How to Enable File Sharing Between Ubuntu and Windows 11

Enable Network Discovery in 🪟 Windows 11

Windows needs to “announce” that it has files to share. If this is turned off, other computers cannot find it. First, turn on Network Discovery in Windows 11. Read more about this here: How to enable Network Discovery on Windows 11.

Turn on File Sharing in 🪟 Windows 11

Turning on file sharing in Windows 11 allows your Ubuntu computer to see and connect to your Windows folders over your home network. You do this through the Control Panel 🎛️ by opening the Network and Sharing Center, changing the advanced sharing settings, and turning on network discovery and file and printer sharing.

1. Click Start and type Control Panel 🎛️.
   
   

   

   
   
2. Click Network and Internet.
   
   

   

   
   
3. Select Network and Sharing Center.
   
   

   

   
   
4. Click Change advanced sharing settings.
   
   

   

   
   
5. Under the Private section, turn on File and printer sharing.
   
   

   

   
   
6. Scroll down to All networks and ensure these settings are active so you can access your folders.
   
   

   

   
   

You can quickly enable file sharing settings for Windows 11 by running specific commands as an administrator in the Command Prompt. This method is particularly useful for users who prefer command-line operations over graphical interfaces.

netsh advfirewall firewall set rule group="File and Printer Sharing" new enable=Yes
netsh advfirewall firewall set rule group="Network Discovery" new enable=Yes

Access Windows Shares from Ubuntu

Accessing Windows shares from Ubuntu takes just a few clicks inside the built-in File Manager. You connect directly to your Windows computer by opening Other Locations, typing your Windows machine’s network address, and entering your Windows login details to browse the shared folders.

1. Open your File Manager.
2. Click Other Locations in the left sidebar.
   
   

   

   
   
3. If you do not see your Windows computer, you may need to install the sharing tool by opening your terminal and running:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install samba

In the Connect to Server box at the bottom, type the address of your Windows computer like this:

smb://servername/Share_name

Or if you have a specific folder to open:

smb://10.0.2.18/users/Richard/Documents

How to access Ubuntu files from Windows

Accessing Ubuntu files from Windows requires Samba (a tool that lets different operating systems share files over a network). You install Samba, create a shared folder on your Ubuntu system, and change the folder permissions so your Windows computer has permission to open it.

1. Open the terminal and create a folder:

sudo mkdir /samba

2. Set the permissions so others can use it:

sudo chgrp sambashare /samba
sudo chmod 2770 /samba

3. Add your user account to the sharing list (replace yourusername with your actual Ubuntu name):

sudo smbpasswd -a yourusername

4. Set a password for your Samba share:

sudo smbpasswd -a yourusername
sudo smbpasswd -e yourusername

5. Add your account to the share group:

sudo usermod -a -G sambashare yourusername

6. Open the configuration file:

sudo nano /etc/samba/smb.conf

7. Add these lines to the bottom of the file and save it:

    path = /samba
    browseable = yes
    read only = no
    force create mode = 0660
    force directory mode = 2770
    valid users = @sambashare

8. Restart the service to apply changes:

sudo systemctl restart smbd
sudo systemctl restart nmbd

Summary