Adding a Music Library share

Hello everyone,

Sonos allows you to stream your music library from any computer or NAS drive (Network Attached Storage) to your Sonos system. This article will cover steps for adding a Music Library share stored on a Windows PC or Mac computer.

Set up the Music Library share

Before a Music Library share can be added to Sonos, we need to ensure that we know the location and sharing is enabled.

Windows PC steps

Video Walkthrough

Steps

1. On the PC containing the music to be added, open File Explorer (under the Start menu, or press the Windows key + E).
2. Right-click on the folder containing the music to be added (by default, this is usually the Music folder), and select Properties.
3. Open the Sharing tab, and select Advanced Sharing.
4. Ensure that Share this folder is enabled, then click Apply.
5. In the same Advanced Sharing window, select Permissions.
6. Under Group or user names, ensure that the group "Everyone" is included, as well as the user account.
   1. If the user account has not been added:
      1. Click Add under Share Permissions.
      2. Under "Enter the object names to select", type in the User Account name.
         1. If you are unsure, the User Account name can be found under Control Panel > User Accounts.
      3. Click Check Names to verify that the User Account name is valid, then select OK.
7. In the Share Permissions window, ensure that the group "Everyone" and the user account both have Read permissions enabled.
8. Click Apply, then click OK.
9. Under Advanced Sharing, click Apply and OK once more.
10. In the Properties window, select the Sharing tab.
11. Copy the full network path - formatted as \\ComputerName\ShareName. This will be used when adding the Music Library via the Sonos app.

MacOS 13+ steps

Video Walkthrough

Steps

1. On the Mac computer containing the music to be added, open System Settings (click the Apple icon in the top-left corner).
2. Select General > Sharing.
   1. Copy down the Local hostname listed at the top or bottom of this page (everything before the ".local"). This will be used as the MacName when adding the Music Library via the Sonos app.
3. Ensure that File Sharing is enabled.
4. Click the "i" symbol to the right of the File Sharing toggle, then click the "+" symbol.
5. Select the folder containing the music to be added (by default, this is usually the Music folder), and click Open.
   1. Copy down the name of the folder containing the music to be added. This will be used as the ShareName when adding the Music Library via the Sonos app.
6. Under Users, ensure that the group "Everyone" is included, as well as the user account.
   1. Ensure that the group "Everyone" has Read permissions enabled (at least).
   2. Ensure that the customer's user account has Read & Write permissions enabled.
7. Click the Options button.
   1. Ensure that both SMB and the user account are checked, then select Done.

MacOS 12 PC steps

Video Walkthrough

Steps

1. On the Mac computer containing the music to be added, open System Preferences (click the Apple icon in the top-left corner).
2. Select Sharing.
   1. Copy down the Computer Name listed at the top of this page. This will be used as the MacName when adding the Music Library via the Sonos app.
3. Ensure that File Sharing is enabled.
4. Click the "+" symbol.
5. Select the folder containing the music to be added (by default, this is usually the Music folder), and click Add.
   1. Copy down the name of the folder containing the music to be added. This will be used as the ShareName when adding the Music Library via the Sonos app.
6. Under Users, ensure that the group "Everyone" is included, as well as the user account.
   1. Ensure that the group "Everyone" has Read permissions enabled (at least).
   2. Ensure that the customer's user account has Read & Write permissions enabled.
7. Click the Options button.
   1. Ensure that both SMB and the user account are checked, then select Done.

Add Music Library share to Sonos

A music library share can be added via the Sonos Desktop Controller or the mobile Sonos app. Generally, adding a share via the desktop controller may be the easier option.

Windows / Mac Controller steps

1. Open the Sonos Desktop Controller on the Mac or PC containing the music to be added.
2. Select Manage > Music Library Settings.
3. Click the Add button (PC) or "+" icon (Mac).
4. Select Networked Device. Even though the music library isn't necessarily on a NAS drive, this option must be used.
5. Type or paste the full network path:
   1. PC: \\ComputerName\ShareName (see step 11 above).
   2. Mac: \\MacName\ShareName (see steps 2 and 5 above).
6. Enter the computer's username and password (the password will be the same password you are using to open their computer - not your Sonos password).

iOS / Android Controller steps

1. Open the Sonos app for iOS or Android.
2. Navigate to Settings > Manage, and select Music Library.
3. Under Your Folders, select Add Shared Folder.
4. Enter the network path information for your shared music folder:
   1. Type or paste the full network path:
      1. PC: \\ComputerName\ShareName (see step 11 above).
      2. Mac: \\MacName\ShareName (see steps 2 and 5 above).
   2. Enter the username and password (the password will be the same password you are using to open their computer - not your Sonos password).
5. Select Add.

Additional Considerations

In some cases, the energy saving settings of a PC or Mac can prevent Sonos from being able to access the local Music Library. If this occurs, follow the steps below:

1. Ensure that the computer is connected to power while playing Music Library content.
2. Disable sleep mode:
   1. PC:
      1. Open the Start menu, and select Settings > System > Power & Sleep.
      2. Ensure Sleep is set to Never.
   2. Mac:
      1. Open System Settings > Battery > Options.
      2. Ensure that "Prevent automatic sleeping on power adapter when the display is off" is enabled.