How to Auto Mount Network Drives in macOS 13

Automatically mounting network drives on macOS 13 Ventura eliminates the repetitive task of manually connecting to shared servers every time you restart or log in to your computer. This guide outlines the most effective methods to configure your Mac to automatically connect to SMB, AFP, or NFS network shares upon login using native System Settings and an alternative Automator script for improved reliability.

Method 1: Using System Settings (Login Items)

This is the simplest native method to automatically connect a network drive when your Mac boots up.

  1. Connect to the drive manually:
    • Open Finder.
    • Press Command + K to open the Connect to Server window.
    • Enter the server address (e.g., smb://192.168.1.100/share or smb://servername.local/share) and click Connect.
    • Enter your credentials and check the box to Remember this password in my keychain.
  2. Add the drive to Login Items:
    • Click the Apple menu () in the top-left corner and select System Settings.
    • In the sidebar, select General, then click on Login Items.
    • Under the Open at Login section, click the + (plus) button.
    • In the file picker sidebar, locate your connected server under Locations, select the specific mounted share/folder, and click Open.

The network volume will now attempt to mount every time you log in to your user account.

Method 2: Using Automator (More Reliable)

If your network takes a few seconds to connect at startup, the standard Login Items method may fail with a "Server cannot be found" error. An Automator application handles this delay more reliably.

  1. Open Automator from the Applications folder or via Spotlight.
  2. Select New Document, choose Application, and click Choose.
  3. In the search bar on the left, type Get Specified Servers and drag the action into the workflow area on the right.
  4. Click Add and enter the full server path (e.g., smb://servername.local/share).
  5. Search for Connect to Servers and drag it directly below the first action.
  6. (Optional) To handle slow Wi-Fi connections, search for Pause, drag it to the top before the other actions, and set it to 5 or 10 seconds.
  7. Go to File > Save, name the file (e.g., MountNetworkDrives), and save it to your Applications folder with the File Format set to Application.
  8. Go to System Settings > General > Login Items, click the + button under Open at Login, and add your newly created Automator application.

Important Considerations

  • Keychain Credentials: If your Mac continually prompts for a username and password upon login, verify that the login credentials for the share are saved in the Keychain Access app under the corresponding server name.
  • Network Availability: Both methods require an active network connection (Ethernet or Wi-Fi) at the moment of login. If you are off the local network, the mount attempt will fail silently or display a connection timeout alert.