How do I enable printer and File Sharing Windows 10?

Windows 10 allows the user to share his locally connected printers and stored files with other users over the network. Shared files can be accessible for reading and writing to others. Shared printers can be used for printing on the remote computer. Let's see how to configure File and Printer Sharing in Windows 10.

Table of Contents Show

Disable or enable File and Printer sharing using netsh
Author: Sergey Tkachenko
How do I know if my file and printer sharing is enabled?
How do I enable or disable file and printer sharing in Windows 10?
Does Windows 10 support file and printer sharing?

By default, Windows 10 allows file and printer sharing only over a private (home) network. It is disabled when your network type is set to Public.

When you are signing in to your account and the first time your network is operational, Windows 10 asks you which kind of network you are connecting to: Home or Public. In a sidebar prompt, you are asked whether you want to find PCs, devices and content on the network that you just connected to.

If you pick Yes, the OS will configure it as a private network and turn on network discovery. For a Public network, discovery and access will be limited. If you need to access your computer from a remote PC or browse the PCs and devices on your local network, you need to set it to Home (Private). For these network discovery and sharing features to work properly, file and printer sharing must be turned on.

See the following articles:

Change network location type (Public or Private) in Windows 10
Change network location type with PowerShell in Windows 10

To enable file and printer sharing in Windows 10, do the following.

Open the classic Control Panel app.
Go to Control Panel\Network and Internet\Network and Sharing Center:
On the left, click the link Change advanced sharing settings.
Expand the Private, Guest or Public network profile item to configure network sharing for each type of network.
Enable the option Turn on file and printer sharing for the selected profile and you are done.
Repeat this procedure for other network profiles if required.

To disable file and printer sharing, select the option Turn off file and printer sharing on the same page of the Control panel.

Alternatively, you can use the console tool netsh to switch the state of the feature.

Open an elevated command prompt.
Type or copy-paste the following command:
```
netsh advfirewall firewall set rule group="File and Printer Sharing" new enable=Yes
```
This will enable the File and Printer Sharing feature for all network profiles.
To disable the File and Printer Sharing feature for all network profiles, execute the following command:
```
netsh advfirewall firewall set rule group="File and Printer Sharing" new enable=No
```

Tip: If you have enabled File and Printer Sharing, ensure that you also have enabled the option File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks in your network adapter properties. Open the classic Control Panel and check your network adapter properties under Control Panel\Network and Internet\Network Connections. See the screenshot below.

That's it.

RECOMMENDED: Click here to fix Windows issues and optimize system performance

Support us

Winaero greatly relies on your support. You can help the site keep bringing you interesting and useful content and software by using these options:

If you like this article, please share it using the buttons below. It won't take a lot from you, but it will help us grow. Thanks for your support!

Advertisment

Author: Sergey Tkachenko

Sergey Tkachenko is a software developer who started Winaero back in 2011. On this blog, Sergey is writing about everything connected to Microsoft, Windows and popular software. Follow him on Telegram, Twitter, and YouTube. View all posts by Sergey Tkachenko

Open the Control Panel (icons view), and click on the Network and Sharing Center icon. Click on the Change adapter settings link on the left side. Right click on the network adapter (ex: Ethernet 2) you want to turn on or off file and printer sharing for Microsoft networks, and click on Properties.

Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Network. Click TCP/IP->Network adapter, click Properties, and then click the Bindings tab. Click to clear the File and Printer Sharing check box, click OK, and then click OK. Restart your computer.

File and Printer Sharing in Windows 10 allows you to share files, folders, and printers with other computers on your network. Here are a few ways to enable or disable file and print sharing. Open the Control Panel and click on Network and Sharing Center. Click on Change advanced sharing settings on the left.