Solved | Windows 10 File Sharing Not Working (6 Fixes)

Windows 10 network sharing not working and its reasons

The file sharing feature is praised by lots of people because of its convenience and safety in sharing files between different computers in the same LAN. However, some users report that Windows 10 file sharing not working after update 1803, 1809 or 1903 in File Explorer, and you may receive the following message:

🚫You do not have permission to access \\...
⛔You can't access this shared folder because your organization's security policies block unauthenticated guest access.
🔎Check the spelling of the name. Otherwise, there might be a problem with your network.

Besides Windows 10, you may also encounter Windows 11 network sharing not working. So why Windows cannot access network computer in Windows 10/11? Usually, Windows 10/11 file sharing not working may be caused by the following reasons:

• The file sharing settings are incorrect.
• You don't have a credential.
• The file sharing connection is not compatible. 
• The antivirus software prevents Windows file sharing. 
• The SMB 1.0 is disabled in Windows 10 Update.
• Windows Update has bugs. 

If you don't want to try these file sharing not working fixes one by one or you are in desperate need of finding a file sharing method, a free and fast file transfer software is listed below. You can also turn to the solutions to fix Windows 10 file sharing not working directly.

Sharing files with the best alternative - free and easy

Except for accessing shared in File Explorer, you can try different alternatives in the following:

#1:  Access shared folder through command prompt: net use [devicename]: \\[server name]\[sharename]  

#2:  Use file sync software for help: It allows you to sync folders to network drive with different storage devices, from your computer, external hard drive or USB flash drive. And you are able to set daily/weekly/monthly automatic sync, thereby you won't worry about forgetting to backup important data someday.

The first method is really, you just need to open command prompt and type the command above. Thus, here I'll show you the second method in detail and share files over a network with the professional yet free file transfer tool - AOMEI Backupper Standard. And you can still use it as a long-term data protection solution.

AOMEI Backupper

Easy and Free File Sharing Software

• Seamlessly synchronize files between computers, or sync files to external drive, NAS, cloud, etc.
• Automatically sync data in daily, weekly, or monthly as needed, without missing any change.
• Widely work with Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7/XP/Vista to help you share files across various devices.

Download Freeware
Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7

100% Secure

If you are using a server system, you can try AOMEI Backupper Server to get rid of file sharing not working on Windows Server 2019, 2016, and others.

1. Download, install and run this software. Click Sync from the left list. Then select Basic Sync.

2. The Task Name can be modified according to your needs. Click Add Folder to choose the folder which contains the files you want to sync.

3. Click the inverted triangle and select Add Share or NAS Device. 

4. Then, type network path or name in the next window, you will see all shared folders, select one folder as the destination path and click OK.

5. Click Schedule Sync and enable it, then select daily, weekly, and monthly. To distinguish this sync task from others easily, click Options to write a comment for this task. Click Start Sync to share your files over a network.

Notes:✎...

After upgrading to the Professional version, you can use other sync options, like Real-Time Sync, Mirror Sync, and Two-Way Sync, to meet your sync needs better.

If you set the sync task to run daily/weekly/monthly, the program will automatically install a service to run scheduled task and run missed sync at the next system startup, so you won’t worry that the newly added files or folders cannot be synced.

Except for daily, weekly, and monthly, you can use the Event triggers and USB plug in features. The last one is recommended if you want to copy files automatically when USB connected, instead of connecting external devices manually before this task starts.

Do not change the folder name of your source. Otherwise, AOMEI Backupper cannot sync it anymore.

Besides network path, you still can sync folders to cloud drives like OneDrive. For free users with a few GB of cloud storage, you could try AOMEI Cloud, which provides you with 1TB of free storage from the time you sign up until 15 days.

File sharing not working in Windows 10/11? Try these 6 solutions 

The issue of network sharing not working in Windows 10/11 brings great inconvenience to users. But don't worry, the following are some workable ways to fix the network sharing problem in Windows 10 and 11.

Like any other Windows issue, this issue can be easily fixed just with a simple system restart. Also, try to disable antivirus software. If the problem persists after trying these methods, you may try the following 6 methods.

👉 Solution 1. Configure advanced sharing settings🔥
👉 Solution 2. Turn password protection off🔥
👉 Solution 3. Check for the Computer Browser service
👉 Solution 4. Add a Windows Credential
👉 Solution 5. Enable SMB 1.0 in Windows Feature🔥
👉 Solution 6. Disable IPv6

Solution 1. Configure advanced sharing settings🔥

The file sharing works when you configure the advanced sharing settings correctly, such as, turning on network discovery, and file and printer sharing. For that, follow the steps below: 

1. Go to Start > Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Change advanced sharing settings.

2. Select Turn on network discovery to enable network discovery. Select Turn on file and printer sharing to enable file sharing.

3. Click Save changes to confirm.

Don’t forget to have a check to make sure Windows Firewall is not blocking file and printer sharing.

1. Go to Start > Control Panel > Windows Defender Firewall.

2. Select Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall.

3. Make sure you have selected File and Printer Sharing in the apps and featurs list. Finally, click OK.

Solution 2. Turn password protection off🔥

The Windows file sharing not working issue may be caused by password protected sharing. It requires a user account on this PC or username and password, otherwise you cannot access the shared folder in File Explorer. Hence, you can choose to disable the password protection feature. 

1. Go to Start > Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Change advanced sharing settings.

2. Scroll down to find the “Password protected sharing” option, and click Turn off password protected sharing. 

3. Click Save changes to confirm.

Solution 3. Check for the Computer Browser service

Computer Browser service is a feature of Microsoft Windows to let users easily browse and locate shared resources in neighboring computers. Therefore, you can check if it's running in the Services. 

1. Go to Start and type services.msc in Start Search.

2. Find the Computer Browser. Right-click it and select Properties. Check if it is started.

3. If it is stopped select Start or Restart. And make sure that the startup type of this service is set as Automatic, click Apply and OK to complete this operation.

Besides this service, there are multiple services required for file sharing, you still need to check them and be sure it's started and the startup type is automatic.

• Function Discovery Provider Host
• Function Discovery Resource Publication
• SSDP Discovery
• UPnP Device Host

Solution 4. Add a Windows Credential 

Accessing shared folders on a remote server requires a Windows credential, if you don't have, please create one and then try again. You need to know its IP address, user name and password. 

1. Open Control Panel, and click on Credentials Manager.

2. Select Windows Credentials and click the Add a Windows credential button.

3. Then, input the IP address, user name and password in the corresponding box and click Save to keep changes. 

Solution 5. Enable SMB 1.0 in Windows Feature🔥

Microsoft disables the SMB1.0/CIFS setting in the latest Windows Update, but it's a essential feature for file sharing. In view of this, you need to enable it in Windows Feature. 

Step 1. Go to Control Panel > Programs and Features > Turn Windows features on or off in order. 

Step 2. Tick SMB 1.0/CIFS File Sharing Support and click OK. 

3. Restart your computer for changes to take effect. If the problem still persists, try to update Windows 10 to latest version. 

Solution 6. Disable IPv6

Disabling IPv6 connectivity on the systems is also an effective solution to fifix the Windows 11/10 File Sharing not working issue. Please follow these steps:

1. Open the Run dialogue box by pressing Windows + R keys, and then input ncpa.cpl to open the Network Connections windows.

2. Right-click on your connected network and choose Properties.

3. Uncheck the box next to "Internet Protocol Version 6" and click OK to save the change.

FAQs about Windows 10 file sharing

Summary

To fix Windows 10 file sharing not working problem, you can try the 6 solutions stated in this article.

Hope one of the methods can help you fix the problem. To avoid any network sharing problem in the future, you can try  AOMEI Backupper to sync two folders on the same computer, auto sync files to external hard drive, sync folder to a network drive.

By the way, other features like cloning files to an external hard drive, backing up files, restoring files from backup image are also available for this software. If you want to prevent your files from being lost, you can take advantage of theses practical functions. Just give it a try by yourself now!