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If you running Windows 11 version 24H2 and you don’t “see” all the computers on your network, then this guide will help you to fix the problem.
Symptom: After installing Windows 11 24H2, network-connected computers, even the “host” computer, do not appear in File Explorer > Network (aka “Network Explorer”). As a result, users cannot access shared files and printers from other computers on the network.
The symptom of “network computers not shown” in “Network Explorer” is an old problem that first appeared in Windows 10, and in a previous tutorial we showed how to fix it.
But, since this problem is still not fixed by Microsoft and it exists even in Windows 11 24H2, in this guide we will show you how to deal with it, because most of the old methods in our old tutorial no longer work.
How to FIX: Windows 11 24H2 Not Showing All Network Computers.
Below you will find instructions on how to force Windows 11 24H2 to show all computers on the network according to the type of network profile you’re using: Private or Public.
- Private: This network profile should be selected when connecting to a trusted and secure network. When you choose the ‘Private’ network profile, your computer is discoverable to other devices on the network, and you can use your computer to share files and printers.
- Public: This network profile should be selected when connecting to public or insecure networks outside your home or workplace (eg networks in hotels, airports, coffee shops, etc.). When you choose the ‘Public’ network profile, by default, your computer is hidden from other devices on the network, and the File and print sharing is disabled.
Step 1. Set the Same Network Profile on all network PCs.
To be able to “see” all computers connected to the same network, you must first set them all to the same type of network profile (Private or Public). To do that:
1. Right-click on the Wi-FI icon (Wireless connection) or the Ethernet icon (Cable connection) in the taskbar to Open Network & Internet Properties.*
* Note: If you don’t see the network icon, navigate to Start > Settings > Network & Internet.
2. In the “Network and Internet Settings” section, under ‘Properties’, you will see the currently defined network profile (Public or Private). To change it, just click on ‘Properties’ and…
3. …set your preferred Network profile type (Public or Private)*. When, done, proceed to next step.
* Recommendation: If the network you are connecting to is trusted, select the network profile “Private“, otherwise, in untrusted networks, select the “Public” network profile.
Step 2. Change Advanced Sharing Settings.
Now, according the selected network profile, follow the instructions in the corresponding section below to change the sharing settings on all PCs on your network.
1. Change Sharing Settings in PRIVATE networks.
If you are using a “Private” network profile type, do the following on any network computer that you want to be discoverable and visible on the network.*
1. Navigate to Network & internet options and then click Advanced network settings and then open the Advanced Sharing settings.
2. In Advanced sharing settings, do the following:
a. Under Private networks: Turn ON the Network Discovery and the File and Print sharing.
b. Under Public networks: Turn OFF the Network Discovery and the File and Print sharing.
c. Under All networks:
- Turn Off the Public folder sharing if you don’t want other users from the network to read/write files in ‘Public folders’ on this PC.
- Turn ON the Password protected sharing), if you want to require users to provide a username and a password on this PC to access its files.*
* Note: If the computer always remains on a trusted private network, you can set the “Password protected sharing” to “OFF“, in order to allow other users on that network to access its files, printers, and public folders without requiring a username and a password (although this is not recommended). If you do this, and you cannot access the shared items from other PCs, follow the instructions in this tutorial to force Windows 11 to allow insecure logins.
* Recommendation: To keep your computer secure when sharing files/folders on it, it is recommended to set a password for your account and create different accounts and passwords for each user on the network who will have access to the files you share. (this will also help you to set different permissions for each user in the shared folders/files).
3. After making the above changes, check if you can “see” all the computers in the network in File Explorer > Network. If not, proceed to step-3 below.
2. Change Sharing Settings in PUBLIC networks.
If you are using a “Public” network profile type, do the following on any network computer that you want to be discoverable and visible on the network.
1. Navigate to Network & internet options, then click Advanced network settings and then open the Advanced sharing settings.
2. In Advanced sharing settings, do the following:
a. Under Public networks: Turn On the Network Discovery and the File and Print sharing.
b. Under All networks:
- Turn OFF the Public folder sharing to prevent other users from the network to read/write files in ‘Public folders’ on this PC.
- Turn ON the Password protected sharing, to require users to provide a username & password on this PC to access its files.*
* Recommendations:
1. To keep your computer secure when sharing files/folders on it, it is recommended to set a password for your account and create different accounts and passwords for each user on the network who will have access to the files you share. (this will also help you to set different permissions for each user in the shared folders/files). If you do this, and you cannot access the shared items from other PCs, follow the instructions in this tutorial to force Windows 11 to allow insecure logins.
2. When sharing files on a laptop that you use outside the office, never connect (via Wi-Fi or cable) to untrusted public networks (e.g. on hotels, airports, etc.), and if you must connect to the internet, do so via your mobile (hotspot).
If you still can’t do this and need to connect to a PUBLIC untrusted network (either via Wi-Fi or Ethernet), turn OFF the Network Discovery & the File and print sharing in both ‘Private’ and ‘Public’ network profiles.
3. After modifying the sharing settings, check if the networked computers appear in File Explorer > Network, and if not, proceed to the next step.
Step 3. Set the “FDPHOST” & “FDResPub” services to start Automatically.
The Function Discovery Resource Publication (FDResPub) and the Function Discovery Provider Host (fdPHost) are Windows services that helps make your computer discoverable on a network but are started manually by default. To force these services to start automatically:
1. Open “Windows Services” on any PC you made the above changes. To open Services:
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Press the Windows + R keys to open the Run command box.
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Type services.msc and click OK.
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2a. Double-click on Function Discovery Provider Host service to open its properties.
2b. Change the Startup type to Automatic and click OK.
3a. Then open the Function Discovery Resource Publication service’s properties.
3b. Change the Startup type from Manual to Automatic and click OK.
4. Close Services and restart the computer.
5. At this point, you should normally be able to “see” the computer you made the above changes to, from other computers in their Network Explorer.
Additional Help/Info
1. By default the ‘FDResPub’ service is triggered to run only when a “PRIVATE” network profile is selected and not for “PUBLIC” profiles. So, if you still don’t “see” a computer on the Network and you’re using a “PUBLIC” network profile, go ahead and remove the “PRIVATE PROFILE” trigger from the ‘FDResPub’ service on that computer. To do this:
* Note: This solution usually applies when using a “PUBLIC” network profile, but you can even try it on a “PRIVATE” profile.
1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator and type the following command:
- sc triggerinfo FDResPub delete
2. Restart the PC and check if the Network Explorer, shows all the network computers. *
* Note: If you want to verify that the deleted trigger makes the computer “invisible” to the network, you can restore the trigger with the command below.
- sc triggerinfo FDResPub start/strcustom/fbcfac3f-8460-419f-8e48-1f0b49cdb85e/PROFILE_CHANGED_TO_PRIVATE
2. After following the above instructions, you will find that although you see all the other computers in Network, your own computer does not appear.
This is another bug, that comes from Windows 10, and the only solution to bypass this issue is to restart the Function Discovery Resource Publication (FDResPub) service. However, keep in mind that this approach works temporarily because after several minutes your computer’s name will disappear again from its own Network Explorer.
Other solutions to fix the problem are to create a batch file to restart the FDResPub service whenever you want or to create a scheduling task to automatically restart the FDResPub service every 1 minute via the Task Scheduler. If you want to do this, read the instructions in this tutorial: FIX: Windows 10/11 does not show the name of your computer in your Network Explorer.
That’s it! Which solution worked for you?
Let me know if this guide has helped you by leaving your comment about your experience. Please like and share this guide to help others.
