When you turn on File and Printer sharing in Windows 11, other connected devices on the same network will be able to 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. Users can turn on or off File and printer sharing separately for a Private or Public network profile.
How to enable or disable file and printer sharing 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 one can turn on or off File and Printer sharing in Windows 11. Windows 11 has a centralized location for the majority of its settings. From system configurations to creating new users and updating Windows, all can be done 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, under More settings, select the Advanced sharing settings tile to expand it. On the Advanced sharing settings pane, click on Private networks and/or 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 rather use the command prompt to enable or disable File and printer sharing, 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. If you want to disable File and printer sharing for all networks, run the commands below. 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: This post showed students and new users steps to turn on or off File and printer sharing in Windows 11. If you find any error above or have something to add, please use the comment form below.
