Win32_Share

The Win32_Share class represents a shared resource on a computer system running Windows. This may be a disk drive, printer, interprocess communication, or other sharable device. For more informatio...

The Win32_Share class represents a shared resource on a computer system running Windows. This may be a disk drive, printer, interprocess communication, or other sharable device. For more information about retrieving WMI classes, see Retrieving a Class.

Methods

Win32_Share has 4 methods:
Method Description
Create Class method that initiates sharing for a server resource.
Delete Class method that deletes a share name from a server's list of shared resources, disconnecting connections to the shared resource.
GetAccessMask Returns the access rights to the share held by the user or group on whose behalf the instance is returned. You should use this method in place of the AccessMask property, which is always NULL.
SetShareInfo Class method that sets the parameters of a shared resource.

Learn more about Invoke-CimMethod and how to invoke commands. Click any of the methods listed above to learn more about their purpose, parameters, and return value.

Properties

Win32_Share returns 10 properties:

'AccessMask','AllowMaximum','Caption','Description','InstallDate','MaximumAllowed',
'Name','Path','Status','Type'

Unless explicitly marked as writeable, all properties are read-only. Read all properties for all instances:

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_Share -Property *

Most WMI classes return one or more instances.

When Get-CimInstance returns no result, then apparently no instances of class Win32_Share exist. This is normal behavior.

Either the class is not implemented on your system (may be deprecated or due to missing drivers, i.e. CIM_VideoControllerResolution), or there are simply no physical representations of this class currently available (i.e. Win32_TapeDrive).

AccessMask

UINT32

This property is obsolete and is no longer used. Use the Win32_Share.GetAccessMask method instead. The value of the AccessMask property is set to null by WMI. For more information about setting access when a share is created, see the Create method.

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_Share | Select-Object -Property Name, AccessMask

AllowMaximum

BOOLEAN

Number of concurrent users for this resource has been limited. If True, the value in the MaximumAllowed property is ignored.

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_Share | Select-Object -Property Name, AllowMaximum

Caption

STRING MAX 64 CHAR

A short textual description of the object.

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_Share | Select-Object -Property Name, Caption

Description

STRING

A textual description of the object.

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_Share | Select-Object -Property Name, Description

InstallDate

DATETIME

Indicates when the object was installed. Lack of a value does not indicate that the object is not installed.

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_Share | Select-Object -Property Name, InstallDate

MaximumAllowed

UINT32

Limit on the maximum number of users allowed to use this resource concurrently. The value is only valid if the AllowMaximum property is set to FALSE.

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_Share | Select-Object -Property Name, MaximumAllowed

Name

KEY PROPERTY STRING

Alias given to a path set up as a share on a computer system running Windows.

Windows 2008 example: “\SERVER01\public” - Windows Server 2008 requires that you place the UNC in the name.

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_Share | Select-Object -Property Name

Path

STRING

Local path of the Windows share.

Example: “C:\Program Files”

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_Share | Select-Object -Property Name, Path

Status

STRING MAX 10 CHAR

Current status of an object. Various operational and nonoperational statuses can be defined. Available values:

$values = 'Degraded','Error','Lost Comm','No Contact','NonRecover','OK','Pred Fail','Service','Starting','Stopping','Stressed','Unknown'
Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_Share | Select-Object -Property Name, Status

Type

UINT32

Type of resource being shared. Types include: disk drives, print queues, interprocess communications (IPC), and general devices.

Type returns a numeric value. To translate it into a meaningful text, use any of the following approaches:

Use a PowerShell Hashtable
$Type_map = @{
      0 = 'Disk Drive'
      1 = 'Print Queue'
      2 = 'Device'
      3 = 'IPC'
2147483648 = 'Disk Drive Admin'
2147483649 = 'Print Queue Admin'
2147483650 = 'Device Admin'
2147483651 = 'IPC Admin'
}
Use a switch statement
switch([int]$value)
{
  0          {'Disk Drive'}
  1          {'Print Queue'}
  2          {'Device'}
  3          {'IPC'}
  2147483648 {'Disk Drive Admin'}
  2147483649 {'Print Queue Admin'}
  2147483650 {'Device Admin'}
  2147483651 {'IPC Admin'}
  default    {"$value"}
}
Use Enum structure
Enum EnumType
{
  Disk_Drive          = 0
  Print_Queue         = 1
  Device              = 2
  IPC                 = 3
  Disk_Drive_Admin    = 2147483648
  Print_Queue_Admin   = 2147483649
  Device_Admin        = 2147483650
  IPC_Admin           = 2147483651
}

Examples

Use $Type_map in a calculated property for Select-Object
<# 
  this example uses a hashtable to translate raw numeric values for 
  property "Type" to friendly text

  Note: to use other properties than "Type", look up the appropriate 
  translation hashtable for the property you would like to use instead.
#>

#region define hashtable to translate raw values to friendly text

# Please note: this hashtable is specific for property "Type" 
# to translate other properties, use their translation table instead
$Type_map = @{
      0 = 'Disk Drive'
      1 = 'Print Queue'
      2 = 'Device'
      3 = 'IPC'
2147483648 = 'Disk Drive Admin'
2147483649 = 'Print Queue Admin'
2147483650 = 'Device Admin'
2147483651 = 'IPC Admin'
}

#endregion define hashtable

#region define calculated property (to be used with Select-Object)

<#
  a calculated property is defined by a hashtable with keys "Name" and "Expression"
  "Name" defines the name of the property (in this example, it is "Type", but you can rename it to anything else)
  "Expression" defines a scriptblock that calculates the content of this property
  in this example, the scriptblock uses the hashtable defined earlier to translate each numeric
  value to its friendly text counterpart:
#>
 
$Type = @{
  Name = 'Type'
  Expression = {
    # property is an array, so process all values
    $value = $_.Type
    $Type_map[[int]$value]
  }  
}
#endregion define calculated property

# retrieve the instances, and output the properties "Caption" and "Type". The latter
# is defined by the hashtable in $Type: 
Get-CimInstance -Class Win32_Share | Select-Object -Property Caption, $Type

# ...or dump content of property Type:
$friendlyValues = Get-CimInstance -Class Win32_Share | 
    Select-Object -Property $Type |
    Select-Object -ExpandProperty Type

# output values
$friendlyValues

# output values as comma separated list
$friendlyValues -join ', '

# output values as bullet list
$friendlyValues | ForEach-Object { "- $_" }
Use $Type_map to directly translate raw values from an instance
<# 
  this example uses a hashtable to manually translate raw numeric values 
  for property "Win32_Share" to friendly text. This approach is ideal when
  there is just one instance to work with.

  Note: to use other properties than "Win32_Share", look up the appropriate 
  translation hashtable for the property you would like to use instead.
#>

#region define hashtable to translate raw values to friendly text

# Please note: this hashtable is specific for property "Win32_Share" 
# to translate other properties, use their translation table instead
$Type_map = @{
      0 = 'Disk Drive'
      1 = 'Print Queue'
      2 = 'Device'
      3 = 'IPC'
2147483648 = 'Disk Drive Admin'
2147483649 = 'Print Queue Admin'
2147483650 = 'Device Admin'
2147483651 = 'IPC Admin'
}

#endregion define hashtable

# get one instance:
$instance = Get-CimInstance -Class Win32_Share | Select-Object -First 1

<#
  IMPORTANT: this example processes only one instance to illustrate
  the number-to-text translation. To process all instances, replace
  "Select-Object -First 1" with a "Foreach-Object" loop, and use
  the iterator variable $_ instead of $instance
#>

# query the property
$rawValue = $instance.Type  

# translate raw value to friendly text:
$friendlyName = $Type_map[[int]$rawValue]

# output value
$friendlyName
Use a switch statement inside a calculated property for Select-Object
<# 
  this example uses a switch clause to translate raw numeric 
  values for property "Type" to friendly text. The switch
  clause is embedded into a calculated property so there is
  no need to refer to external variables for translation.

  Note: to use other properties than "Type", look up the appropriate 
  translation switch clause for the property you would like to use instead.
#>

#region define calculated property (to be used with Select-Object)

<#
  a calculated property is defined by a hashtable with keys "Name" and "Expression"
  "Name" defines the name of the property (in this example, it is "Type", but you can rename it to anything else)
  "Expression" defines a scriptblock that calculates the content of this property
  in this example, the scriptblock uses the hashtable defined earlier to translate each numeric
  value to its friendly text counterpart:
#>
 
$Type = @{
  Name = 'Type'
  Expression = {
    # property is an array, so process all values
    $value = $_.Type
    
    switch([int]$value)
      {
        0          {'Disk Drive'}
        1          {'Print Queue'}
        2          {'Device'}
        3          {'IPC'}
        2147483648 {'Disk Drive Admin'}
        2147483649 {'Print Queue Admin'}
        2147483650 {'Device Admin'}
        2147483651 {'IPC Admin'}
        default    {"$value"}
      }
      
  }  
}
#endregion define calculated property

# retrieve all instances...
Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_Share | 
  # ...and output properties "Caption" and "Type". The latter is defined
  # by the hashtable in $Type:
  Select-Object -Property Caption, $Type
Use the Enum from above to auto-translate the code values
<# 
  this example translates raw values by means of type conversion
  the friendly names are defined as enumeration using the
  keyword "enum" (PowerShell 5 or better)
  
  The raw value(s) are translated to friendly text by 
  simply converting them into the enum type.
  
  Note: to use other properties than "Win32_Share", look up the appropriate 
  enum definition for the property you would like to use instead.
#>


#region define enum with value-to-text translation:
Enum EnumType
{
  Disk_Drive          = 0
  Print_Queue         = 1
  Device              = 2
  IPC                 = 3
  Disk_Drive_Admin    = 2147483648
  Print_Queue_Admin   = 2147483649
  Device_Admin        = 2147483650
  IPC_Admin           = 2147483651
}

#endregion define enum

# get one instance:
$instance = Get-CimInstance -Class Win32_Share | Select-Object -First 1

<#
  IMPORTANT: this example processes only one instance to focus on
  the number-to-text type conversion. 
  
  To process all instances, replace   "Select-Object -First 1" 
  with a "Foreach-Object" loop, and use the iterator variable 
  $_ instead of $instance
#>

# query the property:
$rawValue = $instance.Type

#region using strict type conversion

<#
  Note: strict type conversion fails if the raw value is 
  not defined by the enum. So if the list of allowable values
  was extended and the enum does not match the value,
  an exception is thrown
#>

# convert the property to the enum **Type** 
[EnumType]$rawValue 

# get a comma-separated string:
[EnumType]$rawValue -join ',' 
#endregion

#region using operator "-as"

<#
  Note: the operator "-as" accepts values not defined
  by the enum and returns $null instead of throwing
  an exception
#>

$rawValue -as [EnumType]
#endregion

Enums must cover all possible values. If Type returns a value that is not defined in the enum, an exception occurs. The exception reports the value that was missing in the enum. To fix, add the missing value to the enum.

Examples

List all instances of Win32_Share
Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_Share

Learn more about Get-CimInstance and the deprecated Get-WmiObject.

View all properties
Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_Share -Property *
View key properties only
Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_Share -KeyOnly

Selecting Properties

To select only some properties, pipe the results to Select-Object -Property a,b,c with a comma-separated list of the properties you require. Wildcards are permitted.

Get-CimInstance always returns all properties but only retrieves the ones that you specify. All other properties are empty but still present. That’s why you need to pipe the results into Select-Object if you want to limit the visible properties, i.e. for reporting.

Selecting Properties

The code below lists all available properties. Remove the ones you do not need:

$properties = 'AccessMask',
              'AllowMaximum',
              'Caption',
              'Description',
              'InstallDate',
              'MaximumAllowed',
              'Name',
              'Path',
              'Status',
              'Type'
Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_Share | Select-Object -Property $properties
Limiting Network Bandwidth

If you work remotely, it makes sense to limit network bandwidth by filtering the properties on the server side, too:

Get-CimInstance -Class Win32_Share -Property $property | 
Select-Object -Property $property

Selecting Instances

To select some instances, use Get-CimInstance and a WMI Query. The wildcard character in WMI Queries is % (and not “*”).

The parameter -Filter runs a simple query.

Listing all instances where the property Caption starts with “A”
Get-CimInstance -Class Win32_Share -Filter 'Caption LIKE "a%"' 
Using a WQL Query

The parameter -Query uses a query similar to SQL and combines the parameters -Filter and -Property. This returns all instances where the property Caption starts with “A”, and returns the properties specified:

Get-CimInstance -Query "SELECT InstallDate, Caption, Type, MaximumAllowed FROM Win32_Share WHERE Caption LIKE 'a%'"

Any property you did not specify is still present but empty. You might need to use Select-Object to remove all unwanted properties:

Get-CimInstance -Query "SELECT InstallDate, Caption, Type, MaximumAllowed FROM Win32_Share WHERE Caption LIKE 'a%'" | Select-Object -Property InstallDate, Caption, Type, MaximumAllowed

Accessing Remote Computers

To access remote systems, you need to have proper permissions. User the parameter -ComputerName to access one or more remote systems.

Authenticating as Current User
# one or more computer names or IP addresses:
$list = 'server1', 'server2'

# authenticate with your current identity:
$result = Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_Share -ComputerName $list 
$result
Authenticating as Different User

Use a CIMSession object to authenticate with a new identity:

# one or more computer names or IP addresses:
$list = 'server1', 'server2'

# authenticate with a different identity:
$cred = Get-Credential -Message 'Authenticate to retrieve WMI information:'
$session = New-CimSession -ComputerName $list -Credential $cred

$result = Get-CimInstance Win32_Share -CimSession $session

# remove the session after use (if you do not plan to re-use it later)
Remove-CimSession -CimSession $session

$result

Learn more about accessing remote computers.

Requirements

To use Win32_Share, the following requirements apply:

PowerShell

Get-CimInstance was introduced with PowerShell Version 3.0, which in turn was introduced on clients with Windows 8 and on servers with Windows Server 2012.

If necessary, update Windows PowerShell to Windows PowerShell 5.1, or install PowerShell 7 side-by-side.

Operating System

Win32_Share was introduced on clients with Windows Vista and on servers with Windows Server 2008.

Namespace

Win32_Share lives in the Namespace Root/CIMV2. This is the default namespace. There is no need to use the -Namespace parameter in Get-CimInstance.

Implementation

Win32_Share is implemented in CIMWin32.dll and defined in CIMWin32.mof. Both files are located in the folder C:\Windows\system32\wbem:

explorer $env:windir\system32\wbem
notepad $env:windir\system32\wbem\CIMWin32.mof