COSMIC Files (the file manager for System76’s new COSMIC Desktop Environment) is currently in alpha/beta development, and its Samba (SMB) support is a known area of active work with several reported issues. If your Samba shares are broken or won’t connect, here are the most common causes and fixes:
Missing Dependencies On some distributions, COSMIC Files requires specific backends to handle network protocols like SMB.
Fix: Ensure you have the necessary gvfs packages installed. Users have reported that installing gvfs-smb or similar backends is required for Samba access to function in the file manager.
Silent Failures when Mounting A common bug involves the GUI dialog for mounting a Samba share “silently failing.” You might enter your credentials, but the share never appears in the sidebar.
Workaround: Try connecting via the terminal or using an alternative file manager (like Nautilus or Thunar) to verify the server is reachable. If it works elsewhere, it is a known bug in cosmic-files.
I went for Nautilus - Cosmic files and Samba IS just a bit too buggy at the moment
Permission and Lock Issues Users have reported that even when shares are successfully mounted, files may appear “locked” or cannot be edited.
Status: This is an open issue in the COSMIC Files GitHub repository. System76 frequently releases updates to the cosmic-epoch packages; ensure your system is fully updated to receive the latest fixes.
Broken Sidebar Links If you previously had a Samba share pinned and it now opens in a text editor or fails to load, the sidebar entry might be corrupted.
Fix: Right-click the entry to remove it and try re-adding the network location manually.
For persistent issues, you can track development or report new bugs on the official COSMIC Files GitHub Issues page. Are you seeing a specific error message when you try to connect, or is the share simply not appearing?