How to Automatically Mount an SMB Network Drive at Login on macOS using System Settings

Connecting to a network-attached storage (NAS) drive or a Windows shared folder via SMB on a Mac is incredibly straightforward—you simply open Finder, hit Command + K, type your server address, and connect. However, macOS does not keep this connection active through a reboot. Every time you restart your Mac or log out, you must manually reconnect to the network drive.

If you rely on a network drive for daily workflows, such as video editing directly from a server or running automated backups, this manual reconnection process becomes a tedious chore. Fortunately, you can configure macOS to automatically mount the SMB drive the moment you log in.

Step 1: Save Your Server Credentials to the Keychain

For an automated mount to work seamlessly in the background, macOS must be able to authenticate with the server without stopping to ask you for a password. You must save the login credentials in the macOS Keychain.

1. Open Finder.
2. Press Command + K on your keyboard to open the “Connect to Server” dialog.
3. Enter the address of your SMB share (e.g., smb://192.168.1.50/SharedFolder).
4. Click Connect.
5. When prompted for your name and password, enter your credentials.
6. Crucial Step: Ensure the checkbox labelled Remember this password in my keychain is ticked.
7. Click Connect. The drive will mount and appear on your desktop or in your Finder sidebar.

Step 2: Add the Drive to Your Login Items

Now that the Mac knows how to securely log in to the server without asking for permission, you can tell it to execute the connection as part of the normal startup routine.

1. Click the Apple Logo () in the top-left corner of the menu bar and select System Settings.
2. In the left sidebar, click on General.
3. In the main window, click on Login Items.
4. You will see a list labelled “Open at Login”. Click the small + (plus) button below this list.
5. A Finder selection window will appear. Look in the left sidebar under “Locations” and select your currently mounted network drive.
6. Select the specific folder within the drive you want to mount, or just select the drive itself, and click Add.

Step 3: Hide the Finder Window on Login (Optional)

By default, when macOS automatically mounts the drive at login, it will enthusiastically open a new Finder window displaying the contents of that drive right in the middle of your screen. To keep your login process clean and unobtrusive:

• Look back at the “Open at Login” list in System Settings.
• Find your newly added network drive in the list.
• Currently, in newer versions of macOS (Ventura and later), the “Hide” checkbox has been removed from this specific menu. Instead, you can simply close the window when it appears, or use a third-party script to mount silently. However, for a native solution, the drive will mount reliably every time, ensuring your shortcuts and recent files work perfectly the moment your desktop loads.