How to Sync Your PC and Laptop via Wi-Fi: A Complete Guide (2026)

To turn on "Nearby Sharing"**:

1. Open Settings → System → General Features.
2. Activate the slider Nearby sharing.
3. From the drop-down menu, select Everything is nearby (for sharing with any devices on the network).

Now you can send files via Conductor: select the file → right-click → ShareA notification about the incoming file will appear on the target device.

⚠️ Note: "Nearby Sharing" only works between Windows 10/11 devices and requires Bluetooth to be enabled for discovery. If Bluetooth is disabled, use the shared folder method (see the next section).

For older versions of Windows (7/8/10 up to 1803) it is relevant Home Group**:

• 🔧 Open Control Panel → HomeGroup.
• 📂 Click Create a homegroup and select folders to share (Documents, Music, Pictures).
• 🔑 Write down the generated password—you'll need it to connect other devices.

2. Shared folders on a local network: a universal method for all operating systems

This method works on any device—from Windows XP to macOS Ventura—as long as they're connected to the same router. The idea is simple: you share a folder on one computer, then connect to it from another device as a network drive. Transfer speed depends on the Wi-Fi standard (up to 1 Gbps on Wi-Fi 6 under ideal conditions), but in practice rarely exceeds 200–300 Mbps due to the overhead of the SMB protocol.

Instructions for Windows:

• 📁 Create a folder (for example, C:\Share) and right-click on it → Properties → Access.
• 🔓 Click Share → select user All → set resolution Reading and writing.
• 🌐 Go to the tab Security → Change → add a group All with full rights.
• 🔍 On the second device, open File Explorer → Network and find the name of your PC (or type it in the address bar \\Computer_IP_address).

For macOS:

• 🍎 Open System Preferences → Sharing.
• 📋 Turn on File sharing and add the folder to the list.
• 👥 In Users Select an account with access rights.
• 🖥️ On a Windows PC, connect via \\mac_name.local (or IP address).

Make sure both devices are on the same network|Temporarily disable the firewall for testing|Write down the IP addresses of both devices|Check that the workgroup name is the same (default is WORKGROUP)

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⚠️ Note: If the folder is not visible on the network, check the settings network discovery V Control Panel → Network and Sharing Center → Change advanced sharing settings. Enable for all profiles. Enable network discovery And Enable file and printer sharing.

3. Synchronization programs: from simple sharing to automatic backup

The standard OS tools are suitable for one-time tasks, but if you need automatic synchronization Whether you're managing folders, backing up, or transferring large amounts of data, it's best to use specialized software. We tested five popular programs and compiled a comparison table:

Leader in speed and reliability - Resilio SyncThe program uses BitTorrent technology for direct file transfers between devices, eliminating size limitations. For example, you can sync a 500GB project folder, and it will be updated in the background with every change. The downside is the paid PRO version for advanced features (the free version is limited to 10 folders).

Ideal for home use Syncthing — open-source software with no restrictions. Setup is a bit more complicated (you need to manually add devices by IP or local name), but there's no risk of data leakage—all data transfer is direct, without cloud servers.

4. Remote access: control your laptop from your computer (and vice versa)

Syncing files is only part of the task. It is often necessary full control over the remote device: launching programs, configuring system settings, or even playing heavy games from a laptop on a desktop PC. Remote access protocols are used for this: RDP (built into Windows Pro), VNC or specialized programs like TeamViewer And AnyDesk.

The fastest way is Windows Remote Desktop (RDP):

• 🖥️ On the device you're connecting to (the host), enable RDP: Settings → System → Remote Desktop → turn on the slider.
• 🔐 Write down the PC name or its local IP (you can find out using the command ipconfig V CMD).
• 💻 On the second device, open Remote Desktop Connection (type in Windows search mstsc) and enter the host IP.

For Home versions of Windows, RDP is not available - use VNC (For example, TightVNC or RealVNC). These programs work on all operating systems, but require manual configuration of ports in the router (port 5900 (by default). The speed is lower than RDP, but there are no restrictions on the Windows version.

⚠️ Warning: Never open RDP/VNC ports for external access (from the internet) without setting up a VPN or Fail2Ban. Brute-force attacks on RDP are one of the main causes of ransomware infections.

5. Direct Wi-Fi connection (Ad-Hoc): when there is no router

If you don't have a router at hand, you can create a direct network between your computer and laptop in wireless mode. ad-hocThis method works on all devices with a Wi-Fi adapter, but has limitations: the speed rarely exceeds 54 Mbps (standard 802.11g), and on Windows 10/11 the setting is hidden.

Instructions for Windows:

1. Open CMD as administrator and run:

   netsh wlan set hostednetwork mode=allow ssid=MyNetwork key=12345678

   (Where MyNetwork — network name, 12345678 — password of at least 8 characters).

2. Start the network:

   netsh wlan start hostednetwork

3. On the second device, connect to the created network MyNetwork.

To share files on such a network, use shared folders (see section 2) or programs like Dukto R6The main drawback ad-hoc - no internet access on the connected device (unless configured ICS — Internet Connection Sharing).

6. Cloud services as an alternative: when Wi-Fi is unstable

If your Wi-Fi network is slow or unstable (for example, at a dacha with a 3G router), consider cloud services like Google Drive, Dropbox or Yandex DiskThey don't require a direct connection to devices—syncing occurs over the internet. The downside is storage limitations (usually 5–15 GB for free) and reliance on download speed.

Advantages of clouds:

• ☁️ Access your files from any device (even your smartphone).
• 🔄 Automatic backup.
• 📱 Built-in collaboration tools (comments, file versioning).

For maximum speed use p2p synchronization (as in Resilio Sync), but with the cloud as an intermediary. For example, in Dropbox there is a function LAN Sync, which first searches for devices on the local network and only then uploads files to the cloud.

7. Security: How to protect data during synchronization

Any data transmission over Wi-Fi is potentially vulnerable to interception. To minimize the risks:

• 🔒 Use WPA3 on the router (or at least WPA2). Give up WEP - it gets hacked in minutes.
• 🛡️ Enable encryption in synchronization programs (e.g. AES-256 V Resilio Sync).
• 🚫 Disable folder sharing after use (especially if you connect to public networks).
• 🔑 For RDP/VNC, use complex passwords (12+ characters) and two-factor authentication.

If you are transferring confidential data (documents, passwords), create encrypted container by using VeraCrypt or 7-Zip (archive with password). Even if the file is intercepted, its contents will remain protected.

FAQ: Frequently asked questions about synchronizing a PC and laptop

robocopy C:\Source \\TargetPC\Share /MIR /XO