SHARING ON NETWORK

The first time you connect to a network, you'll be asked if you want to turn on sharing between PCs and connect to network devices such as printers. Your answer automatically sets the appropriate firewall and security settings for the type of network that you connected to. You can turn sharing on or off at any time.

To turn sharing on or off

1. Tap or click to view available networks.
   

2. Press and hold or right-click the network you're connected to, then tap or click Turn sharing on or off.
   Menu used to turn sharing on or off

3. Do one of the following:
   

   • Choose Yes, turn on sharing and connect to devices for home or small office networks, or when you know and trust the people and devices on the network. This setting allows your PC to connect to devices on the network, such as printers.
     

   • Choose No, don't turn on sharing or connect to devices for networks in public places (such as coffee shops or airports), or when you don't know or trust the people and devices on the network.
     

     Notes

     • Turning sharing on prepares your PC for sharing files and devices on a network. For more information about sharing with other people on your network, see Sharing files and folders on a network or a shared PC.
       

     • The network sharing setting is only available for WiFi, Ethernet, VPN (non-domain) and dial-up (non-domain) connections. It's unavailable for domain networks. On VPN or dial-up connections, you must connect to the network first, then press and hold or right-click the network name to change the network sharing setting.
       

     • Turning on sharing changes your firewall settings to allow some communication, which can be a security risk. If you know you won't need to share files or printers, the safest choice is No, don't share or connect to devices.
       

     • Choosing No, don't turn on sharing or connect to devices blocks the following applications and services from working: PlayTo, file sharing, network discovery and automatic setup of network devices.
       

Network discovery is a setting that affects whether your computer can see (find) other computers and devices on the network and whether other computers on the network can see your computer. It's one of several settings that are turned on when you turn on network sharing. You can turn network discovery on or off independently of network sharing, but we discourage this. Here's why. If you're connected to a network in a public location and you decide to turn on network discovery but leave network sharing turned off, the network discovery setting will be on for every public network you connect to from then on. This wouldn't be safe. That's why we recommend using the network sharing setting instead.

However, if for some reason you need to turn network discovery on or off independently of the network sharing setting, here's how to do it:

1. Tap or click to open Advanced sharing settings.
   

2. Tap or click the chevron to expand your current network profile.

3. Tap or click Turn on network discovery or Turn off network discovery, then click Save changes. You might be asked for an admin password or to confirm your choice.
   

1. Open Windows Explorer, and then locate the drive or folder you want to share.
2. Right-click the drive or folder, and then click Sharing and Security.
   • If you are sharing a drive, on the Sharing tab, click If you understand the risk but still want to share the root of the drive, click here.
   • If you are sharing a folder, go to the next step.
3. Do one of the following:
   • If the Share this folder on the network check box is available, select the check box.
   • If the Share this folder on the network check box is not available, this computer is not on a network. If you would like to set up a home or small office network, click the Network Setup Wizard link and follow the instructions to turn on file sharing. Once file sharing is enabled, begin this procedure again.

• To open Windows Explorer, click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Windows Explorer.
• When you share a drive or folder, anyone who has user access to the network can read the contents of that drive or folder. If you want to remove the drive or folder from the network, follow steps 1 and 2 above to get to the Sharing tab. On the Sharing tab, in Network sharing and security, clear the Share this folder on the network check box.
• To allow complete access to the contents of your shared drive or folder, follow steps 1 and 2 above to get to the Sharing tab. On the Sharing tab, in Network sharing and security, select the Allow network users to change my files check box.
• To change the name of your folder on the network, in the Share name text box, type a new name for your folder. This will not change the name of the folder on your computer.
• If you are logged on as a guest (a guest account provides access to the computer for any user who does not have a user account on the computer), you cannot create a shared folder.
• The Sharing option is not available for the Documents and Settings, Program Files, and WINDOWS system folders. In addition, you cannot share folders in other user's profiles.

• File sharing
  
• Public folder sharing
  
• Printer sharing
  
• Password protected sharing
  

• Locate other computers and devices on your home network and have other computers locate your computer
  
• Share its folders
  
• Share its Public folder
  
• Share its printers
  
• Require user names and passwords for other computers that connect to the shared folders and printers of this computer
  

1. In the Sharing and Discovery section of the Network and Sharing Center window, click the down arrow next to File sharing.
   
2. Within the File sharing settings, click Turn on file sharing, and then click Apply.
   

1. In the Sharing and Discovery section of the Network and Sharing Center window, click the down arrow next to Public folder sharing.
   
2. Within the Public folder sharing settings, click one of the following:
   
   • If you want to share the public folder so that other computers on the network can access the Public share to open files, but not create or change files, click Turn on sharing so anyone with network access can open files. This is the default setting.
     
   • If you want to share the public folder so that other computers on the network can access the Public share to open files and also create or change files, click Turn on sharing so anyone with network access can open, change, and create files.
     
3. Click Apply.
   

1. In the Sharing and Discovery section of the Network and Sharing Center window, click the down arrow next to Printer sharing.
   
2. Within the Printer sharing settings, click Turn on printer sharing, and then click Apply.
   

1. In the Sharing and Discovery section of the Network and Sharing Center window, click the down arrow next to Password protected sharing.
   
2. Within the Password protected sharing settings, click Turn on password protected sharing, and then click Apply.