How to Turn on Network Discovery in Windows 10 & 11

Network Discovery must be enabled to print and share files locally. This guide shows you how to turn on network discovery in Windows 10 & 11.

Whenever you connect to a network, Windows allows you to set it as a public or private network. As you can guess, if you set a network as a private network, you can access and share files and folders with other devices on the local network.

To make this happen, Windows uses Network Discovery to find all the available devices on the local network.

However, on some computers, the Network Discovery feature might be disabled for security reasons. You cannot access or share files locally when the Network Discovery is turned off. The good news is that it is easy to turn on Network Discovery in Windows 10 and 11 operating systems.

Follow the below steps to enable Network Discovery in Windows 10 and 11 operating systems.

Table of contents:

• Turn on Network Discovery in Windows 10
• Turn on Network Discovery in Windows 11
• Use Control Panel to enable Network Discovery

Turn on Network Discovery in Windows 10

In Windows 10, setting the network to Private automatically enables Network Discovery. Here’s how.

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Go to the “Network & Internet” page.
3. Go to the “Status” page.
4. Click the “Change connection properties” link.
5. Select the “Private” option.
6. With that, the Network Discovery feature is turned on.
7. Close the Settings app.
8. If needed, reboot the computer.

Steps with more details:

Open the PC Settings app by searching for “Settings” in the start menu. You can also press the Win + I keyboard shortcut.

In the Settings app, go to the “Network & Internet -> Status” page. Click the “Change connection properties” link under the Network Status section.

Select the “Private” radio option under the Network Profile section on the next page.

Now, go back to the Status page, and you should see Private Network under the Network Status.

When you set a network to private status via the Settings app, the network discovery feature is turned on automatically. From now on, you can access all the local shares. Other local PCs can also see your shared folder and access them according to the share permissions.

Are you using multiple internet connections, like mobile data and Wi-Fi? Here’s how to change network priority in Windows 10.

Turn on Network Discovery in Windows 11

The Windows 11 Settings app has a dedicated option to enable Network Discovery. Here’s how to find and turn it on.

1. Press “Win + I” to open Settings.
2. Click “Network & Internet” on the sidebar.
3. Go to the “Advanced network settings” page.
4. Go to the “Advanced sharing settings” page.
5. Turn on the “Network Discovery” option.
6. With that, Network Discovery is turned on.
7. Close the Settings app.

Steps with more details:

First, open the Windows 11 Settings app. You can search for it in “Start” or press the “Win + I” keyboard shortcut.

After opening the Settings app, go to “Network & Internet” and the “Advanced network settings” page. This is where you will find most of the advanced network settings.

Once you are here, click the “Advanced sharing settings” option. As the name implies, this is where you can manage how the Windows network shares settings.

Now, turn on the “Network Discovery” option.

As soon as you do that, Network Discovery is turned on in Windows 11. You can now close the Settings app. From now on, you should be able to see all the available shares. Of course, you can also share your files over the network.

Use Control Panel to enable Network Discovery

You can turn on Network Discovery from the Control Panel if you use Windows 10 or lower versions. Let me show you how to do it.

Note: In Windows 11, the Control Panel options open the Settings app.

1. Press the “Start” key.
2. Search and open “Control Panel.”
3. Set “View by” to “Large Icons.”
4. Click on “Network and sharing center.”
5. Click the “Change advanced sharing settings” link.
6. Select the “Turn on network discovery” checkbox.
7. Select the “Turn on automatic setup of network-connected devices” checkbox.
8. Press “Save changes.”
9. Close the Control Panel window.
10. With that, Network Discovery is turned on via Control Panel.

Steps with more details:

Open “Control Panel” by searching for it in the Start menu.

After opening the Control Panel window, set “View by” to “Category.” Next, click on “Network and Internet.” You can also set it to “Large” icons.

Now, click on the “Network and Sharing Center” link.

This page will show all your connections. Make sure that your connected network is set to “Private Network.” If it is set to “Public Network, change the network from public to private.

Important: Unless you know what you are doing, never turn on sharing on public networks.

After confirming you are on a private network, click the “Change advanced sharing settings” link on the left panel.

Here, expand the “Private” menu. Next, select the “Turn on network discovery” and “Turn on automatic setup of network-connected device” checkboxes.

Click the “Save Changes” button to save and apply the changes.

Related: How to backup Windows 10 to a network drive

With that, the Network Discovery is turned on. Go to the network folder in File Explorer, and you will see all shared folders. Likewise, other PCs and devices in your local network can see your shared folders.

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That is it. It is that simple to turn on Network Discovery in Windows 10 and 11 operating systems.

I hope this simple and easy Windows how-to guide helped you.

If you are stuck or need some help, send an email, and I will try to help as much as possible.