Share a folder on Windows 11 with another PC

Sep 29, 2026 - 8 min read

Zubair bin Shaukat

Creator of Devpit

You have two Windows 11 PCs on the same Wi-Fi or office network. You want one PC to open a folder on the other, for example to copy a game, photos or a project.

Windows can do this without any extra app. It uses Windows file sharing, which works over a protocol called SMB. This guide shows every step, in the order that avoids the common errors, and says why each step matters.

Before you start

You need:

• Two PCs on the same network. A guest Wi-Fi or a VPN can keep them apart.
• Administrator rights on the PC that shares the folder.
• About ten minutes.

In this guide, PC A has the folder and shares it. PC B opens it.

Step 1: set the network to Private on PC A

Windows keeps two sets of sharing rules: one for Public networks and one for Private networks. On a Public network, Microsoft says your PC is hidden from other devices. On a Private network, it is discoverable and can share files.

1. Open Settings, then Network & internet.
2. Choose Wi-Fi or Ethernet, then the network you are on.
3. Under Network profile type, choose Private network.

Do this only for a network you trust, like your home Wi-Fi. Microsoft says to use Private only when you know and trust the people and devices on the network.

Step 2: turn on file and printer sharing on PC A

1. Open Settings, Network & internet, Advanced network settings, then Advanced sharing settings. (Or type manage advanced sharing settings in Start.)
2. Under Private networks, turn on File and printer sharing.
3. Turn on Network discovery too if you want PC A to appear in the Network folder on other PCs. It is not needed to open a share by its address.

If the other PC still cannot connect later, open Control Panel, System and Security, Windows Defender Firewall, Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall, and check that File and Printer Sharing is ticked for Private. A third-party firewall or security suite may need its own setting.

Step 3: make an account for the other PC to sign in with

Windows lets someone open a share only after they sign in with an account that exists on PC A. You have three choices:

1. Your own account on PC A. It works, but you give your own password to the other PC.
2. A separate local account just for sharing (recommended). Open Settings, Accounts, Other users, then Add account. Choose I don’t have this person’s sign-in information, then Add a user without a Microsoft account, and give it a name and a password.
3. No account (guest access). Do not use this. Current Windows blocks guest sign-in by default, and Windows 11 24H2 Pro, Enterprise and Education also require SMB signing, which guest sign-in cannot use. See guest access blocked.

The account must have a password. Windows does not let an account with a blank password sign in over the network.

If PC A signs in with a Microsoft account and you want to use that account, type its user name on PC B as MicrosoftAccount\you@example.com and use the account password, not the PIN.

Step 4: share the folder on PC A

1. In File Explorer, right-click the folder and choose Properties.
2. Open the Sharing tab and click Advanced Sharing.
3. Tick Share this folder. Keep the share name, or type a short one without spaces, for example Games.
4. Click Permissions.
5. Click Add, type the account name from step 3, and click OK.
6. Select that account and tick Allow for Read. Tick Change only if PC B must also write files.
7. Select Everyone and click Remove, so only your account can use the share.
8. Click OK, then OK again.

There is also a shorter menu: right-click, Show more options, Give access to, Specific people. It sets both kinds of permission for you, but you see less of what it does.

Step 5: check the folder’s own permissions

A shared folder has two sets of permissions: the share permissions from step 4, and the folder’s own Security permissions. Microsoft says Windows applies the more restrictive of the two. So the account needs Read in both places.

1. In the same Properties window, open the Security tab and click Edit.
2. Click Add, type the same account name, and click OK.
3. Tick Allow for Read & execute. Click OK twice.

This matters most for folders inside your user profile, such as Documents or Videos, which do not let other accounts in by default.

Step 6: find PC A’s IP address

On PC A, open Command Prompt and run ipconfig. Look for IPv4 Address under your Wi-Fi or Ethernet adapter, for example 192.168.1.20.

An address that starts with 192.168., 10. or 172.16. to 172.31. is a private address on your own network. That is the one to use.

Step 7: open the share on PC B

1. On PC B, open File Explorer.
2. In the address bar, type two backslashes, the IP, a backslash and the share name, for example \\192.168.1.20\Games, and press Enter.
3. Sign in with the account from step 3. On a local account, you can type it as PCNAME\username or just the user name.
4. Tick Remember my credentials only on your own PC.

Or from Command Prompt:

net use \\192.168.1.20\Games /user:username

It asks for the password. To copy a big folder from there, use robocopy, which can retry and resume. See copy a huge folder between two PCs with robocopy.

Step 8: stop sharing when you are done

On PC A, open the folder’s Properties, Sharing, Advanced Sharing, and untick Share this folder. If you made an account just for sharing, remove it in Settings, Accounts, Other users. Set the network back to Public if you changed it only for this.

If it does not work

What you see on PC B	What it means	Read
“The network path was not found”, 0x80070035, error 53	PC B cannot reach PC A or the share	System error 53
“Windows cannot access”, 0x80004005	A general error; find the real one with net use	0x80004005
“You do not have permission to access”, error 5	Signed in, but the account may not read the folder	No permission
“The user name or password is incorrect”, 1326	The sign-in was refused	System error 1326
“Multiple connections … by the same user”, 1219	An old connection uses another account	System error 1219
“…block unauthenticated guest access”	The share wants a guest sign-in	Guest access blocked
“Network discovery is turned off”	Only the Network list is affected	Network discovery

A note on security

• Share only what you mean to. Share one folder, not a whole drive.
• Read-only is enough to copy files away. Give Change only when the other PC must write.
• Use a real account with a password. It keeps the share closed to anyone else on the network.
• Contents are not encrypted by default. SMB 3 can encrypt a share, but that is off unless you turn it on for the share, for example with Set-SmbShare -Name Games -EncryptData $true in PowerShell as administrator. Both PCs must support SMB 3. On Windows 11 24H2 Pro, Enterprise and Education, SMB signing is required by default, which protects against changes in transit but does not hide the data. Microsoft says 24H2 Home does not require signing.
• Stop sharing when the copy is done.

The same thing with Devpit

Share Files in Devpit does steps 1 to 8 for you on PC A, with one admin prompt:

• asks before it switches a Public network to Private,
• turns on only the firewall rule for SMB, and only if it is off,
• creates a temporary login with a new password, which expires by itself after 48 hours,
• shares the folder read-only to that login only, gives it read access to the folder, and checks that nobody else has access,
• shows a card with the IP, share name, user name, password, and a net use and a robocopy line for a PC without Devpit.

Zoom

When you stop sharing, or quit Devpit, it removes the share, the folder permission, the login, the firewall change and the network change. PC B can copy with Devpit (with progress, retry and resume) or with the plain Windows commands on the card.

Sources

• Microsoft: File sharing over a network in Windows
• Microsoft: Essential network settings and tasks in Windows (Public and Private)
• Microsoft: Create a local user or administrator account in Windows
• Microsoft: Can’t access shared folders from File Explorer (Advanced Sharing, Security tab)
• Microsoft: Managing permissions for shared folders
• Microsoft: Enable insecure guest logons in SMB2 and SMB3 (guest access and 24H2 signing)
• Microsoft: SMB security hardening (encryption)
• Microsoft: Set-SmbShare (EncryptData)
• Microsoft: net use
• Microsoft: ipconfig
• IETF RFC 1918: private address ranges

Tags:

• file sharing
• smb
• windows

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