Sharing Network Files

Sharing files across a network

Networking in Windows | Networking Resources | Troubleshooting

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“Content” in blue 3D rendering has five laptop computers connected by flying paper to indicate sharing files over a network.

Networking in Windows

If you have more than one computer or want to share files such as videos, photos, documents, etc. with other computers or other people, you will need to set up your network to allow this.

Simple Sharing

The easiest method to share specific files, folders or drives is Simple Sharing. Be careful when sharing entire drives as that can compromise security.

Allow Private Sharing

Ensure that you have allowed Private Sharing (only on networks you control). Public Sharing can create security issues.

go to Settings ⇒ Network & Internet;
select Sharing Options;
make sure Network Discovery and File & Printer Sharing are turned on in Private Network;
then choose the Media Streaming Options under All Networks.

Choose What to Share

Now you can right-click on a file or folder you wish to share (Windows 11: click on Show more options):

select Give Access To;
choose Specific People;
click the arrow to add Everyone (recommended on private networks for most users);
choose either Read or Read/Write for the Permission Level; then
click on Share to complete the process.

You have the option to make files available as read-only or to enable changes:

Read provides the ability for everyone on your network to read documents or play videos or music in the shared folder.
Read/Write provides the ability to edit or delete the contents of the shared folder.

You'll want to be careful with Read/Write to prevent another user on your network from deleting an important file.

Restart to Finish

You may need to restart all your computers before the settings are visible.

Add Windows Credentials

I also had to go into the Control Panel and add the credentials for the other computer(s) on the network. In the following I assume that the networked computer is Main-PC and the user is Joe:

open Control Panel;
search for “Manage Windows Credentials”
under Windows Credentials, click on Add a Windows credential.

The following dialogue box appears:

Screen capture showing the Windows 10 Add Credentials dialogue box

Enter the Credentials

Enter the following information (based upon our example system and user noted above):

Enter the network address in the first box (e.g., Main-PC)
Enter the user name in the second box (e.g., Joe)
Enter the user's computer password in the third box (i.e., Joe's password).

Network addresses and user names are case sensitive.

Restart to Finish

When you've completed this for each computer that you want to access over your network, you should be able to see whatever files are being shared on that computer by that user. Unshared files will not be visible.

Try rebooting all the affected computers if you still cannot see the shared files and folders.

Viewing Networked Files

You can open File Explorer then replace the text in the address bar with \\localhost to see a list of shared items on your computer.

Networking Resources

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Troubleshooting

My ASUS laptop has no LAN connection and sharing files across my network worked fine until early 2021. Suddenly I encountered Error Code 0x80070035 while trying to share files. I could see the desktop computer's files from the laptop, but not the reverse.

USB-LAN Adapter Restores Sharing

After trying various recommended solutions (including reinstalling Windows 10 and applications) I added a USB-LAN adapter which restored the ability to manage and share my laptop's files from my desktop. You may be able to fix this issue with sharing files over your wireless network, but the USB-LAN adapter solution worked for me. An upgrade to Windows 11 has not affected this fix.

VPNs Can Affect Sharing

An active VPN can also stop networking between computers on the same network. I found that I had to disable Cloudflare WARP for my main desktop to share files with the other computers on the network.

Windows 11 Installations Improperly Duplicated

Windows 11 installations connected in a small network that have identical Security IDs (SIDs) may not share files correctly. This should not be an issue for home users, but occurs if there is an improper duplication of a Windows installation without running Sysprep. This creates a situation where two or more computers on the network have the same SID.

Microsoft has made it harder to share in a peer-to-peer network unless you have matching usernames and passwords, but recently an update layered on a new block that many users were unaware they were subject to. In Microsoft's documentation of the issue, there's not even a clue that it might impact those of you in a peer-to-peer setting.

First in a preview update, and now in every Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2 since September, Microsoft has introduced a new check to prevent computers with the same Security Identifier (SID) from talking to one another. Although KB5070568 discusses the issue in terms of Kerberos and NTLM, it sounds more like it's going to impact domains. This can be extremely painful in very small businesses and in peer-to-peer networks.
— Susan Bradley

Microsoft's solutions on the KB5070568 documentation may not be adequate. I'd recommend reviewing Susan Bradley's solution (available via an Ask Woody Plus membership subscription).

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Updated: November 15, 2025