How to Enable or Disable Network Discovery in Windows 11

This post shows students and new users the steps to turn On or Off Network discovery in Windows 11. Network discovery is a feature in Windows that allows Windows devices to find and discover other computers and devices on a network.

When you turn on Network discovery in Windows 11, other connected devices on the same Network can search and discover your computer. When Network discovery is enabled, a device sends signals to search for other discoverable devices over the Network.

Windows comes with three types of discovery states:

• On – Windows devices in this state will see and allow other connected devices to discover it on a network.
• Off-Windows devices in this state will not see or allow other connected devices to discover it on a network.
• Custom – Windows devices in this state may see or allow other devices to discover it, but other Windows firewall settings are configured to fine-tune discoverability.

Windows creates a separate network profile for each active Network. Users can turn on or off network discovery separately for each Private or Public network profile.

How to enable or disable Network discover on Windows 11

As mentioned above, Network discovery allows Windows devices to find and discover other computers and devices on a network. It allows other connected devices to connect to discover and connect to it.

Below is how one can turn on or off Network Discovery.

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.

Windows Settings pane should look similar to the image below. 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 Network discovery as highlighted below.

Network discovery 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 Network discovery in Windows 11 via Command Prompt.

If you want to read, use the command prompt to turn Network discovery on or off, and follow the steps below.

First, open the Command Prompt as administrator.

Then run the commands below to enable Network discovery for all networks.

netsh advfirewall firewall set rule group="Network Discovery" new enable=Yes

To turn off Network discovery for all networks, run the commands below.

netsh advfirewall firewall set rule group="Network Discovery" new enable=No

Related Network discovery 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

That should do it!

Conclusion:

• Network discovery is essential for allowing Windows devices to find and connect with each other on the same network.
• Users can easily enable or disable network discovery through the Settings app or Command Prompt in Windows 11.
• Each active network profile (Private or Public) can have its own network discovery settings, providing flexibility based on user needs.
• Ensuring network discovery is set according to the desired security level is crucial, especially when connected to public networks.
• For further assistance, refer to the related articles on network discovery and sharing in Windows 11.