8 Ways to Fix Windows 10 File Sharing Not Working

Why Windows 10 network sharing not working?

Many users appreciate the convenience and security of file sharing features when transferring files between computers on the same LAN. However, some people are reporting issues with Windows 10 file sharing after updates like 1803, 1809, or 1903 in File Explorer. For example, you may encounter the following message:

"You do not have permission to access\..."

"You cannot access this shared folder because your organization's security policy blocks unauthenticated guest access."

"Check the spelling of the name. Otherwise, there may be a problem with your network."

Additionally, users may face similar difficulties while using Windows 11 network shares. So, why can’t Windows access network computers in Windows 10/11? Typically, the reasons behind Windows 10/11 file sharing issues include:

▣ File sharing settings are incorrect.

▣ Lack of proper credentials.

▣ Incompatible file sharing connection.

▣ Antivirus software interference blocks Windows file sharing.

▣ Disable SMB 1.0 in Windows 10 updates.

▣ Bug introduced by Windows Update.

If you don't want to solve these file sharing problems alone or need an immediate file sharing solution, consider using other free fast file transfer software. Alternatively, you can resort to the solutions provided to resolve Windows 10 file sharing issues directly.

How to fix Windows 10 file sharing not working?

The issue of network sharing not working in Windows 10/11 may cause great inconvenience to the users. However, don’t worry as there are several effective ways to fix this problem.

As with many Windows problems, a simple system restart usually solves the problem. Also, consider temporarily disabling your antivirus software to see if it causes any disruption. If the problem persists after these initial attempts, here are eight more methods you can try:

Fix 1. Configure advanced sharing settings

To ensure that file sharing operates properly, it is critical to accurately configure advanced sharing settings. Follow these steps to enable network discovery and file and printer sharing:

Step 1. Navigate to Start > Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Change advanced sharing settings.

Step 2. Under Advanced sharing settings, select Turn on Network Discovery to activate network discovery. Likewise, select Turn on file and printer sharing to enable file sharing.

Step 3. Once selected, click Save Changes to confirm the adjustments.

Additionally, you must verify that Windows Firewall does not block file and printer sharing. Follow these steps to check and adjust Windows Firewall settings:

Step 1. Go to Start > Control Panel > Windows Defender Firewall.

Step 2. Choose to allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall.

Step 3. Make sure File and Printer Sharing is selected in the Apps and Features list. Then, click OK to apply the changes.

By following these steps carefully, you can ensure that your file sharing runs smoothly without any hindrances caused by network discovery or firewall settings.

Fix 2. Turn password protection off

Windows file sharing may experience issues due to password-protected share settings. This feature requires a user account on the PC or a username and password to access shared folders in File Explorer. To resolve this issue, you can choose to disable password protection by following these steps:

Step 1. Navigate to Start > Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Change advanced sharing settings.

Step 2. Scroll down to find the "Password protected sharing" option and click on it to turn off password protected sharing.

Step 3. Finally, click Save Changes to confirm and apply the modifications.

Fix 3. Check for the Computer Browser service

The Computer Browser service is a feature of Microsoft Windows that helps users easily browse and locate shared resources between adjacent computers. To ensure its functionality, please follow these steps:

Step 1. Navigate to Start and type "services.msc" in the Start Search bar.

Step 2. Find the "Computer Browser" service. Right-click on it and select Properties. Verify its status; make sure it is started.

Step 3. If the service is stopped, select Start or Restart. Also, confirm that the startup type is set to "Automatic". Click Apply and then OK to finish.

In addition to computer browser services, several other services are essential for file sharing. Confirm they are also running and set to start automatically:

Feature Discovery Provider Host

Feature Discovery Resource Publications

SSDP discovery

UPnP device host

Fix 4. Add a Windows Credential

Windows credentials are required to access shared folders on remote servers. If it is missing, it must be created before access is attempted. You will need the server's IP address, username, and password.

Step 1. Open the Control Panel and navigate to Credential Manager.

Step 2. Select Windows Credentials and click Add Windows Credentials.

Step 3. Enter the IP address, username, and password in the fields provided and click Save to confirm the changes.

Fix 5. Enable SMB 1.0 in Windows Feature

Although SMB1.0/CIFS plays an important role in file sharing, Microsoft has disabled the SMB1.0/CIFS setting in the latest Windows update. To resolve this issue, you need to enable it in Windows Features.

Step 1. Navigate to Control Panel > Programs and Features > Turn Windows features on or off.

Step 2. Select the checkbox next to "SMB 1.0/CIFS file share support" and click OK.

Step 3. Restart your computer to apply the changes. If the issue persists, update Windows 10 to the latest version for further troubleshooting.

Fix 6. Disable IPv6

Disabling IPv6 connections on your system can be an effective solution to fix Windows 11/10 file sharing not working issue. In this order:

Step 1. Press the Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog box. Then, type ncpa.cpl and press Enter to open the Network Connections window.

Step 2. Right-click on the connected network and select Properties.

Step 3. Uncheck the box next to "Internet Protocol Version 6" and click OK to save the changes.

Fix 7. Change file sharing connections

Windows uses 128-bit encryption to protect file sharing connections. However, some devices may not support this level of encryption and may require 40-bit or 56-bit encryption. Therefore, it is necessary to switch between these encryption options based on specific requirements.

Step 1 Open Control Panel and navigate to Network and Sharing Center. From there, select "Change advanced sharing settings".

Step 2. Under the All Networks section, find File Sharing Connections. Here, you can switch between 128-bit encryption and 40 or 56-bit encryption, depending on your needs.

Fix 8. Update Windows to the latest version

Windows 10 file sharing issues may stem from a bug in the update. Fortunately, the latest version of Windows 10 seems to have fixed this issue. To ensure optimal performance, consider upgrading to the latest Windows version if you haven't already.

Step 1 Open Settings on your Windows PC. Navigate to Update & Security and click the Check for updates button under Update status to determine if a new version of Windows is available.

Step 2. If an update is available, install it now. After installation, restart your computer to apply the changes.

How to transfer data with file sharing alternative in Windows 10

We have given you all the possible solutions above, which can be done directly on your Windows computer. We hope they were able to help you resolve Windows 10 file sharing not working issue and that you can share files between two computers again.

If you've tried all of these methods and nothing works, don't be discouraged. You also have a good option of using a reliable Windows 10 file sharing alternative for PC data transfer. That is to clone the disk from one to another.

AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard, a free market-leading disk cloning program, can help you transfer data from one computer to another by cloning the hard drive. Here are the steps:

Step 1. Open the installed AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional, click "Clone" in the main interface, and select "Clone Disk".

Step 2. Choose the hard disk that you need to clone as the source disk like SSD and click "Next".

Step 3. Select the destination disk to store the data on the source disk, and then click "Next".

Step 4. Then, you can check the source and destination disk in the next window or change to "Sector to Sector clone", and click the "Confirm" button to continue if there is no problem.

Here, you can also click the "Settings" button to adjust the partition size on the destination disk or tick "4k alignment" to Optimize the performance of SSD if the target disk is an SSD drive. 

Tip: If you want to clone Windows to a smaller drive, the "Clone without resizing partitions"  button will be greyed out. Then, a Note about how to boot OS from the destination disk will pop up. Read and keep it in mind.

 Step 5. After returning to the main interface, check the pending operation and click "Apply" and "Proceed" to commit the operation.

Conclusion

We hope one of the above methods helps you resolve your file sharing not working Windows 10 issue. To transfer data easily, consider using AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard, which allows you to clone the hard drive easily and safely.

In addition, AOMEI software offers other useful features such as moving installed programs to another drive, deleting large files, and restoring lost files, etc. Try it yourself and experience its benefits for yourself!