the Get-SmbShare PowerShell cmdlet.

For the most complete troubleshooting workflow, open PowerShell with administrator privileges.

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

You can then use the SMB Share PowerShell commands described below.

How to Check All SMB Shares First

Before filtering special shares, it can be useful to see all SMB shares configured on the computer.

Get-SmbShare

The command retrieves SMB share objects from the computer. Microsoft documents Get-SmbShare as the cmdlet used to retrieve SMB shares and provides parameters for filtering them by properties such as share state, availability type, caching mode, leasing mode, and whether they are special.

A typical result may contain entries similar to:

Name       ScopeName Path             Description
----       --------- ----             -----------
ADMIN$     *         C:\Windows       Remote Admin
C$         *         C:\              Default share
IPC$       *                          Remote IPC
Projects   *         D:\Projects      Project files

The exact shares shown on your Windows 11 computer will depend on its configuration.

How to Check Special SMB Shares

The most direct method is to use the -Special parameter.

Get-SmbShare -Special $true

This tells Get-SmbShare to enumerate shares identified as special.

Microsoft specifically documents -Special as a Boolean parameter for enumerating special shares and gives administrative shares, default shares, and IPC$ as examples.

This is preferable to manually searching the output for names such as C$ or ADMIN$, because the command uses the SMB share information exposed by Windows.

Display Only Important Properties

The default output can contain more information than you need. For a quick audit, select the properties that matter most.

Get-SmbShare -Special $true |
Select-Object Name, Path, Description, ScopeName, ShareState

This produces a more focused view containing:

Name — the SMB share name.
Path — the local folder or resource associated with the share.
Description — the description assigned to the share.
ScopeName — the share scope information.
ShareState — the current state of the SMB share.

This format is particularly useful when documenting a Windows computer or comparing SMB configurations between systems.

How to Check a Specific Special Share

If you already know the name of a special share, you can query it directly.

For example, to check the administrative C$ share:

Get-SmbShare -Name "C$"

You can also display all available properties:

Get-SmbShare -Name "C$" | Format-List *

This can reveal additional information about the share, including its state, availability type, caching mode, leasing mode, encryption configuration, compression configuration, and other SMB properties depending on the Windows version and environment.

How to Check ADMIN$

The ADMIN$ share is commonly associated with the Windows directory and is used by Windows administrative functionality.

Check it with:

Get-SmbShare -Name "ADMIN$"

To see its detailed configuration:

Get-SmbShare -Name "ADMIN$" | Format-List *

If the share does not exist, PowerShell may return an error indicating that the requested SMB share could not be found. Do not assume that every Windows computer will have exactly the same SMB share configuration.

How to Check IPC$

The IPC$ share is a special SMB resource rather than a conventional folder share.

You can check it with:

Get-SmbShare -Name "IPC$"

You can also include it in the special-share query:

Get-SmbShare -Special $true |
Select-Object Name, Path, Description, ScopeName

Because IPC$ does not represent a normal document directory, its output may look different from shares such as C$, D$, or a custom folder share.

How to Check Whether a Share Is Special

If you want to compare special and ordinary shares, retrieve all SMB shares and include the Special property in the output.

Get-SmbShare |
Select-Object Name, Path, Special, Description

This gives you a simple inventory that can help distinguish administrative or system-related shares from normal shares created for file sharing.

For example, you may see a result conceptually similar to:

Name       Path             Special
----       ----             -------
ADMIN$     C:\Windows       True
C$         C:\              True
IPC$                        True
Projects   D:\Projects      False

The exact result depends on the computer's SMB configuration.

How to Filter Only Special Shares

You can also retrieve all shares and filter the Special property with Where-Object.

Get-SmbShare |
Where-Object { $_.Special -eq $true } |
Select-Object Name, Path, Special, Description

This approach is useful when you want to combine the special-share condition with other filters.

For example, you can look for special shares whose state is online:

Get-SmbShare |
Where-Object { $_.Special -eq $true -and $_.ShareState -eq "Online" } |
Select-Object Name, Path, ShareState

Check Special Shares and Their Scope

Special shares can also be inspected together with their scope information.

Get-SmbShare -Special $true |
Select-Object Name, Path, Special, Scoped, ScopeName

The Scoped and ScopeName properties are especially useful in more advanced Windows Server failover cluster environments.

For a detailed explanation of these properties, see How to Check SMB Share Scope Name in Windows 11.

Check Special Shares and Availability

You can combine special-share information with the availability properties that you have already learned about in this SMB series.

Get-SmbShare -Special $true |
Select-Object Name, Path, ShareState, AvailabilityType, ContinuouslyAvailable

This can help you determine whether a special share is online and how Windows reports its availability characteristics.

For a deeper explanation of AvailabilityType, see How to Check SMB Share Availability Type in Windows 11.

You can also review Continuous Availability with How to Check SMB Continuous Availability in Windows 11.

Check Special Share Permissions

The fact that a share is special does not replace the need to understand its access controls.

You can inspect SMB share permissions with:

Get-SmbShareAccess -Name "C$"

For example, you can check the permissions associated with ADMIN$:

Get-SmbShareAccess -Name "ADMIN$"

For a complete explanation of SMB share ACLs, see How to Check SMB Share Permissions in Windows 11.

Remember that SMB share permissions are only one part of Windows access control. NTFS permissions on the underlying folder can also affect what a user can actually access.

Check Current SMB Sessions

If you are investigating whether special SMB shares are actively being used, checking SMB sessions can provide additional context.

Get-SmbSession

You can use this together with the special-share inventory to investigate active remote connections.

For a dedicated guide, see How to Check SMB Sessions in Windows 11.

Check Active SMB Connections

If the Windows 11 computer is acting as an SMB client, you may also want to see which SMB servers it is currently connected to.

Get-SmbConnection

This is different from checking shares hosted by the local computer. Get-SmbShare shows shares provided by the computer, while Get-SmbConnection shows SMB connections established by the client.

See How to Check SMB Connections in Windows 11 for a detailed explanation.

Check Open Files During Troubleshooting

If a special share is involved in a troubleshooting investigation, you may also need to determine whether remote clients currently have files open through SMB.

Get-SmbOpenFile

This is particularly useful before performing administrative changes that could affect connected users.

For more information, see How to Check Open SMB Files in Windows 11.

Export Special SMB Shares to CSV

If you are auditing several Windows computers, exporting the results can make documentation easier.

Get-SmbShare -Special $true |
Select-Object Name, Path, Special, Scoped, ScopeName, ShareState, AvailabilityType |
Export-Csv -Path "$env:USERPROFILE\Desktop\special-smb-shares.csv" -NoTypeInformation

This creates a CSV file on the current user's desktop.

You can open the file with a spreadsheet application and use it as a configuration record or troubleshooting reference.

Check Special SMB Shares on a Remote Computer

In administrative environments, you may need to inspect SMB shares on another Windows computer rather than the local system.

Get-SmbShare supports CIM sessions, which can be used to query SMB share information remotely when the environment and permissions allow it.

First create a CIM session:

$session = New-CimSession -ComputerName "PC01"

Then query the special shares:

Get-SmbShare -CimSession $session -Special $true |
Select-Object Name, Path, Special, ScopeName, ShareState

When finished, remove the CIM session:

Remove-CimSession $session

Remote administration depends on Windows management configuration, network connectivity, authentication, firewall rules, and appropriate administrative permissions.

Special SMB Shares vs Regular SMB Shares

Share type	Example	Typical purpose
Administrative share	C$	Remote administration of a drive
Administrative share	ADMIN$	Remote access to the Windows directory
IPC share	IPC$	Windows interprocess/network communication
Regular SMB share	Projects	User or application file sharing

The important distinction is that a share being hidden or ending in a dollar sign does not by itself explain every aspect of its configuration. Use the SMB properties exposed by PowerShell when you need an accurate inventory.

Special Shares and Windows SMB Security

Administrative SMB shares deserve particular attention because they can be involved in remote administration. If you are investigating an SMB security issue, do not look at the share name alone.

A useful investigation can include:

Identify special shares with Get-SmbShare -Special $true.
Review the share state.
Check SMB share permissions.
Review active SMB sessions.
Review active SMB connections.
Check open SMB files.
Review the SMB server configuration.
Check SMB signing and encryption settings where appropriate.

You can review the broader server configuration with How to Check SMB Server Configuration in Windows 11.

For security-specific checks, see How to Check SMB Signing in Windows 11 and How to Check SMB Encryption in Windows 11.

Common Problems When Checking Special SMB Shares

No Special Shares Are Returned

If Get-SmbShare -Special $true does not return what you expected, verify that you are querying the correct computer and that the SMB share information is available.

You can start with:

Get-SmbShare

This helps determine whether SMB shares are present at all.

A Specific Share Cannot Be Found

If this command fails:

Get-SmbShare -Name "C$"

do not assume that the computer is malfunctioning. The share may not exist, may have a different configuration, or you may be querying a different system than intended.

Remote Queries Fail

Remote CIM queries can fail because of firewall rules, authentication problems, management configuration, name resolution, or insufficient permissions.

Test basic network connectivity and verify that the remote management environment is configured correctly before treating the SMB share configuration as the cause.

A Special Share Is Being Used by Remote Clients

If you are planning configuration changes, check active SMB sessions and open files first. Changing or removing a share while clients are actively using it can disrupt network operations.

Useful PowerShell Commands

Command	Purpose
`Get-SmbShare`	List SMB shares
`Get-SmbShare -Special $true`	List special SMB shares
`Get-SmbShare -Name "C$"`	Check a specific share
`Get-SmbShare -Name "C$" \| Format-List *`	Display detailed share properties
`Get-SmbShareAccess -Name "C$"`	Check SMB share permissions
`Get-SmbSession`	Check active SMB sessions
`Get-SmbConnection`	Check active SMB client connections
`Get-SmbOpenFile`	Check open SMB files

Frequently Asked Questions

What are special SMB shares in Windows 11?

Special SMB shares are shares that Windows identifies as special resources, including administrative shares, default shares, and IPC$.

How do I list special SMB shares?

Open PowerShell and run:

Get-SmbShare -Special $true

What is C$ in Windows?

C$ is an administrative SMB share associated with the C: drive. It is intended for administrative access rather than ordinary user file sharing.

What is ADMIN$?

ADMIN$ is an administrative SMB share associated with the Windows directory and can be used by Windows administrative functions.

What is IPC$?

IPC$ is a special SMB resource used for interprocess communication and Windows network operations rather than normal document storage.

Can I remove special SMB shares?

You should not remove or disable special SMB shares simply because they appear in the list. They can have important administrative or system functions. First determine why the share exists and whether any applications or administrative processes depend on it.

Are special SMB shares the same as hidden shares?

Not necessarily. A hidden SMB share is commonly identified by a share name ending with $, while the Special property is an SMB share property reported by Windows. Use Get-SmbShare to inspect the actual configuration instead of relying only on the name.

Final Thoughts

Checking special SMB shares is a useful step when auditing or troubleshooting file sharing in Windows 11. Instead of manually searching through share names, PowerShell provides a direct way to identify shares that Windows classifies as special.

The key command is:

Get-SmbShare -Special $true

From there, you can inspect individual shares, review their properties, check permissions, investigate active sessions and connections, and export the results for documentation.

Special shares such as C$, ADMIN$, and IPC$ can serve important Windows administration and networking functions. Therefore, their presence should not automatically be considered a problem.

For a complete SMB troubleshooting workflow, combine this check with your Windows 11 network configuration, SMB server configuration, share permissions, SMB sessions, connections, open files, encryption, signing, and other SMB properties covered throughout this series.

Related Windows 11 SMB guides: