The Network and Sharing Center in Windows 7, eight and 10 is one of the more important and useful Control Panel apps that lets you lot see information about your network and lets you make changes that tin affect how yous access resources on the network.

Unfortunately, most people never mess around with network settings considering they don't sympathize what everything means and are afraid to mess something up. Notwithstanding, one time you lot sympathise the settings, y'all can fix problems on your own, increment your privacy, and speedily setup file and printer sharing between multiple computers.

In this article, I'll walk you through the different aspects of the Network and Sharing Eye and evidence y'all certain features you can employ on a regular basis to brand yourself more productive.

Opening Network & Sharing Heart

The first pace is to open up the Network and Sharing Center. The quickest manner to become to it is by clicking on Showtime and typing in network and. This will instantly bring up the app in the list.

open network sharing center

In all versions of Windows, the app is located in the Control Panel. In Windows vii, merely click on Start and the Control Console is listed on the right side of the Outset Carte. In Windows viii.i and Windows 10, merely right-click on the Beginning Carte du jour and choose Control Panel from the list.

right click control panel

In the Control Panel, y'all can click on the Network and Cyberspace category and and so click on Network and Sharing Centre. If you are in icon view, just click direct on Network and Sharing Center.

control panel network

Individual or Public Network

The first thing you'll see when you lot open the Network and Sharing Center is your current connexion to the network and to the Cyberspace. Windows seven has a fiddling bit more information and too a couple of more options.

windows 7 network settings

In Windows eight and Windows 10, they cleaned upwardly the interface past getting rid of a couple of items and combining other items.

windows 10 network settings

At the top, you'll run across the agile network or networks, the network blazon, the type of access, HomeGroup info and the connection info. The first thing to empathize virtually this info is the network type, which is listed directly below the name of the network.

In the in a higher place examples, i has Dwelling house network listed and the other has Private network listed. This is very of import considering when yous are connected to a private or home network, at that place are a lot of sharing settings that are gear up by default to be trusting. This ways others can discover your figurer on the network, maybe access shared folders, stream media from your reckoner, etc.

Windows volition commonly try to figure this out for you lot automatically then that when you lot connect to a public WiFi network, it volition use thePublic contour and not the private one. Sometimes, Windows will ask y'all if you want to enable sharing or detect devices in one case yous connect to a network and if yous say yep, information technology will brand the network individual. If you choose no, information technology volition make the network public.

Y'all tin also manually modify the network type to Public or Private depending on what kind of privacy you lot want. This tin be useful, for case, if y'all are visiting someone and you want to make sure no i tin can access any data on your estimator while you are connected to their network. Alter the network type to Public and no one volition exist able to notice your computer on the network.

You lot can read my post on how to switch between public and private for the currently connected network. So what exactly does switching do? Well, you can see all of the different sharing settings when y'all click on the Change advanced sharing settings link, which I explicate in detail in the next department below.

To the correct of the network name and network type, y'all'll see HomeGroup and Connections. Next to HomeGroup, y'all'll come across a link that says Available to join or Ready to create depending on whether a HomeGroup already exists on the network or not. A HomeGroup allows you to easily share files, printers and more betwixt computers. I talk more about it in the Avant-garde Sharing Settings department beneath.

Adjacent to Connections, you lot tin can click on the proper name of the WiFi or Ethernet network to bring up the status info dialog for the current connection. Here you tin see how long y'all take been connected, the betoken quality for WiFi networks, the network speed, etc. You can also disable the connection and diagnose the connection if at that place is a problem.

network status

For WiFi networks, this screen is useful because you can click on Wireless Properties and and so click on the Security tab and view the WiFi password. This is really useful if you lot accept forgotten the WiFi password, but still have a computer that is connected to the network.

network password

Lastly, if yous click on Details, y'all can get more info well-nigh the current network like the Default Gateway (router IP address), MAC address, and computer IP accost.

network details

Advanced Sharing Settings

The advanced sharing settings dialog is main identify for managing how your computer communicates with the rest of the network. In Windows vii, you have two profiles: Home or Work and Public. Only i profile can be active at a time. All the settings are the same and repeated under each profile.

windows 7 networks

In Windows 8 and 10, yous have 3 profiles: Individual, Guest or Public and All Networks. Basically, it'southward the same settings as in Windows 7, simply merely split upward more logically. Permit'due south go through the various settings:

private network settings

Network Discovery – This setting is turned on for private networks by default and it means that your computer can be seen by other computers and vice versa. What this ways in practice is that when you open Windows Explorer, you might come across the proper noun of another reckoner connected to your network under Network Locations.

network discovery

File and Printer Sharing – This setting will permit others to access shared folders and printers on your computer. I always plow this to Off even on individual networks unless I need to use it in a specific state of affairs. There are and then many times when guests come over to my house, connect to the network and then could possibly browse my organization. Only shared folders can be viewed, but y'all'd exist surprised how folders can become shared without your knowledge.

HomeGroup connections – If you actually do need to share files and folders, you should just setup a HomeGroup, which is more secure and a lot easier to configure. If you lot do run into trouble, just read my HomeGroup troubleshooting guide.

Now expand out All Networks if you are using Windows 8 or Windows 10. At that place are a couple of more than settings hither.

network sharing settings

Public Binder Sharing – I recommend turning this off unless y'all specifically need to share data with another figurer. The reason is that it'south very easy to accidentally save files into these publicly shared folders without realizing information technology, which volition then be accessible by anyone on the network. A very useful feature when you demand it, but a large privacy risk otherwise.

Media Streaming – This is another option yous should keep disabled until you lot need to employ information technology. This basically turns your computer into a DLNA server so that you tin can stream music, movies and pictures to other devices on the network similar an Xbox One, etc. When enabled, information technology opens up quite a few ports in your firewall besides.

File Sharing Connections – This should always be set to Use 128-bit encryption unless yous demand to share files with Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows 2000 computers.

Password Protected Sharing – I highly recommend turning on password protected sharing considering it volition force users to enter a username and password for an account on your reckoner in guild to access any information.

Setup New Network & Troubleshoot Problems

The next office I want to talk well-nigh is the section under Change your networking settings. In Windows 10, y'all tin can either setup a new connexion or troubleshoot problems.

setup new connection

For setting upwardly a new connectedness, you but accept iv options in Windows eight/10: Connect to the Internet, Setup a new network, manually connect to a WiFi network or connexion to a VPN. Note that creating an advertisement-hoc network is no longer possible in Windows 10.

If you click on Troubleshoot problems, you'll get a list of troubleshooting links for the Internet, network adapter, HomeGroup, Shared Binder, Printers, etc.

troubleshoot network problems

These are not simply troubleshooting guides, they are bodily programs that run and prepare problems with various networking related services. I accept institute the Internet Connections and Network Adapter troubleshooting fixes to be the most useful.

Change Adapter Settings

Lastly, let's talk well-nigh the Modify adapter settings link on the left-hand side. Y'all probably won't employ this too often, but information technology does come up in handy when troubleshooting network issues.

network adapters

Here you volition run into a list of all the network adapters on your computer. If you have an Ethernet port and WiFi carte du jour, you'll see both items listed. You lot might too see other network adapters, only they are usually ever virtual, meaning they are created by a software awarding like a VPN customer or virtual automobile program.

If yous're having connection bug, you lot can simply right-click on the adapter and choose Diagnose. This volition usually fix any problem with a misconfigured network adapter. If y'all correct-click and cull Properties, you lot can configure your computer to use a static IP address rather than obtaining i from a DHCP server.

network properties

Every bit mentioned, this is not something you'll need to do often, but information technology's good to know for troubleshooting purposes. For the technically savvy, in that location are a lot of other advanced settings you can alter here, but this guide is meant for newbies.

Hopefully, this article volition assistance you navigate the Network & Sharing Center settings without feeling overwhelmed. It'southward the easiest style to fix network problems and to brand your estimator more than secure past disabling a lot of the automatic sharing enabled by default. If you have any questions, post a annotate. Enjoy!