WSE WorkFolders

WSE WorkFolders is a Windows Server Solutions add-in for use with Windows Server 2016 Essentials, Windows Server 2016 Standard/Datacenter with the Windows Server Essentials Experience (WSEE) server role, or Windows Server 2019 / 2022 / 2025 Standard/Datacenter with Windows Server Essentials Experience installed.

WSE WorkFolders makes it possible for administrators to use the Work Folders server role with their Windows Server Essentials (WSE) server. More specifically, WSE WorkFolders allows your users to securely sync their work files to your Windows Server Essentials server, and makes their work files available to them from all of the PCs and devices they use, even when they are offline. It’s a lot like OneDrive and DropBox, but instead of your user’s work files getting synced to the cloud (i.e. to someone else’s computer), they get synced to your very own on-premise Essentials server instead (using HTTPS encryption while in transit and Selective Wipe / EFS encryption while at rest).

Windows Server Essentials makes a great server for hosting Work Folders due to its secure Remote Web Access website functionality (which allows your users secure access to their files from anywhere they happen to be). However, since Work Folders is in-and-of-itself a web server (that uses the exact same standard HTTP and HTTPS ports as the Essentials server’s default IIS website), it conflicts with Windows Server Essentials and cannot be installed without disrupting the built-in Anywhere Access/Remote Web Access functionality of the server.

WSE WorkFolders comes to the rescue here, taking care of everything behind-the-scenes, and allowing you to use Work Folders with your Essentials server without fear of conflict. It even allows you to configure file storage quotas (which determine how much Work Folders storage space your users will have available on the server for syncing their files), file screens (which determine the types of files that your users will NOT be allowed to sync with the server), and revoke access to work files on compromised computers. Everything is controlled effortlessly from the comfort and familiarity of the Windows Server Essentials Dashboard, just as you’d expect it to be.

WSE WorkFolders requires Windows Server 2016, 2019, 2022, or 2025 (with the Windows Server Essentials Experience server role). WSE WorkFolders also requires that the built-in Remote Web Access feature of the Essentials server be turned on and properly configured with a domain name and a trusted SSL certificate (all of which is easily handled for you by the Anywhere Access Set Up wizard that’s included with the Essentials server). In addition, Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 10/11, Android, and iOS PCs and devices are all supported as Work Folders clients (either through the native Work Folders applet that is located in the Control Panel, or through the Work Folders app that is downloaded from the app store and installed on the device).

Screenshots

Installation Notes

Before installing the WSE WorkFolders add-in, you should ensure that your Essentials server has a working Internet connection, and that Anywhere Access/Remote Web Access has been configured on the server with a domain name and a trusted SSL certificate. For help with configuring Remote Web Access on your server see: Manage Remote Web Access in Windows Server Essentials

Once you have Anywhere Access/Remote Web Access properly configured on your server, you can then go ahead and install the WSE WorkFolders add-in by downloading and running its .EXE setup file from any of your connected Essentials client PCs (which, in turn, runs its .WSSX server add-in package file after verifying your installation environment). Or, you can download and run it directly from the Essentials server itself.

After the WSE WorkFolders add-in has been successfully installed, open the server Dashboard application, click on the new “WORK FOLDERS” item in the navigation pane, and then click on the “Enable Work Folders” task to enable Work Folders on your server.

For complete step-by-step instructions that detail installing and using WSE WorkFolders, please see the ReadMe.txt file included with the download.

WSE WorkFolders can be used completely free of charge for up to 21 days (with up to 5 users and an unlimited number of devices for each of the 5 users). To continue using WSE WorkFolders after that, you will need to purchase a license and register the add-in. Click the shopping cart link, located in the sidebar of this page, to purchase a license for WSE WorkFolders. Upon receipt of payment, you will be sent personalized registration information along with detailed instructions on how to register the add-in.

See Also

News – WSE WorkFolders

News – Revoke Access to Work Files on Compromised Computers

News – Installing Windows Server Essentials Experience On Windows Server 2019 / 2022 / 2025

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