Windows Network Shares Use SMB over Port 445

N10-009 By islever Editorial Last updated

Explain common networking ports, protocols, services, and traffic types.

Short answer

CF Use SMB (F) over TCP port 445 (C) for Windows client access to network shares, not FTP over port 21 or HTTPS over port 443.

Question

Which of the following are commonly used in Windows-based environments to facilitate file transfers between the client and network shares? (Choose two.)
  1. Port 21
  2. Port 443
  3. Port 445 Correct Answer
  4. FTP
  5. HTTPS
  6. SMB Correct Answer

Key Takeaways

This item tests whether you can separate native Windows share access (SMB over port 445) from generic file-transfer and web protocols by applying the network shares qualifier.

Windows clients access network shares through SMB, and modern SMB implementations use TCP port 445 directly, so options C and F are the correct pair.

Common mistake: Selecting D (FTP) and A (Port 21) because FTP transfers files; however, FTP is a separate client-server service and does not provide native Windows network-share access.

Expert Analysis

The qualifier that decides the question

The controlling constraint is network shares. It narrows the question from any file transfer to the native Windows file-and-printer-sharing mechanism. Windows-based environments reinforces that scope, and Choose two tells you the correct pair should be the protocol name and its matching TCP port, not two unrelated file-transfer services.

SMB and port 445

Option F, SMB, is the Windows-native file-sharing protocol used to reach shared folders. Modern SMB implementations run directly over TCP port 445, which is option C. The pair is consistent: the protocol provides share access, and the port is the transport endpoint it commonly uses. The supplied commentary makes the same point: SMB is the standard network file-sharing protocol natively used in Windows to share files, printers, and serial ports, and modern implementations run over TCP port 445. That makes C and F the correct two selections.

Why the other pairs fail

A and D belong together as FTP and its control port, 21. FTP is a file-transfer protocol, but it is a separate client-server service, not the mechanism Windows uses to present network shares. B and E are HTTPS and port 443; they carry web traffic and can download files, but they do not provide native SMB share access. Choosing D and E would select two valid transfer methods without satisfying the network shares constraint; choosing A and D makes the same mistake at the port/protocol level.

Exam takeaway

When a multi-select offers ports and protocols, match each protocol to its port and then apply every qualifier in the stem. Windows plus network shares leaves only SMB (F) and TCP 445 (C).

Official Reference

These links open the official vendor documentation in a new tab.

Exam Strategy

When a question pairs ports with protocol names, look for the matched pair that fits the stated context rather than counting any file-transfer option. Here, Windows and network shares point to SMB, whose modern direct TCP port is 445. Map FTP to 21 and HTTPS to 443, then reject the distractors that are real protocols but not native share access. This port-to-service mapping will also resolve similar N10-009 items about management, web, and mail protocols.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is port 445 the correct answer alongside SMB?

Modern SMB uses TCP port 445 directly for Windows file and printer sharing. Port 445 is the transport endpoint for the SMB protocol, so the protocol name and its port form the matching pair.

Can FTP transfer files to a Windows server even though it is not the answer?

Yes, if an FTP service is installed, but FTP is a separate file-transfer service and not the native Windows network-share mechanism described in the question.

Does HTTPS over port 443 provide access to Windows network shares?

No. HTTPS can download files from web servers over TCP 443, but it does not provide SMB-style access to shared folders on a Windows network.

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Community Votes

C
50%
F
50%

50% of anonymous learners picked answer C. Votes are pick records left by other test-takers — they are not the verified answer.

Discussion 1 contributions

Compiled from public community threads and reader submissions, lightly edited for clarity. Handles and vote tallies are shown as recorded, and comments reflect the views of individual contributors.

From public community threads 1

  1. ERB14 👍 1
    C. Port 445 & F. SMB: Server Message Block (SMB) is the standard network file-sharing protocol natively used in Windows environments to share files, printers, and serial ports between clients and network shares. Modern implementations of SMB run directly over TCP using Port 445.

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