How to Change Public Network to Private in Windows 11

Learn how to change a network from public to private in Windows 11 to allow it to see and interact with other devices on the network.

By default, when you connect to a new network in Windows 11, it automatically sets the network to Public. That means other computers and devices on the same network cannot see or interact with your PC and vice versa. Generally, this is a good thing because it protects your system from unauthorized access. However, there might be situations where you want to access other devices on the network or allow other devices to access your system. In those cases, you must change the network from public to private. For example, maybe you want to share files between PCs, access a shared printer, play LAN games, and more.

Whatever your specific reason is, if you want to access other devices on the network, you must change your network from public to private. Fortunately, it is pretty easy to do. In this quick and easy guide, I will show you how to do it. Let’s get started.

Before You Start

• Only set a network as private when you are in a trusted space, such as your home or office. Never set a network to private when using public networks, such as those found at coffee shops, airports, or hotels.
• You can only change the network type on a per-network basis. There is no global setting in Windows that changes the type of all networks at once.
• Before following the steps below, make sure you are connected to the network for which you want to change the network type.

Change a Network From Public to Private Using Settings

1. Press “Windows key + I” to open Settings.
2. Go to the “Network & Internet” tab on the sidebar.
3. Click the “Properties” option on the right page.
4. Choose the “Private network” option.
5. Close the Settings app.
6. With that, you have changed the network from Public to Private.

Detailed Steps (With Screenshots)

The first step is to open the Settings app in Windows 11. As usual, you can either press the “Windows key + I” keyboard shortcut or click the “Settings” icon in the Quick Settings flyout menu (click the Network/Volume icon on the taskbar system tray).

After opening the Settings app, go to the “Network & Internet” tab on the sidebar. The right panel displays your network connections at the top. Here, click the “Properties” option.

The above action will open the network properties page. Here, choose the “Private network” option under the “Network profile type” section. As soon as you do that, the network type is changed from Public to Private.

Note: Sometimes, the network might disconnect and reconnect automatically. It is normal.

That is all. It is that simple to change a public network to a private network in Windows 11 using the Settings app.

Good to know: How to turn on network discovery in Windows 11

Change a Network From Public to Private Using PowerShell Command

Note: The steps below require administrator rights.

If you are looking for an alternative method, especially a scripting or command-line solution, then this PowerShell method is for you. All you have to do is get the network name with a simple command and then run another command to change its network type. Here’s how to do it.

1. Right-click the “Windows icon” on the taskbar.
2. Choose the “Terminal (Admin)” option.
3. Type Get-NetConnectionProfile and press Enter.
4. Find your network and copy its “Name“.
5. Run the following command while replacing “NetworkName” with the actual network name you got from the earlier command.
   Set-NetConnectionProfile -Name "NetworkName" -NetworkCategory Private
6. Finally, close the Terminal window.
7. With that, the network is changed from Public to Private.

Wrapping Up — Changing a Network Type From Public to Private

As you can see, if you want to access other devices on the network or allow them to access your system, you can easily set your network type to private with just a couple of steps. In most cases, you can use the Settings app (first method) to change the network type from public to private. However, if you are looking for a simpler method or creating a script, you can use the PowerShell command shown above (second method).

Note: If you are using Windows 10, follow these steps instead: change the network from public to private in Windows 10.

If you have any questions or need help, comment below. I’ll be happy to assist.

Good to know. Must change network settings for every Windows user