How to Enable File and Printer Sharing in Windows 11

This article explains how to enable or disable File and Printer sharing in Windows 11.

File and printer sharing is a feature in Windows that allows Windows devices to share files, folders, and printers with other computers on a network.

When you turn on File and Printer sharing in Windows 11, other connected devices on the same Network can search and discover your shared resources.

File and Printer sharing are tightly integrated when sharing resources. Below are the sharing capabilities available when making resources available to other computers on a network:

• File sharing – Allows users to share and make files and folders available to other devices on a network to view, copy, or change.
• Printer sharing – Allows users to share and make connected printers available to other devices on a network to view and print documents.

Windows creates a separate network profile for each active Network. For example, users can turn on or off File and printer sharing separately for a Private or Public network profile.

Turn File and Printer sharing on or off on Windows 11

As mentioned above, File and printer sharing is a feature in Windows that allows Windows devices to share folders and printers with other computers on a network.

Below is how to turn File and Printer sharing in Windows 11 on or off.

Windows 11 has a centralized location for the majority of its settings. As a result, everything can be done, from system configurations to creating new users and updating Windows from its Settings app.

To get to System Settings, you can use the Windows key + I shortcut or click on Start ==> Settings, as shown in the image below:

Alternatively, you can use the search box on the taskbar and search for Settings. Then select to open it.

In Windows Settings, click Network & internet tile to expand it.

On the Network & internet settings pane, select the Advanced network settings tile at the bottom to expand it.

On the Advanced network settings pane, select the Advanced sharing settings tile under More settings to expand it.

On the Advanced sharing settings pane, click on Private and Public networks to expand.

Then toggle the button to the On or Off position to enable or disable File and Printer sharing as highlighted below.

File and printer sharing is turned Off by default on the Public network profile. That should do it.

You can now exit the Settings app.

Turn On or Off File and Printer Sharing in Windows 11 via Command Prompt

If you instead use the command prompt to turn File and printer sharing on or off, then follow the steps below.

First, open the Command Prompt as administrator.

Then run the commands below to enable File and printer sharing for all networks.

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

Run the commands below to turn off File and printer sharing for all networks.

netsh advfirewall firewall set rule group="File and Printer Sharing" new enable=No

Related File and Printer sharing posts:

• How to enable Network discovery and sharing in Windows 11
• How to find other Windows computers on a network in Windows 11
• How to map a network drive in Windows 11
• How to turn on Firewall in Windows 11
• How to change network profiles in Windows 11
• How to turn on or off network discovery in Windows 11

That should do it!

Conclusion:

In summary, enabling or disabling File and Printer sharing in Windows 11 is straightforward, whether through the Settings app or the Command Prompt. Here are the key takeaways:

• File and Printer sharing allows devices on the same network to share files and printers.
• Users can manage sharing settings separately for Private and Public network profiles.
• Accessing the File and Printer sharing settings can be done via the Network & internet section in the Settings app or through command line commands.
• By default, File and Printer sharing is turned off for Public networks to ensure security.
• For those who prefer command line interfaces, the Command Prompt offers a quick way to toggle these settings.

Now you can confidently manage your File and Printer sharing settings in Windows 11!