How To Configure Advanced File Sharing Settings In Windows 11 Network Discovery

Checking Your Current Network Profile Status

Setting a public network to private disables necessary discovery protocols.

1. Open Settings ⚙️ by pressing the Win+I on your keyboard.

   

2. Select Network & internet from the left-hand sidebar.

   

3. Click on Wi-Fi 📶 or Ethernet depending on your active connection type.
4. Click on the name of your connected network or hardware property link.
5. Locate the Network profile type section and select Private.

Enabling Network Discovery and File Sharing via Control Panel

The classic Control Panel 🎛️ houses the master switches for network discovery, file and printer sharing, and public folder sharing. You must adjust these settings inside the Network and Sharing Center.

1. Open the Start menu ⊞, type Control Panel 🎛️, and press Enter.
2. Click on Network and Internet, then open Network and Sharing Center.

   

3. Click on Change advanced sharing settings in the left-hand column.
4. Expand the Private network profile section by clicking the arrow icon next to it.
5. Select Turn on network discovery.
6. Check the box for Turn on automatic setup of network connected devices.
7. Select Turn on file and printer sharing.
8. Click Save changes at the bottom of the window if prompted.

Configuring All Networks and Public Folder Sharing

Beyond the Private profile, Windows 11 includes an All Networks section that controls global parameters such as public folder sharing, encryption, and password-protected sharing. Modifying these options ensures compatibility with older network devices or legacy operating systems.

1. Return to the Advanced sharing settings window in the Control Panel 🎛️.
2. Expand the All Networks section at the bottom of the page.
3. Select Turn on sharing so anyone with network access can read and write files in the Public folders under Public folder sharing, or leave it turned off for stricter security.
4. Select Use 128-bit encryption to help protect file sharing connections (recommended). Alternatively, select Enable file sharing for devices that use 40- or 8-bit encryption if you are connecting to older Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices or legacy printers.
5. Select Turn on password protected sharing to require a user account and password for shared items. Or, select Turn off password protected sharing to allow guest access without credentials (leave this off on shared or untrusted networks).

Managing Advanced Sharing Permissions for Specific Folders

Enabling network discovery only makes your computer visible; you must also explicitly grant sharing permissions to individual folders for other network users to access them.

1. Open File Explorer by pressing the Windows Key + E.
2. Right-click the folder you want to share and select Properties.
3. Click on the Sharing tab at the top of the properties window.
4. Click the Advanced Sharing... button. Note: This step requires administrator privileges.

   

5. Check the box labeled Share this folder.
6. Click the Permissions button to specify which network users or groups can access the directory.
7. Select Everyone or a specific user account from the list, then check Allow for Full Control, Change, or Read according to your preference.
8. Click Apply and then OK to close the permissions window.
9. Click OK again to close the advanced sharing window.

Enabling SMB 1.0 Support for Legacy Network Devices

Many older network-attached storage (NAS) drives, media servers, and network printers rely on an outdated file-sharing protocol called Server Message Block version 1.0 (SMBv1). Windows 11 disables this protocol by default for security reasons. If your computer cannot discover or access older hardware on your network, you must enable SMB 1.0 manually.

Only enable this feature if you rely on legacy hardware that cannot be updated.

1. Open the Start menu, type Turn Windows features on or off, and press Enter. Note: This step requires administrator privileges.
2. Scroll down the list and locate SMB 1.0/CIFS File Sharing Support.
3. Click the plus sign or checkbox next to SMB 1.0/CIFS File Sharing Support to expand and select it. Ensure SMB 1.0/CIFS Client is checked.
4. Click OK. Windows will search for required files and apply the changes.
5. Click Restart now to reboot your computer and finalize the protocol installation.

Using the Registry Editor to Force Network Discovery and Sharing Defaults

If Group Policy or standard GUI configurations fail to apply network discovery settings across managed environments, you can modify the Windows Registry directly. This method forces network provider settings and hidden sharing parameters.

Warning: Incorrectly editing the registry can cause irreversible system instability. Back up your registry before proceeding with these steps.

1. Press the Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type regedit and press Enter to open the Registry Editor. Note: This step requires administrator privileges.
3. Navigate to the following registry path in the address bar: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanServer\Parameters
4. Right-click an empty space in the right pane, select New, and click DWORD (32-bit) Value.
5. Name the new value AutoShareWks and press Enter.
6. Double-click AutoShareWks, ensure the Value data is set to 1, and click OK.
7. Navigate to the following registry path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System
8. Create or modify a DWORD (32-bit) value named LocalAccountTokenFilterPolicy and set its Value data to 1 to allow local accounts to authenticate over the network with administrative tokens.
9. Close the Registry Editor and restart your computer.