Dilawar HussainIT support, systems administration, and practical how-to guides
2024-01-15

How to connect two PCs on Windows 10 for file sharing

Part of your rebuilt static knowledge blog.

If you want to share files with others on Windows 10 or 11, there are different methods available depending on your needs. In this guide, we'll explore 2 ways to do it:
  1. Basic Windows sharing: This is a simple way to share files with people on your local network without having to mess with complicated settings.
  2. Advanced Windows sharing: You can also use the built-in advanced Windows sharing feature. It's more flexible than the basic sharing method.
In this guide, we'll focus on teaching you how to share files using File Sharing on Windows 10 and 11. These methods should cover most of your file-sharing needs on both Windows 10 (and Windows 11 since the options are the same).

1. File sharing using Basic Sharing on Windows 10/11

  1. Open File Explorer.
  2. Navigate to the folder you want to share.
  3. Right-click the item, and select the Properties option.Go to the properties for the folder you want to share
  4. Go to the Sharing tab.
  5. Click on the Share button.Click the share button
  6. Click the drop-down menu and select the user or group to share the folder with. (For this example, we will select the Everyone group.)
  7. Click the Add button.Select everyone group
  8. In the “Permission Level” section, you can select the sharing permissions you want the users to have. For example, you can choose Read/Write, if you want users to view, open, delete, and modify the contents on the shared folder.
  9. Click the Share button.Shared folder link
  10. Note down the shared folder’s network path that other users need to access the folder's content and click Done.
  11. Click the Close button.

2. File sharing using advanced settings on Windows 10/11

To share files in the network using the advanced sharing settings, follow the steps below:
  1. Open File Explorer.
  2. Go to the folder you want to share.
  3. Right-click the folder and select Properties.
  4. Go to the Sharing tab.
  5. Click Advanced Sharing. Click advanced sharing
  6. Check the “Share this folder” option.
  7. Click Permissions. click permissions
  8. Select the Everyone group.
  9. Check the permissions for the shared folder:
    • Full Control: Gives the users the ability to read, change, and edit permissions.
    • Change: Users can read, run, write, and delete files and folders in the shared location.
    • Read: Allows users to only access and view the contents of the shared folder.
    everyone group
  10. ClickApply.
  11. Click OK.
  12. Go to the Security tab.
  13. Click Edit. Click edit
  14. Click Add. click add
  15. Click Advanced. click advanced
  16. Click Find Now.
  17. Select the Everyone group. click find now
  18. Click OK.
  19. Click OK again.
  20. Select the Everyone group again.
  21. Check the Full control option. full control
  22. Click Apply.
  23. Click OK.
  24. Click the Close button.
Once you complete the above steps, the shared folder will be available when on File Explorer > Network. Below is a screenshot from another PC that can now access the shared folder and the contents inside it. Network folder on another computer

Disable file-sharing password on Windows 10/11

If you keep running into a pop-up asking you to sing-in before you can access the shared folder then you can disable disable password protection for file sharing on Windows 10/11, use these steps:
  1. Go to Settings.
  2. Click Network and Internet.
  3. Click Network and Sharing Center.
  4. Click the “Change advanced sharing settings”. Change advanced sharing settings
  5. Expand the All Networks tab.
  6. Select the “Turn off password-protected sharing” option.
  7. Click Save changes. Password protections sharing
After you complete the steps, users should be able to access the shared folder without a password. On Windows 11, go to Settings > Network & Internet > Advanced network settings > Advance sharing settings and turn off password protected sharing under All networks. windows-11-advanced-sharing-password