The Network and Sharing Center in Windows 7, 8 and 10 is one of the more important and useful Command Panel apps that lets you see data most your network and lets you make changes that can touch on how you access resource on the network.

Unfortunately, most people never mess effectually with network settings because they don't understand what everything ways and are agape to mess something upwards. However, once you sympathise the settings, you can fix problems on your ain, increment your privacy, and quickly setup file and printer sharing between multiple computers.

In this article, I'll walk you through the different aspects of the Network and Sharing Center and show you sure features y'all can use on a regular basis to make yourself more productive.

Opening Network & Sharing Centre

The beginning step is to open the Network and Sharing Heart. The quickest mode to get to it is by clicking on Start and typing in network and. This will instantly bring upward the app in the list.

open network sharing center

In all versions of Windows, the app is located in the Control Panel. In Windows seven, just click on Commencement and the Control Console is listed on the correct side of the Start Bill of fare. In Windows 8.i and Windows 10, merely right-click on the Outset Menu and choose Command Console from the listing.

right click control panel

In the Command Console, you lot can click on the Network and Net category and so click on Network and Sharing Center. If you lot are in icon view, just click direct on Network and Sharing Center.

control panel network

Private or Public Network

The kickoff thing you'll see when you open the Network and Sharing Center is your current connection to the network and to the Internet. Windows 7 has a fiddling bit more data and besides a couple of more than options.

windows 7 network settings

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

windows 10 network settings

At the top, y'all'll see the active network or networks, the network type, the type of access, HomeGroup info and the connexion info. The showtime thing to empathise most this info is the network type, which is listed directly below the name of the network.

In the above examples, one has Home network listed and the other has Private network listed. This is very of import because when you are continued to a private or home network, there are a lot of sharing settings that are set up by default to be trusting. This means others can observe your computer on the network, peradventure access shared folders, stream media from your calculator, etc.

Windows will usually endeavour to effigy this out for y'all automatically so that when yous connect to a public WiFi network, information technology volition use thePublic profile and non the individual 1. Sometimes, Windows will enquire you lot if you want to enable sharing or find devices one time you connect to a network and if you lot say aye, it will brand the network private. If you cull no, it will brand the network public.

You tin can as well manually change the network type to Public or Private depending on what kind of privacy yous want. This tin be useful, for example, if you are visiting someone and yous want to make sure no one can access whatsoever data on your computer while you are connected to their network. Change the network type to Public and no ane will be able to discover your estimator on the network.

You tin read my post on how to switch between public and private for the currently continued network. So what exactly does switching do? Well, you lot can see all of the different sharing settings when you click on the Alter advanced sharing settings link, which I explain in item in the next section beneath.

To the right of the network proper noun and network blazon, you'll run across HomeGroup and Connections. Next to HomeGroup, you'll meet a link that says Available to bring together or Ready to create depending on whether a HomeGroup already exists on the network or not. A HomeGroup allows y'all to easily share files, printers and more between computers. I talk more than well-nigh it in the Advanced Sharing Settings department below.

Next to Connections, you tin can click on the name of the WiFi or Ethernet network to bring up the status info dialog for the current connection. Hither you tin can see how long y'all have been continued, the signal quality for WiFi networks, the network speed, etc. You tin 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 y'all tin click on Wireless Properties and and then click on the Security tab and view the WiFi password. This is really useful if y'all have forgotten the WiFi countersign, but still have a calculator that is connected to the network.

network password

Lastly, if you click on Details, y'all can get more info about the current network similar the Default Gateway (router IP address), MAC address, and reckoner IP address.

network details

Avant-garde Sharing Settings

The advanced sharing settings dialog is principal place for managing how your computer communicates with the balance of the network. In Windows 7, y'all have two profiles: Home or Work and Public. Just one profile tin be active at a time. All the settings are the same and repeated under each profile.

windows 7 networks

In Windows 8 and ten, you take three profiles: Private, Guest or Public and All Networks. Basically, it'south the same settings equally in Windows 7, just only carve up up more logically. Let's become through the diverse settings:

private network settings

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

network discovery

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

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

Now expand out All Networks if you are using Windows 8 or Windows 10. In that location are a couple of more settings here.

network sharing settings

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

Media Streaming – This is another option you should keep disabled until you need to employ it. This basically turns your estimator into a DLNA server then that you tin 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 also.

File Sharing Connections – This should always exist set to Use 128-flake encryption unless you need to share files with Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows 2000 computers.

Password Protected Sharing – I highly recommend turning on password protected sharing because it will force users to enter a username and password for an account on your computer in order to access any information.

Setup New Network & Troubleshoot Problems

The adjacent part I want to talk well-nigh is the section under Change your networking settings. In Windows x, you can either setup a new connection or troubleshoot bug.

setup new connection

For setting up a new connexion, yous merely have four options in Windows 8/10: Connect to the Net, Setup a new network, manually connect to a WiFi network or connection to a VPN. Note that creating an ad-hoc network is no longer possible in Windows ten.

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

troubleshoot network problems

These are not simply troubleshooting guides, they are actual programs that run and fix problems with diverse networking related services. I have plant the Cyberspace 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-mitt side. You probably won't use this too often, but it does come in handy when troubleshooting network bug.

network adapters

Hither yous volition see a list of all the network adapters on your computer. If y'all have an Ethernet port and WiFi card, you'll come across both items listed. You lot might too see other network adapters, but they are usually always virtual, meaning they are created past a software application like a VPN client or virtual machine plan.

If you're having connectedness problems, you can merely right-click on the adapter and cull Diagnose. This will usually fix any problem with a misconfigured network adapter. If you lot right-click and choose Backdrop, you lot tin configure your figurer to employ a static IP address rather than obtaining one from a DHCP server.

network properties

Every bit mentioned, this is not something you'll need to do often, but it's expert to know for troubleshooting purposes. For the technically savvy, there are a lot of other avant-garde settings you tin alter hither, but this guide is meant for newbies.

Hopefully, this article volition help yous navigate the Network & Sharing Center settings without feeling overwhelmed. It's the easiest way to set up network problems and to brand your reckoner more secure by disabling a lot of the automatic sharing enabled by default. If you have any questions, postal service a comment. Savor!