Windows can stubbornly hold on to active connections to network shares, mapped drives, and file servers. When you need to quickly disconnect a resource, clear a session, or remove cached credentials, the command line is the most reliable way to do it.

This guide shows how to properly “log off” from a network resource using the net use and cmdkey commands, and what to do when the system still insists on keeping the connection alive.

When You Should Disconnect a Network Resource

Disconnecting a network share connection is useful when:

• the password for the server or share has changed,
• Windows keeps trying to use outdated login credentials,
• you need to unmap a drive without restarting the computer,
• access to the resource has been blocked due to a broken session,
• File Explorer keeps automatically reconnecting with invalid credentials.

Disconnecting a Specific Resource

If you only want to disconnect one connection, you can target either a specific mapped drive or a direct UNC path.

Mapped Drive

net use Z: /delete

This command removes the active connection for drive Z:.

UNC Path

net use \\server\share /delete

This version works when the resource wasn’t mapped to a drive letter but was opened directly as a network share.

Disconnecting All Resources

If you need to close all active network connections in the current session, use:

net use * /delete

Windows will usually ask for confirmation. To skip the prompt, add the /y parameter:

net use * /delete /y

This is a good method when you’re not sure which connection is still keeping a session open to the server.

Removing Saved Credentials

Simply disconnecting a resource isn’t always enough. Windows may still store login credentials in Credential Manager, causing the next connection to be re-established with the same username and password.

Listing Saved Entries

cmdkey /list

This command displays saved credentials that Windows may use when reconnecting to network resources.

Removing a Specific Entry

cmdkey /delete:ResourceName

Examples:

cmdkey /delete:192.168.1.10
cmdkey /delete:Domain:target=Server01

After removing the relevant entry, Windows will stop automatically using the saved credentials for that resource.

What to Do If the Connection Keeps Coming Back

Sometimes, even after using net use, the system still keeps a session running in the background. In that case, try restarting the Workstation service.

net stop lanmanworkstation /y
net start lanmanworkstation

Treat this as a fallback option, especially when a normal disconnect doesn’t do the trick.

Extra Tip for File Explorer

After running these commands, it’s a good idea to close any open File Explorer windows using the given share and refresh the view. This prevents Windows from immediately trying to re-establish the connection in the background.

Quick Reference

Summary

For disconnecting network resources in Windows, net use is the go-to tool, while cmdkey is essential for fully removing saved login credentials. Combining both lets you effectively cut an active session and prepare the system to log in again with the correct credentials.