File Servers—Access and Details

Accessing Course, Departmental, Personal, Research, or Software Folders

Summary: This article explains how to connect to Colby file services from Windows, macOS, and Linux. These services support personal, course-related, departmental, and research use. Access is restricted to on-campus wired connections, Colby Access Wi-Fi, or through a VPN connection.

Selected software is also available through these resources, as listed in the Software Catalog.

If a course folder is needed, submit a request using the Course Folder Request Form.

For support, contact the ITS Support Center at support@colby.edu or ext. 4222.

Accessing on Windows 10

Open the Start menu.
Type \\filer.colby.edu and press Enter.
Ensure you are connected to Colby Access Wi-Fi or the Colby VPN if you encounter connection issues.
If prompted, enter your Colby email address (e.g., username@colby.edu) and password.
A window will open showing Courses, Departments, Personal, and Software folders.
Double-click the desired folder to open it.

Note: Follow any installation instructions provided in the Read Me file.
For help mapping a network drive, see Mapping a Network Drive.

Accessing on macOS 12.x.x

In the menu bar, choose Go > Connect to Server…
Type smb://filer.colby.edu/ in the Server Address field, then click Connect.
Enter your Colby username (without @colby.edu) and password when prompted.
A window will display the folders available to you.
Double-click the desired folder to open it.