How to share a folder between two computers via WiFi in Windows

Creating a local area network between two computers is one of the most practical tasks for organizing work in a home office or simply for conveniently sharing movies and photos without using flash drives. Modern operating systems of the family Windows They have built-in tools that allow you to set up wireless data exchange fairly quickly, provided you know where to look in the settings. The process doesn't require installing additional software; all you need to do is correctly configure sharing settings and security permissions.

The main difficulty users encounter isn't the folder creation itself, but rather correctly identifying the network type to which the devices are connected. If computers are on different networks with different security profiles, they simply won't see each other in the list of available devices. Windows 10 And Windows 11 have stricter security protocols than their predecessors, requiring careful consideration when choosing sharing options. In this article, we'll walk you through each step to avoid common mistakes.

First, make sure both computers are connected to the same wireless network. WiFi routerThis is a fundamental requirement, without which further steps are pointless. Check the signal stability, as interruptions in the connection while setting up access rights can lead to account synchronization errors. After checking the connection, you can proceed to setting up the network profile.

Setting up the network type and discovering devices

The first critical step is assigning the correct network profile. The operating system often classifies new connections as "Public" by default, automatically hiding your computer from other devices for security reasons. You need to change this status to "Private" to allow discovery. To do this, open network settings from the taskbar or Start menu and find the properties of your active WiFi connection.

In the settings window that opens, you will see a switch between a public and private profile. Select Private networkto enable discovery and sharing. This will allow your computer to respond to requests from other devices on the local network. If you don't do this, even if the folder is open, other users won't be able to see it when scanning the network.

⚠️ Important: Changing your network profile to "Private" is only allowed for trusted home or office networks. In public places (cafes, airports), always leave the profile set to "Public" to prevent hackers from accessing your files.

After changing the profile, you need to enable network discovery. Go to "Control Panel," then "Network and Internet," and select "Network and Sharing Center." In the left menu, click "Change advanced sharing settings." Here, enable "Turn on network discovery" and "Turn on file and printer sharing" for the current network profile. Without enabling this feature, the operating system will ignore incoming requests to connect to PC resources.

Creating and sharing a folder

Now that the network environment is prepared, you can begin creating a data sharing resource. Create a new folder in a convenient location, such as on a disk. D: or on your desktop, and give it a descriptive name to easily find it among other network resources. Right-clicking the folder and selecting "Properties" will open a window with the "Access" tab.

Click the "Advanced Settings" button and check the box next to "Share this folder." In the "Share Name" field, you can leave the default name or change it to something shorter for convenience. Next, click the "Permissions" button to determine what actions other users can perform. By default, the "Everyone" group has read-only permissions, which is safe for most scenarios.

If you want the second computer to be able to not only read files but also write or delete them to this folder, select the "Everyone" group in the list and check "Full Control" in the "Allow" column. Be careful with this option, as it grants complete control over the folder's contents to anyone who connects to your network. After configuring the settings, click "OK" in all windows to save the changes.

There's also a second, simpler method via the "Sharing" tab in the folder properties, where you can select a user from the list and click "Add." However, advanced settings provide more flexible control over group permissions, which is especially important in mixed networks with varying access levels.

Setting up sharing options in Windows

To ensure the shared folder works correctly over WiFi, you need to check the global system settings. In the "Advanced Sharing Settings" section, which we visited earlier, look at the "All Networks" section. Here you'll find the important "Password-protected sharing" option. If this option is enabled, the second computer will only be able to access the folder after entering the username and password of the first computer's account.

For home use, where both computers are under your control, it's often more convenient to disable password protection. This will allow you to connect to shared folders without constantly entering your credentials. However, this reduces security, so only do this if you're confident in the strength of your WiFi password and that no other people are using the network.

Also in this section, make sure 128-bit encryption is enabled to secure connections. While this is less critical in a home network than in a corporate environment, ignoring encryption standards can lead to data interception during over-the-air transmission, especially if an outdated protocol is used. WEP instead of WPA2/WPA3.

What should I do if the "Save Changes" button is inactive?

If you can't save your changes, check if the Network Security Connection Manager service is running. Also, make sure your account has administrator privileges. Sometimes restarting the Workstation service from the command line helps.

Find and connect to a shared folder on a second PC

After setting up the first computer, move on to the second device. Open File Explorer and select "Network" in the left navigation panel. If you've done everything correctly, you should see the name of the first computer in the list of available devices. Double-clicking on the name will open a list of shared folders available for viewing.

In some cases, the system may not display computers immediately. In this case, you can use a direct route. Press the key combination Win + Rto open the Run window and enter the address of the first computer in the format \\ComputerName or IP addressYou can find out the IP address on the first PC by running the command line (cmd) and entering the command ipconfig.

If the system prompts you for credentials when connecting, enter the username and password for the account on the first computer. If password protection was disabled, access should be granted automatically. For easy, ongoing use, you can right-click the open shared folder and select "Mount as network drive," assigning it a drive letter (e.g., Z:) so that it appears as a regular local disk.

⚠️ Important: If the system returns an access error when entering correct data, check whether your antivirus or firewall is blocking incoming connections. Third-party antivirus programs often have their own network settings that override the default Windows settings.

Solving common visibility problems

One of the most common problems is when computers are on the same network but can't see each other. Often, the cause lies in the collaboration support service. Click Win + R, enter services.msc and find the discovery-related services in the list. Make sure the "Discovery Function" and "Computer Discovery Resource Publishing" services are running and have the startup type set to "Automatic."

Another common scenario is different workgroup names. Although modern versions of Windows can work in different workgroups, for stability it's best to align them. Go to system properties (you can do this via sysdm.cpl) and check the workgroup name. By default, it is WORKGROUPIf the name has been changed on one of the computers, return it to the default value and reboot both devices.

It's also worth checking the SMB protocol. In new versions of Windows 10 and 11, SMB 1.0 is disabled by default due to vulnerabilities. If you're trying to connect to a very old device (such as a network attached storage device or Windows XP), you may need to enable SMB 1.0 support using "Turn Windows features on or off." However, for communication between two modern PCs, this is unnecessary and even dangerous.

Security and speed optimization

When sharing, it's important to balance convenience and security. Don't share your entire drive. C: or system folders. Create separate folders only for files that really need to be shared. Regularly review the list of users with access to your resources and delete unknown accounts.

Wi-Fi data transfer speed depends not only on Windows settings, but also on the router's capabilities and frequency range. For transferring large amounts of data (4K movies, backups), it's recommended to use the following frequency range: 5 GHz, which provides higher throughput than 2.4 GHz. Make sure both computers support this standard and are connected to the appropriate network.

If file transfer speeds aren't working for you, try temporarily disabling real-time antivirus scanning of network files. Sometimes, scanning every byte transferred can create significant delays. Also, make sure your wireless adapter drivers are updated to the latest version, as older drivers may not work correctly with modern encryption protocols.

Why can't the second computer see the first, even though the network is private?

Most often, the problem lies with Windows Firewall or a third-party antivirus, which is blocking incoming connections. Check the incoming connection rules for File and Printer Sharing. Also, make sure the DNS service is working correctly; try pinging the first computer by IP address.

Is it possible to create a shared folder without a password?

Yes, to do this, you need to disable "Password-protected sharing" in the advanced sharing settings. However, this makes the folder accessible to any device within WiFi range if they guess the folder name, so only use this method on trusted home networks.

How do I disable a shared folder if I no longer need it?

Go to the folder properties, go to the "Sharing" tab, click "Advanced Settings," and uncheck "Share this folder." Once you apply these settings, the folder will only be accessible locally from this computer.

Does internet speed affect file transfer speed between PCs?

No, when transferring files over a local area network (LAN) via a router, internet speed is irrelevant. Speed ​​is limited only by the bandwidth of your WiFi router and the wireless adapters on your computers. Files are transferred directly between devices within your local network.