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If you want to share your Windows 11 computer files with other computers and users on your local network, then this guide will show you how to do it.
Network file sharing allows multiple users to access the same files and folders from different devices and locations securely and quickly. This ensures that all members of a team have access to the same data at all times without any additional hassle, which makes collaboration and work easier.
In addition, file sharing simplifies data management and backup because these operations can be performed in a central location, reducing time and cost. Overall, Network File Sharing is a essential tool for both organizations and individual users and in this comprehensive guide, we’ll show you how to share files with others in Windows 11 easily and securely.*
* Notes:
1. The instructions in this guide also apply to Windows 10.
2. If you want to share only a specific file (and not a folder) with a nearby device via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi see the part-6 of this tutorial.
How to share folders and files securely in Windows 11?
1. Prepare Computers for File Sharing.
2. Enable Network Discovery & File Sharing.
3. Share a Folder using Windows Explorer.
4. Connect to the Shared Folder.
Part 1. Prepare Computers for File Sharing.
Before you can start sharing files between your computers on Windows 11, there are a few things you need to know and do:
1. Network file sharing only works for devices that communicate with each other over a network. So, if you want to share files with other users on your local network, make sure their computers are connected to the same network as your computer.
2. On Windows, the Network File Sharing works only if computers belongs to the same Workgroup. So, before you go any further, make sure that all the computers you want to share your files with, have the same workgroup name as your computer.
To view or change the Workgroup name:
1. Type workgroup in the search and then click Change Workgroup name.
2. Now notice the Workgroup Name and If its different on a computer, click Change to set the correct name.
3. If you’re using a Microsoft account to log in to your Windows 11 PC and have set up features like a PIN, face recognition, or passwordless sign-in, sharing your files with others might be a bit difficult. To avoid any potential issues and to make your life easier it’s a good idea to create at least one new local account and use it when setting the file sharing permissions. (To create a new local account in Windows 10/11, read these instructions).
Part 2. How to Enable Network File Sharing on Windows 11.
Step 1. Turn on Network Discovery & File Sharing on Windows Settings.
Enabling Network Discovery and File Sharing allows devices on the same network to “find” each other, communicate and share files and resources with each other. So, the first step you need to take to be able to share files on your network is to enable the Network Discovery and File Sharing features on the computer on which you want to share files.
1. Right-click on Start menu and open Settings.
2. Next, navigate to the Network & internet section on the left and click on Advanced network settings on the right.
3. Now, click on Advanced sharing settings under More settings.
4. Expand your current network profile (Public or Private), and make sure Network discovery and File and printer sharing are enabled.
Step 2. Enable or Disable Password Protected Sharing.
By default, Windows 11 protects your shared files with a password, which means you need the login credentials of a user on the computer sharing the files to access them.
To view the current “Password Protected Sharing” setting, go to: Settings > Network & internet > Advanced network settings > Advanced sharing settings > All Networks.
If you don’t want others to enter a username and password to “see” the shared files, proceed and disable the Password Protected Sharing under the All Networks section.*
* IMPORTANT: It is not recommended to disable password protection, as this will expose your shared files to security risks because any computer or user on your network will have access to them.
Step 3. Enable SMB Features (Optional)*
If you need to share files with other computers running older Windows versions (e.g. Windows 8/8.1, Windows 7 or Windows XP), you need to enable the SMB file sharing support feature.*
* Note: Skip this step if you don’t have other Windows 8/8.1, 7 or XP devices that you want to share your files with.
1. Click the Start menu, type windows features, and then click Turn Windows features on or off.
2a. In the Windows Features window, expand the SMB 1.0/CIFS File Sharing Support and check the following two options:
- SMB 1.0/CIFS Client
- SMB 1.0/CIFS Server
2b. When done, click OK to install the selected features and when the installation ends, restart the computer for changes to take effect.
Part 3. How to Share your Files on Windows 11.
On Windows 11, you can share files and folders over the network using the basic ‘Share‘ option or with the ‘Advanced Sharing’ option. The basic ‘Sharing’ option is the simpler way to quickly share folders with basic permissions, while ‘Advanced Sharing’ offers more detailed control over access and security settings for specific users or groups.
Method 1: Share Files to Everyone or to Specific Users with Basic Sharing.
1. To share a folder with others, start by opening File Explorer and finding the folder you want to share.
2. Now, right-click on the folder you want to share and select Properties. *
* Alternatively: Right-click the folder, and select Show more options. Then, click Give access to, then select Specific people.
3. In the folder properties window, switch to the Sharing tab and click the Share button.
4. From the drop-down menu, select Everyone* from the drop-down list or select the specific user/account you want to share files with. Otherwise, if you want, you can click the Create New User option to create a new local account
* Note: When sharing files to “Everyone”, means that any user account on the computer will have access to the shared files.
5. After selecting the user you want to have access to the shared files, click the Add button. *
* Note: If you want to select multiple users, select one at a time, click the “Add” button and then do the same for the rest users.
6. Next, for each added user, click on the username and set the permissions you want to assign for the shared folder under the “Permission Level” section:
● Read: Users can browse and open files within the folder but they cannot modify them.
● Read/Write: Users can browse, open, edit, and delete content in the shared folder.
7. After configuring the permissions, click the Share button to start sharing the selected folder.
8. In the final window, right-click the shared folder and choose Copy Link to get the network path.
9. Finally, share this link with others who need access to the shared folder.*
* Note: Read the instructions on part-4 below to learn how to access the shared folder from other PCs.
Method 2: Share Files to Specific Users with Advanced Sharing.
The Advanced Sharing option provides more control over a folder’s sharing settings and permissions. For example, you can give your shared folder a different name, control the number of concurrent users, fine-tune access permissions, etc..
1. Right-click on the folder you want to share and choose Properties.
2. Now select the Sharing tab and click on Advanced Sharing button.
3. At the Advanced Sharing options window:
3a. Check the Share this folder box at the top.
3b. If you’d like to assign a different name to the folder for sharing purposes, specify it in the ‘Share name’ field.
3c. Set the maximum number of users who can access the shared folder simultaneously or leave the default setting (20).
3d. Optionally, you can include additional comments or notes for the shared folder in the Comments box.
4. Now click the Permissions button to specify the permissions on the shared folder:
5. In the “Permissions for…” window that appears, you will see that -by default- every user on the computer (Everyone), will have Read only permissions on the shared folder. Now according your desire, do one the following:
- Click OK if you want to share the folder with Read only permissions to Everyone and continue to step-6 below.
- Check the Change box, if you want all users to read, execute, write, and delete files or folders inside the shared folder. Then click OK and continue to step-6 below.
- Check the Full Control checkbox in you want to share the folder with full read-write permissions allowing also the users to take the ownership of the shared folder and its files. Then click OK and continue to step-6 below.
- Click the Add button, if you want to grant access to the shared folder to specific users only and continue reading below.
5a. In the Select Users or Groups dialog that appears, click on Advanced.
5b. Then, click Find Now to list all the accounts on the computer.
5c. Under ‘Search results’ section, choose the user(s) that will have access to the shared folder and click OK. (To select multiple users, hold down the Ctrl key while making your selections).
5d. Click OK again to confirm your selection.
5e. Now, in “Permissions for…” you’ll see the added user(s). Select each user and then set their permissions on the shared folder, considering the following:
- Full Control: This permission allows users to view, modify, and adjust permissions, including taking ownership of files.
- Change: Users can read, execute, write, and delete files and folders within the shared folder.
- Read: Users are permitted only to open and view the contents of the files and folders.
* Note: By default Everyone is granted Read permission by default. Leave this setting as is.
5f. When done, click Apply and then OK.
6. If you want to ensure that the shared content remains available on the remote computer(s) even when the computer with the shared folder is offline, configure the caching settings. Enabling caching means that copies of the shared files are stored locally on the remote computers.
6a. To configure caching, click the Caching button in the Advanced Sharing window.
6b. In the Offline Settings window, choose one of the three caching settings and click OK:
● Only the files and programs that users specify are available offline: Users can manually select specific files and programs to be cached for offline access.
● No files or programs from the shared folder are available offline: No files will be cached for offline access.
● All files and programs that users open from the shared folder are automatically available offline: This option caches all files and programs opened from the shared folder for offline access. ( if the Optimize for performance checkbox is also selected, Windows prioritizes performance over storage space efficiency).
* Note: This is the recommended setting if you share a folder with multiple users.
7. After specifying the sharing settings and permissions click Apply and then OK to save your settings.
8. Now copy the shared folder’s Network Path and inform it to others who needs access to the folder.* Then click Close and you’re done!
* Note: Read the instructions on part-4 below to learn how to access the shared folder from other PCs.
Part 4. How to connect to a Shared Folder.
To connect to the shared folder from another computer, copy and paste the network path of the shared folder into either the Explorer’s address bar or in the RUN command utility (Windows + R) and press Enter. Then, when prompted, type the username and password of a user that has access to the shared folder and press OK.
For example: If the PC with the shared folder is named “Desktop20” and the shared folder is maned “Shares”, then type in the Explorer’s address bar or in the RUN utility one of the following:
- \Desktop20Shares to navigate directly to the shared folder
- \Desktop20 to see all the shared folders on the PC.
Part 5. How to Stop File Sharing.
If you want to stop sharing your files with others, follow these steps:
1. Right-click on the shared folder and choose Show more options.
2. In the older context menu, click on Give access to and then click Remove access.
3. Finally, click on Stop sharing.
Part 6. Share a File to Nearby devices.
Nearby sharing in Windows 10/11 is a new feature, that allows you to share files (not folders) with nearby devices running Windows 10 or Windows 11 via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. To share a folder to a nearby device:
Step 1. Enable Nearby Sharing.
1. Go to Start > Settings > System > Nearby sharing
2. Then select the Everyone nearby option to share files with any Windows 10/11 computer connected on the same Wi-Fi network. When done, go to any
3. When you’re done, follow the same steps and enable Nearby sharing on any other device you want to share files with.
Step 2. Share a Single File to a Nearby device.
1. After enabling the “Nearby sharing” (on both devices), right-click on the file that you want to share and select Show More Options.
2. From the new context menu, click Share.
3. Click on the name of the device you want to share with.
4. Then, on the selected device, click Save & open or Save when the notification appears.
That’s it! 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.