It can happen to have important files in another PC present on the home network (for example on the notebook or in the old PC placed in the bedroom or in the bedroom) and not have a USB stick at hand to be able to easily transfer the files and the folders of our interest. In this case we can take advantage of the potential of Windows to directly access files stored in any Windows PC on the network directly, simply adjust some settings and correctly set the sharing of the files or folders we use most often.
We find out in this guide how to connect Windows PCs in the home LAN so that they can transfer files from one device to another without having to use physical means such as sticks or cables.
In this way, passing files from one device to another will become very simple .
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1) View Windows 7 PCs on the LAN
If we have a PC with Windows 7 as the operating system, we open the Start menu and type in the search bar in it the search string Advanced sharing, so that we can open the Manage advanced sharing settings item.
A new menu will open where we will be able to choose the parameters with which the PC will be "seen" in the LAN by the other computers with Windows.
We choose the type of network to be configured (whether Domestic or work or Public ) and we expand the menu.
Make sure to activate the following items if we want the PC to be perfectly visible via the LAN.
- Enable network discovery
- Enable file and printer sharing
- Enable sharing to allow all users with network access to read and write public folder files
- Enable password protected sharing
Once these items are activated, we restart the PC to make the changes effective.
Upon restart, our PC will be visible on the LAN from other devices with Windows, which will be able to access public folders and shared folders manually.
To facilitate access to shared folders in this way, we recommend adopting an access password (the one required even when the PC is started) so that you can access the folders and files with the right credentials (to access the PC with Windows 7 and active sharing we will have to enter the account name on the PC and the access password).
2) View Windows 8.1 PCs on the LAN
If we have a PC with Windows 8.1 as the operating system, the procedure for enabling sharing of the PC and files on the network is very similar to the steps seen for Windows 7.
We open the Start screen and immediately type on the Advanced sharing keyboard, so we can click on the Manage advanced sharing settings item.
It will open a menu very similar to the one already seen on Windows 7, where we will have to choose the type of network and expand the menu to see the items appear to configure network sharing.
Make sure to activate the following items in the chosen network profile:
- Enable network discovery
- Enable file and printer sharing
We also open the All networks menu and make sure to activate the item:
- Enable password protected sharing
We click on the bottom Save changes and restart the PC; now all public folders and shared files will be visible from any other PC with Windows.
For security, we recommend setting an access password on Windows, so that you can access the PC with the right credentials when requested (the PC will ask us for the account name and password to access the shared resources on the PC with Windows 8).
3) View Windows 10 PCs in LAN
On the latest Microsoft operating system, namely Windows 10, the steps are practically identical to those described on Windows 8.1, to the point of being able to say that it changes in fact only to the graphics of the windows!
We open the Start menu at the bottom left and type the words Advanced sharing on the keyboard, so as to click on the Manage advanced sharing settings item.
We will see the classic window appear where you can choose the type of network and the items to be activated to regulate sharing.
Make sure to activate the following items in the chosen network profile:
- Enable network discovery
- Enable file and printer sharing
We also open the All networks menu and make sure to activate the item:
- Enable password protected sharing
We click on the bottom Save changes and restart the PC; now all public folders and shared files will be visible from any other PC with Windows.
Also in this case access to the PC will be regulated by the insertion of the user account name and the insertion of the password to access the system, with the possibility of directly using the Microsoft credentials to access (if we have associated the PC with Windows 10 to our Microsoft online profile, the credentials of the latter will become access credentials for network resources).
4) Use the Home Group (Windows 7 and Windows 8.1)
On Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 we can quickly share the files contained in the most important folders using the Home Group, which allows you to quickly view the PCs in the LAN and to facilitate access to shared resources, after entering a single password generated at the time of creation.
If we use Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 (the steps are identical even if the window graphics change) we click on the Start menu at the bottom left and type on the Home Group keyboard, so as to open the homonymous item.
In the window that appears, click on the Create a home group button and indicate which folders we want to share on the network.
Click on Next, to show the window where an access password for the Home group will be automatically generated; we finally click Finish to enable the Home group.
In the window that we will see appear at the end of the configuration, we can change the password to a more appropriate one and choose which elements to share with the other PCs.
The PC will be immediately shared on the network and will be displayed by the other PCs with the characteristic icon; simply enter the password chosen during creation to access the most common folders via the LAN.
NOTE : on Windows 10 the Home Group functionality has been permanently removed, therefore it is not possible to create Home groups starting from this operating system.
However, if we create Home groups on machines with Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, the latter will be displayed on a networked PC with Windows 10 as normal network shares and accessible with the credentials of the Home group.
5) Access the PCs shared on the LAN
Now that the PCs are shared, what we need to do to view them ">
All shared and viewable PCs on the network will be shown under the Computers section, with the names of the PCs in plain view.
To access the shared resources present on them, simply click on the PC of our interest and enter the access credentials associated with the account present on that specific computer.
If the credentials are confirmed we will see the shared folders and files appear on that PC and we can exchange, delete, move and copy any file.
The transfer speed is linked to the method with which the PCs connect to the network: on a wired network (Ethernet network) the speed will be 1000 Megabits per second, on WiFi the performance drops significantly also based on the technology used (on WiFi 2, 4 GHz will be around 30-40 Megabits per second, on WiFi at 5 GHz with AC protocol we can also reach 800 Megabits per second).
6) Share folders manually
What if we wanted to add folders to the share and / or not use the Home group, especially on Windows 10?
Also in this case the solution is very simple: we right click on the folder we want to share on the LAN and click on the Properties item.
Let's go to the Sharing tab and click Advanced Sharing .
In the window that we will see we click on the top of Share the folder, make sure that we have a name suitable for the content and configure the permissions by clicking on Permissions .
In the new window that we will see, make sure that the Everyone user is present at the top (otherwise add it by clicking on the Add button) and put all the check marks under the Allow column, so as to give complete control of the folder to the users who will connect via network.
We click Ok and then Ok to share the folder on the network; it will be added to those already present and will be immediately displayed by the other PCs as seen earlier.
If we want to share files via the Internet, below we show you one of the best themed guides.
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