Doesn't see the shared folder. How to Share Files and Folders (Easy Way for Home Network)

Many users, sooner or later, think about how to exchange files between two or more computers on a local network. As you already understood, in order to perform this action, you need to create a local network and all computers in it must be connected to one access point.

So, let's start sharing folders in Windows 7. For example, let's take several folders with different names.

Access is opened according to the following algorithm:

1. First, check your network sharing settings. To do this, right-click on the network icon near the clock on the taskbar. Select “Network and Sharing Center...” and follow the link “Change advanced settings...”;
   
   
2. Now you need to make all the settings in the same way as we will now demonstrate to you. Please note that some settings may have been customized initially, which is good. Once all the parameters are set as needed, click “Save Changes”. Remember that you must have administrator rights to do this;
   
   
   
   
3. The next step will be to create access. You can either limit the number of users who can edit/delete/add files to folders, or set full access (i.e., no restrictions at all), but we still recommend choosing the first option. To create open access, right-click on the folder and select “Properties”, and in them go to the “Access” tab;
   
4. In “Access” you see the “Sharing” button immediately highlighted - that’s what we need. Feel free to go to settings by clicking on this button;
5. In the settings window, you need to decide who you want to share with. Select the desired option from the drop-down list and click on it. Then change the attributes (permission level) from “Read” to “Read and Write”. After that, click “Sharing”;
   
   
6. After this, you will see that the folder is available via public access. Below, under the folder name, you will see the full name of the folder - its path through which you can enter it from another computer connected to the network. Click “Finish”. After this, we continue the settings in the “Properties” window;
   
   
7. Click on the “Advanced settings” button and limit users to 2. Then save the changes;
   

We carried out similar actions with another folder, now we have several shared resources, and we can see the entire list in the “Shared resource name” drop-down list of the “Advanced settings” window.

In this article we will set up a local network between two or more computers with Windows 7 (Windows 8) installed, which are connected via a Wi-Fi router. In fact, setting up a local network in Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10 is practically no different. Windows XP does have its own nuances; there are always some problems when setting up a network between Windows 7 and XP. But, more on this in a separate article, and it’s time to switch from Windows XP, it’s outdated.

It is clear that in order to set up a local network and share files, computers need to be somehow connected to each other. This can be done using a network cable; I will introduce a direct connection between two computers. But it is much more interesting to connect all computers through a router, which is now installed in almost every home and office. When connecting via a router, you can already set up a local network not only between two computers. You can connect all computers, and even mobile devices that are connected to one router, into a local network

For example, desktop computers can be connected to the router via a network cable, and laptops can be connected via a Wi-Fi network. It’s up to you what’s more convenient for you, and how it works out for you. It doesn’t matter whether the computer is connected to the router via Wi-Fi or cable, the local network will work. And it doesn’t matter what operating system you have installed, but I will show you using Windows 7 as an example.

And I will configure and display the network through a router, to which I have a laptop and a desktop computer connected via Wi-Fi. Both run on Windows 7. Now we will set up a local network between these two computers. We will also open shared access to folders and files. What is a local network between computers for? Mainly for file sharing. If you often need to transfer some files from one computer to another, then instead of running around with a flash drive, you can do this over the network. Well, you can play games online.

If your network also has a TV with a Smart TV, then you can configure access to movies on your computer from the TV. More details in the article.

Instructions for setting up a local network in Windows 7

Let me remind you that the computers that you want to connect to the network must be connected to the same router, or connected directly with a cable. Also, all the actions that I will show in this section must be performed on both computers.

Important point! If you want to set up a network through a Wi-Fi router to which some third-party devices are connected (for example, your neighbor), then after setup, he will be able to access those folders on your computer that you set up shared access to. Install a good one to protect your network. If you still need to connect third-party devices to your router, but want to set up a home network, then you can create a “guest network” for guests, as we did on the Zyxel router in .

One more thing. If you are setting up a network by connecting computers directly, without a router, then you will also need to set static IP addresses in the local network connection properties. If you are connected through a router, then you do not need to do anything additional, continue to follow the instructions.

1 First of all, we need to check that all computers are working in the same workgroup. This needs to be checked on all computers that will be connected to the local network.

We do this: press the key combination Win+R, and in the window that appears, specify the command sysdm.cpl. Click Ok.

Against Working group, most likely it will be written WORKGROUP. You can leave it. The main thing is that on other computers the workgroup should also be WORKGROUP.

If you want to change it, for example to MSHOME, then click the button Change, and specify a new group. Save the changes and restart your computer.

2 The second step is to change the sharing settings. We also perform these settings on all computers on the network. Now I'll show you what needs to be included.

Right-click on the Internet connection icon in the notification bar and open Network and Sharing Center. In the new window select Change advanced sharing options.

There will be two profiles. Home or Work, and General. Let's change the one that says current profile. You can make these settings for both profiles.

First of all, put the switch near Enable network discovery. Also, we turn on File and Printer Sharing, and turn on folder sharing. See screenshot below.

Scroll through the settings page, find and open the tab All networks, or General, and definitely disable Password Protected Sharing.

After these steps, it is advisable to restart the computer. These are all the settings, the local network should already be working. To check, you need to go to Explorer (My Computer) on one of the computers and open the tab on the left Net. All computers on the network will be displayed there. In the screenshot, you can see my computer, and another one from the network.

We can already log into a computer on our home network, there will be access to shared folders.

If you do not have computers on the network, or do not have access to a computer, then see the solutions at the end of this article.

Setting up file and folder sharing

As I wrote above, access to shared folders is already available. But, we may need to share access to some other folder, which is located, for example, on local drive D. This can be done without any problems. After we open shared access to the folder, all computers on the local network will be able to view the files in it, change them, and add new files to this folder (though this depends on what permissions we enable).

For example, I want to share the "Pictures" folder. To do this, right-click on it and select Properties. Go to the tab Access, and press the button Advanced setup. Place a tick next to the item Share this folder, and press the button Permissions.

In the window that opens after clicking the button Permissions, we need to set access rights to this folder. To ensure that network users can only view files, leave the checkbox next to Reading only. Well, for full access to the folder, with the ability to change files, check all three boxes.

Click Apply And Ok. In the window Advanced sharing setup, also press the buttons Apply And Ok.

In folder properties, go to the tab Safety, and click on the button Change. Another window will open in which we click on the button Add. We write in the field "All" and press Ok.

Selecting a group All, and below we tick off the access points we need for this folder.

That’s it, after these steps, this folder will be shared with all computers on the network. It starts working without rebooting, I checked. Open this folder from another computer:

It's all confusing, until you figure it out... It was possible to somehow make these settings easier and more understandable. But everything works. It turns out that I have access to a folder that is located on another computer. And this is all over the air, since both computers are connected to the router via Wi-Fi.

By the way, this folder will also be accessible from smartphones and tablets that are connected to this Wi-Fi router. To view network folders on Android, I recommend installing ES Explorer, or using standard Explorer. Everything is working:

Now we will also look at possible problems and errors that can very often be encountered during the setup process.

Possible problems and errors when setting up a home local network

If any errors or problems appear during the setup process, then first of all disable your antivirus, and other programs that may block the connection. If the problem is in the antivirus, then you will need to add your connection to the exceptions.

• Computers from the local network do not appear on the Network tab. In this case, we check the workgroup and sharing settings on all computers. Open a tab in Explorer Net, right-click on an empty area, and select Update. Another important point is that very often antiviruses and firewalls block access to the local network. Try disabling your antivirus for a while. You also need to make sure that there is a connection to the router.
• No access to the shared folder. Another problem is when we seem to have everything set up and shared access, but when we try to open a folder on a computer on the network, a message appears that we do not have access, do not have rights to access this folder, could not open the network folder, etc. Or, a username and password prompt appears.
  Be sure to check the sharing settings in the properties of this folder. There are a lot of settings, everything is confusing, perhaps something was missed. Well, again, disable the antivirus, it may block.
• A computer connected via Wi-Fi cannot be seen by other computers on the local network. Or vice versa. If your network is built from computers and laptops that are connected both wirelessly and via cable, then problems may arise with a certain connection. For example, laptops connected via Wi-Fi may not appear on the local network.
  In this case, pay attention to which profile you enabled network discovery for (settings at the beginning of the article). It is also advisable to assign home network status to connect to your Wi-Fi network. Well, be sure to try disabling your antivirus.

I think you succeeded. If you couldn’t configure something, then ask in the comments. Also, don’t forget to share your tips on this topic.

As we have already said in previous articles, a local network has a lot of useful features, in addition to organizing shared access to the Internet. In particular, you can exchange files without using various cloud services, instant messengers and email.

To do this, simply select one of the computers on the network that turns off less often than others, and create a folder on it that will be used as a file-sharing resource. If desired, there can be several such folders; the only condition is that folders on one computer must have unique network names. However, first things first.

Create a network folder for shared access

Create a folder

If the folder is intended to be used for collaboration with some Word, Excel, etc. documents, then, in principle, you can create such a folder on the desktop. If you plan to exchange large files, then you need to create this folder on the disk with the most free space. By default, the desktop contents are located on the system drive. And you must not allow your system disk space to run out. This may result in a crash of the operating system, which, of course, is not fatal, but unpleasant. Instead of doing the work, you will have to resolve the issue of reinstalling it.

Right-click on the desktop, or go through the icon Computer or Conductor to the desired disk and right-click on the free space there. Choose Create>Folder.

We call the new folder some original name, for example, Exchange.

Opening public access to the folder (sharing the folder)

In the window that opens, go to Access.

We see that the Exchange folder is not shared. To set up sharing, click on the button Advanced setup.

Here we check the box Share this folder and press the button Permissions.

As you can see, by default all network users have the right to only look into this folder and open the files in it. In order to make it possible to change files over the network, we check the box Full access. Checkbox Change will be entered automatically.

Click OK here and in the previous window.

Now we need to decide on the questions security.

Remember that this folder can be accessed by your entire network. If your network is home and there are no strangers on it, yourWi-The Fi-network is securely password-protected and no neighbors can use it, then we proceed further according to the instructions.

If this network is located in your office, in which a publicWi-Fi - you should take security issues more seriously. Read about this in the article about setting up secure sharing of files and folders.

Go to the tab Safety.

Here we click the button Change…

…Add in this window...

We write manually All in this window (or Everyone, if you have an English version of Windows) and click OK.

As always, a group of users All deprived and reduced in rights, so check the box Full access and press OK.

Now, if we go through the Network icon, even from this computer on which we shared access, we will see our daddy.

There is only one step left to complete so that all computers on the network have unhindered access to it.

Disabling password access to shared files and folders

Let's go to Control Panel- if you have Windows XP/Vista/7 - Start>Control Panel. If you have Windows 8.1/10, you need to right-click on the menu Start and select in the context menu Control Panel. In Windows 8, place the mouse in the lower right corner of the screen and select from the pop-up menu Settings>Control Panel.

Most likely something will open that resembles this:

This categorically does not suit us and in the upper right corner, where it says View: Category we click on Category and choose Small icons or Large icons, if you have a very high screen resolution or have vision problems.

Here we choose Network and Sharing Center.

We make sure that under our network name there is home network, Work network or Private network and move on to the next stage. If it's worth Community Network or Public network, then click on the link and in the window that opens, select any network other than public or public.

And choose Disable password protected sharing, then press Save changes.

That's it, now any computer on your network, having found this computer in the network environment, will be able to write any information to the folder, read it or delete it.

In the Windows operating system, you can connect shared access to a folder on a local home network to exchange data between computers using shared folders. This is a very convenient and fast way to transfer files computer-to-computer, without using external media (flash drives, external hard drives, memory cards, etc.).

In this article I will talk about creating a local network using the Windows 10 operating system as an example. Creating and setting up a local network in Windows 8 and Windows 7 is done in a similar way; these instructions are universal.

The article discusses the following option for using shared folders on a local network: several computers are connected to the router, connected via cable and wireless Wi-Fi network, united into a home network. A shared folder is created on each computer; all computers included in this local network have access to the shared folders.

On computers connected to the home local network, the operating systems Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7 (different OS, or the same operating system) can be installed, connected to the router via Wi-Fi or cable.

Creating and configuring a local network takes place in four stages:

• the first stage is checking the workgroup name and network card settings
• second stage - creating and configuring local network parameters
• third stage - connecting shared access to a folder on the local network
• fourth stage - data exchange over the local network

First you need to check the workgroup settings and network card settings, and then create a local Windows network.

Checking network card and workgroup settings

On the Desktop, right-click on the “This PC” icon (“My Computer”, “Computer”), select “Properties” from the context menu. In the “System” window, click on “Advanced system settings”.

In the “System Properties” window that opens, open the “Computer name” tab. Here you will see the workgroup name. By default, in Windows 10, a workgroup is named "WORKGROUP".

On all computers connected to this local network, the workgroup name must be the same. If the workgroups have different names on the computers you connect to the network, change the names by choosing one name for the workgroup.

To do this, click on the “Change...” button, in the “Changing computer or domain name” window, give a different name for the workgroup (write the new name in capital letters, preferably in English).

Now check your network card settings. To do this, in the notification area, right-click on the network icon (Internet access). Click on "Network and Sharing Center". In the Network and Sharing Center window, click the Change adapter settings link.

In the Network Connections window, select a network card, Ethernet or Wi-Fi, depending on how your computer connects to the Internet. Next, right-click on the network card and click on “Properties” in the context menu.

In the network card properties window, in the “Network” tab, select the “IP version 4 (TCP/IPv4)” component, and then click on the “Properties” button.

In the Internet Protocol Properties window that opens, in the “General” tab, check the IP address and DNS service settings. In most cases, these parameters are assigned automatically. If these parameters are inserted manually, check the corresponding addresses with your Internet provider (the IP address on computers connected to the network must be different).

After checking the settings, you can proceed directly to creating a local network in Windows.

Creating a local network

First of all, configure the local network settings in Windows. Enter the “Network and Sharing Center”, click on the “Change advanced sharing settings” item.

The Advanced Sharing Settings window allows you to change sharing settings for different network profiles. The Windows operating system creates a separate network profile with its own special parameters for each network used.

There are three network profiles available:

• Private
• Guest or public
• All networks

In your private network profile, under Network Discovery, select Enable Network Discovery.

In the File and Printer Sharing option, enable the Enable File and Printer Sharing option.

In the HomeGroup Connection option, select Let Windows manage HomeGroup connections (recommended).

After that, open the “All Networks” network profile. In the Public Folder Sharing option, select Enable sharing to allow network users to read and write files in public folders.

In the File Sharing Connection option, select the Use 128-bit encryption to secure sharing connections (recommended) option.

In the “Password Protected Sharing” option, enable the “Turn off Password Protected Sharing” option.

After completing the settings, click on the “Save Changes” button.

Repeat all these steps on all computers that you plan to connect to your home local network:

• check the workgroup name (name must be the same)
• check your network card settings
• In sharing settings, enable network discovery, enable file and printer sharing, disable password protected sharing

How to enable folder sharing

In this case, I created a folder named “General”. Right-click on this folder and in the folder properties window, open the “Access” tab.

Then click on the “Advanced setup” button.

In the “Advanced sharing settings” window, activate the “Share this folder” option, and then click on the “Permissions” button.

Select permissions to use shared folder data from another computer. There are three options to choose from:

• Full access
• Change
• Reading

To save the settings, click on the “OK” button.

Go back to the folder properties, open the “Security” tab, and then click on the “Change...” button.

In the window that opens, enter the name “Everyone” (without quotes) in the “Enter names of selected objects” field, and then click on the “OK” button.

In the folder properties window, in the “Security” tab, configure the permissions that you previously selected for the shared folder.

To change the permission for the “Everyone” group, click on the “Advanced” button. In the “Advanced security settings for a shared folder” window, select the “Everyone” group, and then click on the “Change” button to change permissions.

Setting up a local network in Windows is complete. In some cases, you may need to restart your computer for all changes to take effect.

Logging into your local home network

Open Explorer, in the “Network” section you will see all available computers connected to your local home network. To log into another computer, click on the computer name, and then click on the shared folder name to access the files and folders located in the shared folder.

The local network in Windows 10 has been created and configured.

Troubleshoot some network problems

Sometimes, after setting up the network, problems arise with accessing folders on the local network. One possible problem may be an incorrectly selected network profile. I encountered this myself on my computer. After reinstalling the system, I created and configured a local network, but my computer did not see two laptops connected to this network. From the laptop I could easily access the shared folder on my computer, but the computer did not see them at all.

I checked all the local network settings several times, and only then I noticed that my computer was running a public network, and not a private (home) network, like on laptops. How can such a problem be solved?

Enter the “Network and Sharing Center”, click on “Troubleshooting”. Select the “Shared Folders” section and run diagnostics and troubleshooting. At the very end, the application will offer to configure the network as private. Apply this fix, and then restart your computer. After performing this operation, my computer gained access to shared folders on laptops on the local network.

Often problems arise due to incorrect network configuration. Windows 10 has the option to reset network settings to default settings. Go to “Settings”, “Network and Internet”, in the “Change network settings” section, click on “Reset network” to apply the default network settings.

Other problems may arise; look for solutions on the Internet.

Conclusion

In Windows OS, you can create a local private (home) network between computers, organize data exchange using shared folders, and gain access to a printer. Computers on the same network can have different or the same operating systems installed (Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7).

In Windows 10 April Update 1803, Microsoft removed the HomeGroup functionality. HomeGroup first appeared in Windows 7 and was intended to simplify the organization of a small home or office network and easily set up shared access to files, folders and printers. Even though Windows 10 doesn't have HomeGroup, you can still provide network access to your folders and printers using other built-in Windows 10 features.

So, in this article, we will figure out how to share network access to folders, files and printers on your Windows 10 1803 computer without using a homegroup using the built-in SMB resource sharing functionality.

No HomeGroup in Windows 10 1803

In Windows 10 1803 and higher, it is no longer possible to create a Home Group. This functionality is no longer supported. On the one hand, I think this is the right step, because... Setting up HomeGroup is quite confusing and relatively difficult for an untrained user.

After you have updated Windows 10 to version 1803, you will experience:

• The HomeGroup section does not appear in the Explorer navigation bar.
• The HomeGroup item is missing in the control panel. This means you can't create, join, or leave a homegroup.
• You cannot share files and printers using a HomeGroup.
• All printer shares and network folders created using HomeGroup will still be accessible. But you won't be able to create new ones.

However, in Windows 10, you can still share resources that you previously shared within a HomeGroup. The sharing process just looks a little different than when using HomeGroup.

Setting up sharing services in Windows 10

For your Windows 10 1803 computer to function correctly as a server that shares its folders and printers with other devices on the local network, you need to configure some network services.

In Windows settings (on both computers) you need to go to Options -> Network and Internet -> Your_network_connection(Ethernet or Wi-Fi) -> (Settings > Network & Internet > Ethernet -> Change advanced sharing options).

Then in the section Private network (Private) enable options:

• Enable network discovery(Turn on network discovery)
• Enable file and printer sharing(Turn on file and printer sharing)

In chapter All networks enable options:

• Enable sharing to allow network users to read and write files in shared folders
• Disable password protection.

  As a rule, password protection on a home network can be disabled, because... you trust all devices on your network). In a small office local network, you can enable password protection. In this case, you can log in when accessing the resources of another computer (using a user account and password from a remote computer), or use the same account with the same password on all computers.

Check that the following conditions are met:

• All computers on your local network use unique names and IP addresses.
• The network type is set to Private network.
• If there are older versions of Windows (XP, Vista) on your network, for them to work correctly on Windows 10 you will have to enable support for the SMBv1 protocol and also allow network access under a guest account (see).
• Translate services " Publishing feature discovery resources" (Function Discovery Resource Publication) and " Discovery Provider Host» (Function Discovery Provider Host) to start automatically. Otherwise, when accessing network resources, you may receive .

The same settings must be made on another Windows 10 computer, which will be used as a client and access shared resources over the network.

How to Share a Network Printer in Windows 10 1803

In Windows 10, you can share the printer connected to your computer with other computers on your network. We assume that you have already connected the printer (via USB, LPT or wireless connection) and configured it on your computer.

Then on the computer to which the printer is connected:

Now you can connect this network printer on another Windows 10 computer.

Opening network sharing to a folder (file) in Windows 10 1803

Let's figure out how to share a local directory with other computers in your workgroup or domain over the network in Windows 10 April Update 1803.

Advice. The easiest way to transfer a file between Windows 10 computers is to use the .

Advice. To fine-tune settings and permissions on a network folder, you can use the console fsmgmt.msc.

Advice. To see all the folders to which you have shared network access, go to the address bar to \\localhost .

Now you can access this folder from another computer over the network. To do this, in the Explorer window, simply navigate to the address of your folder, for example \\Desktop-JOPF9\Distr . For the convenience of the user, you can create a shortcut to this folder on his desktop or connect it as a network drive using the net use command.

Advice. If you cannot open a network folder from a remote computer, check that your firewall settings allow access to shared files and printers on a private network (File and Printer Sharing rules). Also try to access not by the computer name, but by its IP address, for example: \\192.168.1.20\Distr.