Set up a remote file server on a Windows VPS
Your shared folders on an always-on Windows machine in France, with per-user permissions and access over RDP.
Starting at €13/mo
Introduction
A remote file server is a shared folder that no longer lives on the box sitting in the office cupboard, but on a Windows machine that stays powered on in a French datacenter. At By-Hoster the entry configuration for this use is Windows - Plus at €13/month incl. VAT: 8 vCores, 16 GB of RAM, 200 GB of SSD and 500 Mbps. The server is delivered in 10 minutes, with its dedicated IPv4 address and Administrator account.
Let us say straight away what many providers leave out: you do not expose an SMB share directly on the Internet. Port 445 stays closed to the outside, however strong your passwords are. File access therefore happens from an RDP session opened on the server, or through an encrypted tunnel that you set up yourself. We would rather write it down plainly than sell you a magic network drive.
The real sizing question is the disk: 50 GB on Core, 200 GB on Plus, 500 GB on Max and 800 GB on Titan. Count generously — site photos and scans grow faster than spreadsheets. Two things to keep in mind before ordering: the Microsoft licence is on you, and snapshots are not a backup since they live alongside the server. Keep a copy somewhere else.
What the server includes, and what it does not
From 50 to 800 GB depending on the plan
Core 50 GB, Plus 200 GB, Max 500 GB, Titan 800 GB, on NVMe storage. For a file server this is the line that decides, not the processor: our published rule of 4 GB of RAM for light use is already exceeded by the 8 GB of the entry plan.
Per-user permissions, defined by you
You have full administrator access: you create the Windows accounts, split the folder tree and set permissions team by team. That configuration is yours, on a system we deliver bare — we do not handle application setup.
RDP access, no SMB exposed
Normal access is the RDP session, tuned up to 60 FPS, with 2 concurrent administrative sessions. The SMB share stays internal to the machine or travels inside a tunnel you build. Beyond 2 sessions, Microsoft requires RDS CAL licences, which you buy yourself.
Snapshots, dedicated IPv4, Anti-DDoS
Snapshots and reinstallation from the client area, a fallback VNC console, a dedicated IPv4 address, Anti-DDoS protection and human 24/7 support by ticket, Discord and phone. No commitment, 48-hour money-back guarantee, 10% off with annual billing.
What a hosted file server is for
Replacing the box in the cupboard
The office shared drive fails on a Friday evening and nobody works on Monday. Here the machine lives in a French datacenter and you only manage its contents and its folder tree.
Site photos and drawings
The 200 GB of the Plus plan represent roughly 40,000 photos of 5 MB. One folder per project, one account per site manager, without emailing files back and forth all day.
Archives and supporting documents
Quotes, invoices, scans and client files kept in one place instead of scattered across workstations. We tell you where the files are; we certify no evidential value and no legal archiving.
The same folder from home
Someone working remotely opens an RDP session and finds the exact folder tree of the office. Nothing to resynchronise at night, nothing to copy onto a USB stick before leaving.
Opening access to a contractor
A dedicated Windows account limited to a single folder beats a public link sent by email. The scope of that access, and how it fits your contracts, remains your decision.
Moving up a size
Start on Plus at €13/month with 200 GB and move to Max (500 GB) or Titan (800 GB, 1000 Mbps) when the folder tree grows. No hardware to buy again or write off.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, and it is a common use. You get a complete Windows machine with administrator access: you build the folder tree, the user accounts and the shares exactly as you would on a physical server. The difference is the route in. On the office network you map a network drive; remotely you go through an RDP session or an encrypted tunnel. Internally, the behaviour is identical to a classic file server.
Not directly over the Internet, and it is better to know that before ordering. An SMB share relies on port 445, whose public exposure is universally discouraged. Two sensible routes: work inside the RDP session, where the server folders are local folders, or carry SMB through a tunnel you set up yourself, for instance a VPN you install on the machine with your own hands. We do not sell a magic network drive.
Four configurations, monthly prices incl. VAT: Core at €8 (4 vCores, 8 GB, 50 GB), Plus at €13 (8 vCores, 16 GB, 200 GB), Max at €26 (16 vCores, 32 GB, 500 GB) and Titan at €49.99 (24 vCores, 64 GB, 800 GB, 1000 Mbps). Annual billing takes 10% off. That price covers the machine, the network and the support; it does not include the Microsoft licence or any RDS CAL licences.
Orders of magnitude, not a commitment: 50 GB hold the office documents of a small structure, around 50,000 files of one megabyte. 200 GB represent roughly 40,000 site photos of 5 MB, or several years of scanned accounting archives. 500 and 800 GB suit high-resolution scans, drawings and photo libraries. Plan for double your current volume: a shared folder tree never shrinks.
Windows Server allows 2 concurrent administrative RDP sessions. Two people can work comfortably, or one person while a contractor steps in. To open application RDP access to more colleagues, Microsoft requires RDS CAL licences that you buy yourself: we neither supply nor resell them. Budget the matching RAM too, since every open session takes its share — an argument for the 16 GB of the Plus plan.
With the Windows tools, which you drive as administrator: one account per person, a folder tree split by team or by client, and permissions set folder by folder. Nothing forces you to give everyone the same level of access. To be clear about who does what: By-Hoster delivers a bare system, and configuring accounts and permissions is down to you or your IT provider.
No, and that matters. What is included are snapshots, triggered from the client area: they freeze the state of the machine and let you roll back after a bad manipulation or a failed update. But a snapshot lives on the same infrastructure as the server: it is not an off-site backup. Keep a copy of your folders outside the VPS, at your premises or elsewhere. We would rather say it than let you assume otherwise.
In our single DC-FR_NA(01) datacenter in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France, operated directly by the association's technical team. Virtualisation runs on KVM with Proxmox. Your data stays under French jurisdiction, within the GDPR framework, with no transfer outside the European Union. By-Hoster is a French non-profit association (RNA W162005815, SIRET 92395660100010) founded in 2023. We claim no sector certification and promise no industry compliance: we say where the files are, nothing more.
The simplest first transfer: open the RDP session on the new server and pull the data from a source you control, the link being 500 Mbps on Core, Plus and Max, and 1000 Mbps on Titan. Allow an evening for large volumes, then trigger a snapshot once the folder tree is in place. The migration remains your project: our 24/7 support covers the machine, the system and the network, not copying your folders.
Yes: the Microsoft licence is on you. We install the system, we neither supply nor resell licences. Three choices at checkout, at no extra cost: Windows Server 2025 (security updates until 14 November 2034), Windows Server 2022 (security until 14 October 2031) and Windows 11. For a shared file server, rule out Windows 11: it is a client operating system, not designed to host a multi-user service. The choice can be changed later through a reinstall.