How to create a local network between two computers? How to create and configure a local network between two computers Windows 10 local network.

08.06.2023

Now we will quickly look at the network environment settings on Windows 10 for laptops and computers, and also see how to create a shared folder for transferring files.

Sometimes it is not possible to set up a network environment due to a non-working network card or a damaged cord (in the case of a desktop computer). There are also problems with detecting a wireless network on a laptop, again due to mechanical damage to the device. In this case, you need professional help from a service center.

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Setting up a network environment to link multiple computers over a local area network allows you to quickly transfer files or play games together. The network environment can be configured for both normal home use and work tasks. The Windows 10 operating system already has all the necessary tools for configuration, but for ordinary users, the procedure may cause some difficulties.

Network Neighborhood Setting

There are two options for managing the network environment: combining several computers via Wi-fi or via a network cable. Consider a more common version of Wi-fi connection.

Change the settings for a shared folder

Previously, to set up a network environment, you had to purchase special equipment. Now, most apartments have a router or modem, which allows you to create a cable or wireless connection between different computers without any additional effort. And to open network access to a particular folder, you need to do just a few simple steps.

Possible problems in Windows 10

If an error occurs when connecting, first check the settings:

correct IP address on all connected devices;
WiFi security key;
assigning the necessary access and security rights;
enabling network discovery of your device.

If you still get a connection error, try the following:

after pressing Win + X, go to "Computer Management";
select "Services" and then "Print Manager";
disable this service, reboot and enable again.

If the settings are correct, then users of other PCs connected to the local network will be able to go to the specified folder. By accessing the resources of multiple computers, you can significantly save disk space by not making duplicates of the same files in different nodes. Another advantage: using the network environment is convenient due to the high speed of information transfer.

With the release of the first versions of the Windows 10 operating system, many users faced the problem that it was impossible to organize a stable connection between computers. This happened due to the fact that the network card drivers were not fully optimized. The release of updates fixed this problem. Also on this OS, the user interface has been redesigned, and some configurations have changed their location. In principle, setting up a Windows 10 local network is not much different, but there are still a number of pitfalls that you should be aware of. If you want to buy the latest version of the windows system, then follow the link buy windows 10 Kyiv.

How to create a local network on Windows 10?

There are several ways to set up a LAN between PCs:

through a router;
create a direct connection between computers.

The most technically correct and convenient solution is to create a LAN through a WiFi router. Usually, by default, a DHCP server is enabled in the router, which assigns network addresses to devices, so to connect, just connect the cable to the computer and the router and wait for the parameters to be automatically detected. Or find a WiFi point in the list, and connect via radio channel.

Creating a Windows 10 local network over a wired connection is a series of simple, sequential steps to configure the network card, connection, and firewall.

Parameter presetting

Before creating a network connection, make sure that the resources to be combined on the LAN are included in the same workgroup, that network discovery is allowed on all networks, and access to connect to shared resources is allowed in the firewall properties. Now all actions in order:

Call the properties window by right-clicking on "My Computer". The second way is more convenient. Press the key combination "Win (Microsoft logo key) + R", and enter the command "sysdm.cpl".
In the window that opens, on the "Computer Name" tab, there will be the name of the working group, and change it if necessary. Under no circumstances should Cyrillic be used in the name.
The PC will be included in the workgroup after the reboot.
Next, go to the "Network and Sharing Center" through the "Control Panel" or right-click on the connection icon in the "Taskbar" (bottom right of the screen).
Windows works with multiple profiles, such as home or public, so the following step must be done for each or all of them. Click the "Advanced sharing settings" button and turn on network discovery, file and printer sharing, and allow the system to automatically manage the homegroup. You should also disable password access.

These preparatory steps help you understand how to create a local network on Windows 10 and are mandatory on every machine. There is no need to configure the firewall separately; all actions automatically make changes to its policies. Another point that you should definitely pay attention to is that all computers have the same time and date. Without this, it will be impossible to configure the LAN.

Setting the computer's IP address

When creating a wired connection without using a router, we will set static addresses for each computer. The procedure is as follows:

The "Network Control Center" opens.
Select "Additional adapter options".
The properties window for the required adapter is displayed.
Highlight Internet Protocol Version 4 and click the Properties button.
Manually set IPs from the range allocated for use in the LAN. Information about these ranges can be found on the Internet.
DNS and gateway can be left in automatic mode.

IP for each computer must be unique, but belong to the same subnet, i.e. only the last digits should differ. After applying these settings, the connection should rise, and you can start setting up shares.

Setting up sharing

To "share" a folder, its properties are called. The "Access" tab allows you to manage user rights. In order for the folder to be visible locally, click "Advanced settings" and then "Share this folder". The "Permissions" button becomes active, which we press to manage security policies. A new window will allow you to select either one specific user or give permission to absolutely everyone. It depends on what tasks are set for the general access.

This is where all the steps on how to set up a local network on windows 10 end. Similarly, you can give permissions to access a printer or scanner. All shares can be found by opening Explorer or any other file manager in the network section. The first time you connect, it will search for devices and allowed resources, which may take some time. For convenience, a shared folder can be mounted as a drive by assigning a specific letter to it.

In this guide, we will take a detailed look at how to create a local network between computers running any of the latest versions of Windows, including Windows 10 and 8, as well as share files and folders over a local network.

I note that today, when there is a Wi-Fi router (wireless router) in almost every apartment, creating a local network does not require additional equipment (since all devices are already connected via a router via cable or Wi-Fi) and will allow you not only to transmit files between computers, but, for example, watch videos and listen to music stored on a computer's hard drive on a tablet or compatible TV without first dropping it to a USB flash drive (this is just one example).

In order to share a Windows folder on the local network, right-click on this folder and select "Properties" and go to the "Access" tab, on it click the "Advanced settings" button.

Check the "Share this folder" checkbox, then click "Permissions".

Check the permissions that are required for this folder. If you want to be read-only, you can leave the default values. Apply your settings.

After that, in the folder properties, open the "Security" tab and click the "Edit" button, and in the next window - "Add".

Specify the user (group) name "Everyone" (without quotes), add it, and then set the same permissions that were set the previous time. Save your changes.

Just in case, after all the manipulations done, it makes sense to restart the computer.

Accessing folders on the local network from another computer

This completes the setup: now, from other computers, you can access the folder via the local network - go to "Explorer", open the "Network" item, well, then, I think, everything will be obvious - open and do everything with the contents of the folder, what was set in permissions. For more convenient access to a network folder, you can create its shortcut in a convenient place. You may also find it useful: (for example, to play movies from your computer on your TV).

Comments (102) on Setting up a LAN between Windows 10, 8 and 7 computers

If you need to share a large amount of software, movies, or music in your office or home, you can do this by setting up a LAN connection between computers. At the dawn of the development of the Internet, in order to set up such a connection, the only way out was to purchase a separate device, called a hub or switch (switch). Today, if you are setting up a local network for work, buying a switch is also a necessary measure to ensure a stable high-speed connection. Nevertheless, in order to download a movie or a game from the server, an accessory that is present in almost every modern apartment is enough - a router, or a router. In addition to the fact that a regular Wi-Fi router guarantees a wireless Internet connection from any gadget, be it a mobile phone or tablet, it can also be used to organize a local network connection between several computers or laptops. The principle of building such a connection in Windows 10 has undergone some changes compared to a similar algorithm that is relevant for the "seven". In this article, we will tell how to set up a local network in the final OS from Microsoft today.

The principle of building a classic network using a router differs from the standard client-server scheme. So, several nodes in the network can act as servers at once. You can share file objects on several machines at once by configuring the connection so that all members of the local network have equal access to all network resources provided for a general connection. Also, you can open read-only or view content without the ability to write any new files to the folder or modify existing ones. How to do it?

How to set up a local network - basic principles and methods

A prerequisite for organizing a local network is the correct thoughtful configuration of the router. Communication provided by this device must be reliable and stable. There should also be no breaks in the connection, otherwise the connection between individual network nodes can be similarly broken. Not so long ago on our blog, we already showed how to set up a router. The preliminary configuration for building a local network completely repeats the procedure described in this material, so we will not dwell on this further.

The first thing we need to do to ensure connectivity is to add all nodes on the network to a single workspace or group. By default, during the installation of the OS, a working group “WORKGROUP” is created and the computer on which the set-up takes place joins it. In order to make sure that the selected computer belongs to this default network space, go to the system settings form by right-clicking on the Start button and selecting the appropriate item from the menu.

In the window that opens, among the name of the host on the network and its description, you can also find the "Workgroup" field, next to which the active workspace is indicated.

As far as you can see from the screenshot, my PC belongs to the “WORKGROUP” network space. Most likely, if you haven't changed anything, your workgroup will have the same name. The whole point is that all computers connected to a single network must be connected to a workspace with the same name (in my case, WORKGROUP). Most likely your netgroup has the same name. If suddenly you changed it and want to set a new value, on the PC properties form, click the "Change settings" button.

On the "System Properties" form, go to the "Computer Name" tab and click the "Change" button at the very bottom of the window. To get to the same form, you can use another method: using the "Run" command and the "sysdm.cpl" keyword. You can call a mini-form for entering commands using the Win + R key combination.

In the new window that opens, there is just the opportunity to specify a new workspace in the corresponding field.

Now let's move on to additional settings that determine how to set up a local network in Windows OS. Open the control panel using again the same start menu.

When the window is open, click on the "Change advanced sharing settings" button.

So, finally, we got to the form for setting up a shared network space. We use the permission of the system to control workgroup connections, printer and file sharing, PC detection and configuration in automatic mode.

After that, select the “All Networks” subsection and at the very bottom we mark with a radio button the option responsible for disabling sharing with password protection.

Now all settings are ready. We save them by clicking on the button at the bottom of the screen.

An important point: all the same steps must be done on all computers that you want to connect to the local network. This is a prerequisite for a successful connection and will not take much time.

As you can see, setting up a Windows 10 LAN is very simple, intuitive and does not take much time. Now let's open access to folders and set permissions.

How to configure access to file shares and shared folders?

To share the selected directory, right-click on the folder you need and go to the "Properties" item in the menu that appears. Switch to the "Access" tab and then - the item "Advanced settings". Next, you can learn how to set up a local network by sharing one or more folders.

To share the directory, check the box of the same name at the top and then click on the "Permissions" button.

On the form that opens, check the boxes for the users you want to grant access to. Also set the rights: some can be given the ability to only go into the folder without the ability to edit, while others can be given write permissions - it's up to you. Do not give full access to those users whom you do not know, otherwise chaos and garbage may soon appear in the folder, and you will have to clean or restore these open directories.

When everything is ready, switch to the "Security" tab and for the "Everyone" user we set the ability to only read the contents from the folder and run executable files directly in the directory. This is necessary so that guest users can watch movies and listen to music directly from your computer without copying file objects to their hard drive. To change the rights, use the "Change" button, after selecting one of the users for which you want to configure access.

So, if you did everything exactly according to the instructions, by going to the "Network" section in the explorer you can see the folders that you made open. Using the above methodology, you can also learn how to set up a local network between computers with different versions of operating systems (for example, between PCs with "seven" and "ten" on board).

This approach to organizing file space is incredibly convenient and practical, because it allows you to store all the necessary files in one copy and access them from any other computer. This will allow you to keep important disk space on your hard drive free and allow network members to spend time together playing an exciting game or watching an interesting movie together.

In commercial, educational and other small organizations, it is very important to establish convenient, fast and secure file sharing. In such cases, instead of using the Internet to transfer data, computers are combined into a local network. Networks can be both large and small, have different topologies, that is, the connection method and type. There are two main types - client-server, when one computer on the local network plays the role of a server, while the others are workstations, and peer-to-peer network, in which all computers are equal.

Networks of the second type are also called work groups and are used where there is no need for centralized management. There are also home groups - if I may say so, a special subspecies of work groups in which a password is requested when a new device is connected. Such groups are usually used for file sharing in small organizations and houses / apartments with several PCs, hence their name, by the way. A Windows 10 homegroup can include up to two dozen machines, and we'll talk about how to organize and configure it below.

Create and set up a homegroup in Windows 10

So, how to create a homegroup in Windows 10? First, let's make sure that all computers meet three main requirements, namely: they must be connected to the same network (via a router or Ethernet), have the same workgroup name ( System Properties - Edit - WORKGROUP) and run at least Windows 7.

Now let's proceed directly to the procedure itself. Let's open the team control /nameMicrosoft.HomeGroup on your computer, the HomeGroup applet, and the first thing to do is make your network private. To do this, click in the current window on the link "Change network location", and then click the "Yes" button on the panel that left on the right.

The contents of the window will immediately change, and the "Create Home Group" button will become active. Okay, now let's set up some parameters. Click the link in the window "Change advanced sharing settings" and turn on network discovery (should already be enabled) and file and printer sharing.

Returning to the "Homegroup" applet window, click the "Create a homegroup" button - "Next" and select the directories whose contents we want to make common to all users of the group.

At the last stage, you will be asked to write down the password that will be used to connect to the created group of other computers. Save the password and click Finish. This completes the creation of a homegroup in Windows 10.

How to join a homegroup

The homegroup is ready, but so far it has only one computer. Let's connect other hosts on the local network to it. To do this, open the Homegroup applet on another computer and, when the snap-in window displays the message “The user created a homegroup on the network” after the automatic scan is completed, click the “Join” button.

Then click "Next", select the necessary resources and enter the same password that was issued by the system when creating the home group on the first computer. Connection completed. If desired or necessary, you can add arbitrary directories to the list of shared resources. There are at least two ways to do this.

The first way is to add the desired folder to any of the standard Windows libraries by right-clicking on it and selecting the appropriate option from the menu. The second way is just as simple. Click on the shared directory RMB, select the option " Grant Access - HomeGroup (View and Modify)».

After that, the folder will immediately appear in the resources of the Windows Homegroup. In addition, you can change the group access password (the new password must be shared with all group members) and temporarily disable access to any of the shared libraries. All of these actions are performed directly from the HomeGroup snap-in window.

Common issues when using a homegroup

As you can see, creating and setting up a homegroup in Windows 10 is not difficult. It is much more difficult to cope with the problems that sometimes arise, especially when it is not possible to establish their cause. And there can be many reasons for this. Let's briefly consider the most common of them.

What to do if you can't connect to your homegroup:

Make sure all PCs connected to the HomeGroup are set to the same time. Open on all machines with the command control /nameMicrosoft.DateAndTime applet "Date and Time", switch to the "Internet Time" tab and, if necessary, synchronize the time with a Microsoft server.

A connectivity issue can occur if a user creates a HomeGroup on multiple computers on the same network. This mistake is often made by novice users. And although all PCs in the homegroup are equal, it is created on only one machine, and all the others are only connected to it.
You will not be able to connect if, for some reason, in Windows Services, you have the Network Member Grouping and HomeGroup Provider services disabled. Also enable the "PNRP Protocol" and "PNRP Computer Name Publishing Service" services.

Problems will arise if you change the network type from "Home" to "Public" or "Enterprise Network" after creating the HomeGroup. Also note that there should only be one network in the "Network and Sharing Center".
For the HomeGroup to work correctly, IPv6 must be enabled. Go to the "Network and Sharing Center", click the "Change adapter settings" link, open the properties of the adapter used to connect to the Internet, find the IP version 6 (TCP / IPv6) item and make sure that the checkbox next to it has a checkmark.

Homegroup became unavailable after Windows 10 update

By opening the team services.msc service management snap-in, find the specified service in the list, double-click to open its properties, set the startup type to "Automatic", save the settings and restart the computer. In the next versions of Microsoft, for sure, it will simplify the task, but for now we connect like this.