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Network discovery is turned off. Network computers and devices are not visible

Windows shows this at the top of the Network folder in File Explorer. The full text is: “Network discovery is turned off. Network computers and devices are not visible. Please turn on network discovery in Network and Sharing Center.”

It means your PC is not looking for other PCs on the network, so the Network list stays empty. It does not mean the network is broken.

What it means

Section titled “What it means”

Network discovery is a setting that decides whether your PC can find other PCs and devices on the network, and whether they can find yours. Windows keeps this setting separately for Private and Public networks.

Discovery only fills the list you browse. Opening a shared folder by its address does not need it. If you type \\192.168.1.20\share in the File Explorer address bar, Windows goes straight to that PC.

Why it happens

Section titled “Why it happens”
  • The network is set to Public. Windows 11 marks Public network as “Recommended”, so many networks are Public. Microsoft says that on a Public network your PC is hidden from other devices. On a Private network it is discoverable and can share files, and Microsoft says to use Private only when you know and trust the people and devices on it.
  • Discovery is off for Private networks too. Someone turned it off, or it was never turned on.
  • A service it needs is not running. Microsoft lists these services for network discovery: DNS Client, Function Discovery Resource Publication, SSDP Discovery and UPnP Device Host. Its File Explorer guide also names Function Discovery Provider Host.
  • A firewall blocks it. The Windows firewall needs the Network discovery feature allowed. A third-party firewall can block it too.

If you turn discovery on and it switches back off after you save, Microsoft says the usual cause is one of the last two: a stopped service or a firewall.

How Devpit fixes or avoids it

Section titled “How Devpit fixes or avoids it”

Devpit does not change the network discovery setting.

Share Files does not need it. The receiving PC types the sharing PC’s IP address, which is shown on the sharing PC’s card, and Devpit lists the shared folders at that address. If the sharing PC’s network is set to Public, Devpit asks before it switches it to Private, because Windows blocks file sharing on a Public network. When you stop sharing, Devpit puts it back.

The manual fix

Section titled “The manual fix”

1. Set your own network to Private

Section titled “1. Set your own network to Private”

Do this only for a network you trust, such as your home Wi-Fi.

  1. Open Settings, then Network & internet.
  2. Choose Wi-Fi (or Ethernet), then the network you are connected to.
  3. Under Network profile type, choose Private network. The other choice is Public network (Recommended).

2. Turn on network discovery for Private networks

Section titled “2. Turn on network discovery for Private networks”
  1. Open Settings, Network & internet, Advanced network settings, Advanced sharing settings. (Or type manage advanced sharing settings in Start.)
  2. Under Private networks, turn on Network discovery and File and printer sharing.

On older builds the same switches are in Control Panel, Network and Internet, Network and Sharing Center, Advanced sharing settings: select Turn on network discovery, then Save changes.

3. If the setting does not stay on

Section titled “3. If the setting does not stay on”
  1. Press Win+R, type services.msc and press Enter.
  2. Find each of these services and check that it is running: DNS Client, Function Discovery Resource Publication, Function Discovery Provider Host, SSDP Discovery, UPnP Device Host. For a stopped one, open it, set Startup type to Automatic, click Start, then OK.
  3. Open Control Panel, System and Security, Windows Defender Firewall, then Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall. Click Change settings, tick Network discovery for Private, and click OK.
  4. If you use another firewall or security suite, allow network discovery there too.
  5. Turn discovery on again (step 2 above). Microsoft also says to restart the PC after you change the services.

4. Or skip the list

Section titled “4. Or skip the list”

If you know the other PC’s IP address, you do not need the list at all. Type \\IP\sharename in the File Explorer address bar. If that fails with “The network path was not found”, see system error 53. If it fails with 0x80004005, see Windows cannot access \\PC.

Sources

Section titled “Sources”

Common questions

Do I need network discovery to copy files from another PC?

No. Network discovery only fills the Network list in File Explorer. If you type the address of the share, for example \\192.168.1.20\share, Windows connects to it directly without the list.

Why does network discovery keep turning itself off?

Windows keeps one set of sharing settings for Private networks and one for Public networks. If your Wi-Fi is set to Public, the Public settings apply, and there network discovery is normally off. Set the network you trust to Private and turn discovery on under Private.

Is it safe to turn on network discovery?

On your own home or office network that you trust, it is normal. On a cafe, hotel or airport Wi-Fi, leave the network as Public so your PC is not visible to strangers.