Guide: Fix ‘Win­dow 10 File Shar­ing Isn’t Working’ Issue

In recent years, Microsoft has greatly simplified file sharing on Windows. Now you just need to one button or two to make your files visible to other users on the same network. Interestingly, file sharing is not limited to Windows computers only as you can even view your files on an Android device phone Sometimes file sharing stops abruptly, or you cannot properly view your files on other devices. That can get pretty frustrating. But don’t worry because we will help you solve the problem. Here are 7 solutions that will get file sharing back on track in Windows 10. Let’s start.

1. Restart your computer

Don’t be surprised. If you haven’t tried rebooting your computer yet, doing it right away is a good choice.

2. Use file sharing properly

It is important to follow all steps correctly to make sure file sharing works as it should. First, you need to turn on file and network sharing. Second, you have to share the files. Here are the steps for both.

Turn on File Sharing

While file sharing is enabled by default on Windows 10 for private networks, you should start by confirming the same. To do this, follow these steps: Step 1: Search for Control Panel in Windows Search and open it. Step 2: Click Network and Sharing Center.

Step 3: Click on Change advanced settings in the left sidebar.

Step 4: Under Private (current profile), make sure that Enable network discovery and Enable file and printer sharing are checked. Tip For security, go to Guest or Public and make sure both settings are turned off. Always enable file sharing only on private networks such as your home and not in public places such as cafes or airports.

Share Files

Just turning on network discovery and file sharing doesn’t mean the computers on your network can automatically access all of your files. You must share the item manually, it can be a folder or a drive. To do this, follow these steps: Step 1: Right-click the item you want to share. Click on Properties.

Step 2: Go to the Sharing tab and click Advanced Sharing.

Step 3: Switch Share this folder and click Apply followed by Ok. By default, the permissions are set to read only. That is, others can only see the folder and cannot change it. To change the permissions, click Permissions and change them as needed.

The above step makes your folder visible to all users on your local network. To share it with a few selected people, click Share in step 2. From the drop-down list, select the user with whom you want to share the file. Pro Tip: If both network discovery and file sharing are turned on, turn them off once. Restart your PC and then turn them back on. Now you can access the folder on other computers. Repeat the steps in the same way for other files and folders.

Check whether the folder is shared or not

Right click on a folder and go to ‘Grant access to’ and you will see Remove access option. That does not mean that the folder is shared. By default, the option is available for all folders. To check if the folder is shared, right-click on it and go to Properties. Then click on the Sharing tab. Under Network file and folder sharing, you will see the Shared label along with the path.

3. Turn password protection off and on

If Password-protected Sharing is enabled, other users must have a user account on your PC or know your username and password. You can try turning this off feature and see if the sharing works. To turn it off, go to Control Panel> Network and Sharing Center> Change advanced sharing settings (in the left pane). Then, under All networks, check the box next to Disable password protected sharing.

4. Use the correct login information

If you want to use the password, make sure to enter the correct password on other computers. Try it with your local username and password as well as your Microsoft account information. To confirm the username, go to C Drive followed by Users. Here the folder names represent the different users on your PC.

5. Switch between file sharing connections

While the recommended way is to go with 128-bit encryption, some devices support 40 or 56-bit encryption. So try switching to the other and see if that fixes the problem. To do this, open Control Panel> Network and Sharing Center> Change advanced sharing settings (in the left sidebar). Under All Networks> File Sharing Connections, try both.

6. Allow file and printer sharing in the firewall settings

To do this, follow these steps: Step 1: Go to Control Panel followed by Windows Defender Firewall.

Step 2: Click Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall.

Step 3: Make sure File and Printer Sharing is turned on in the list. Pro Tip You can also try disabling Windows Defender temporarily to see if that helps solve the problem.

7. Disable Antivirus on your PC

Sometimes antivirus is also responsible for erratic file sharing behavior. So try to disable it temporarily and see if it fixes the problem. If file sharing works properly after disabling the antivirus, check if there is an update available for the antivirus or if you may need to use a different one.

Tip: Identify shared folders

To find out which folders are currently being shared, type localhost in the address bar of your file explorer and press Enter.

You can also go to the network from the left pane in the file explorer. Click on your computer name here.

Easy to share

We hope the above solutions helped you solve the file sharing problem. If you are trying to share files between PC and Android, you can also take the help of third-party apps. For sharing files between PC and iOS, third-party apps also come to the rescue. The next up You must have noticed the Focus Assist icon in the Action Center. What is it? How is it useful? Read the following post to find out all the answers.

Fix ‘Win­dow 10 File Shar­ing Isn’t Working’ Issue: benefits

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