Restart the Windows File Sharing Service to fix weird problems September 23rd, 2011 Every once in a while I get this annoying problem where I can't a access my windows shares from other computers on the network, and the only way to get it it to work again is to restart windows.
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Symptoms of Windows 10 network sharing not working
Scanned file types and exclusions; Authorizing items for use; Firewall policy. Basic firewall configuration. Set up a basic firewall policy; About using monitor mode; Add and trust an application; Allow all traffic on a LAN; Allow file and printer sharing; Allow flexible control of file and printer sharing; Block unwanted file and printer sharing. Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Network. Click TCP/IP-Network adapter, click Properties, and then click the Bindings tab. Click to clear the File and Printer Sharing check box, click OK, and then click OK. Go to Control Panel System and Security Windows Firewall. In the left pane, click Advanced settings, and in the console tree, click Inbound Rules. Under Inbound Rules, locate the below rules. For each rule, right-click the rule, and then click Enable Rule. Jul 01, 2018 During server migrations, I normally use the Windows Firewall to cut off access to the 'old' server, makes it really easy to un-block it again if necessary. You can simply turn off/disable the File and Printer Sharing - SMB-In rules to block anyone from connecting to shared folders.
The complaint of Windows 10 file sharing not working began to spread across the social mediarecently. Although Windows file sharing is praised by lots of people because of itsconvenience and safety before, some users have reported Windows 10 file sharing not workingafter update 1803/1809/1903. Some users said it cannot recognize other computers when theyshared files or folders. Other users said that a permission pop-up window told them theydidn’t have permissions to access files or folders.
Common ways to fix file sharing not working in Windows 10
The issue of network sharing not working in Windows 10 brings great inconvenience to users.But don’t worry, the following are some workable ways to fix the network sharing problem inWindows 10.
Solution 1. Restart your computer
If you have not tried restarting your computer, you can do it right away.
Solution 2. Enable file and network sharing
The Windows 10 file sharing not working problem can occur when you have not set it properly.Just perform the following steps to make sure file sharing works as it is supposed tobe.
Step 1. Go to Start > Control Panel > Networkand Sharing Center > Change advanced sharingsettings.
Step 2. Select Turn on network discovery to enable network discovery. SelectTurn on file and printer sharing to enable file sharing.
Step 3. Click Save changes to confirm.
Don’t forget to have a check to make sure Windows Firewall is not blocking file and printersharing.
Step 1. Go to Start > Control Panel > Security> Windows Firewall to open Windows Firewall.
Step 2. Select Allow a program through Windows Firewall.
Step 3. Make sure you have selected File and Printer Sharing in the Programor port list. Finally, click OK.
Solution 3. Turn password protection off and on
You can try to disable the password protection feature to fix the Windows 10 network sharingnot working problem.
Go to Start > Control Panel > Network andSharing Center > Change advanced sharing settings. Scroll downto find the “Password protected sharing” option, and click Turn off passwordprotected sharing. Click Save changes to confirm.
Solution 4. Check for the Computer Browser service
Go to have a check whether the Computer Browser service is running.
Step 1. Go to Start and type services.msc in Start Search.
Step 2. Find the Computer Browser. Right-click it and select Properties.Check if it is started.
Step 3. If it is stopped select Start or Restart. And makesure that the service is started and set as Automatic.
Step 4. If you make any change, click Apply and OK.
Some other common methods you can also have a try to fix the Windows 10 network sharing notworking issue:
Check the availability of the needed network service. It might be mistakenly disabledfor the sake of security.
Stop using some third-party firewalls. Some firewalls might have a bad effect onWindows 10 file sharing.
Write net user guest /active:yes from an admin Command Prompt on thehost machine. When the guest account on the host cannot access the network, you can trythis way.
Create a username/password that matches the username/password from guest machine.
Disable the computer’s anti-virus program and check if the issue persists. If itfixes the network sharing problem, you can check for any updates and the firewallsettings within the security software.
Sharing files with the best alternative – free and easy
The network sharing problem in Windows 10 can be solved efficiently by the methods mentionedabove. Although these Windows 10 file sharing issues can be fixed, some related problems arefollowed. You need to verify theses ways one by one.
In the meantime, it is hard for some non-technical users to take these methods. Is there afree and easy alternative? To share files easily, free file sync software - AOMEI Backupper Standardcomes to help.
It allows you to sync folders to network via different storage devices, from yourcomputer, external hard drive or USB flash drive.
It enables you to set an automatic sync task, and then it will sync the files daily/weekly/monthly. Thus you won’tworry about forgetting to backup important data someday.
It supports various operating systems like Windows 10, Windows 8.1/8, Windows 7,Windows Vista and XP.
The network sharing problem in Windows 10 also can be solved efficiently by this software.Keep reading to get the detailed steps to share files between computers over the networkusing AOMEI Backupper.
Detailed steps of sharing files over a network
Before sharing, please check the integrity of your files.
Step 1. Download, install and run this software. Click Sync from the left list. Then selectBasic Sync.
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Step 2. The Task Name can be modified according to your needs. ClickAdd Folder to choose the folder which contains the files you want tosync.
File And Printer Sharing Firewall
Step 3. Select a destination path.
Step 4. Go Share/NAS > Add Network Location to input thenetwork path.
Step 5. After the network location is added, all shared folders under it will be listed.Choose one folder as the destination path and click OK.
Server Service File And Printer Sharing Ports Blocked Users
Step 6. If all things are right, you can click Start Sync. Then the softwarewill share your files over a network.
Notes:
If you want to distinguish this sync task from others easily, you can click Optionsin Step 6 to write a comment for the task. You also can enableemailnotification to get informed of the operation results through emails.
The feature of Schedule can help you sync your files automatically.Five modes are available for this software: Daily,Weekly, Monthly, Eventtriggers, USB plug in. The last two options are supported bythe advanced version - AOMEIBackupper Professional.
If you set the sync task to run daily/weekly/monthly, the program will automaticallyinstall 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.
Do not change the folder name of your source. Otherwise AOMEI Backupper cannot syncit anymore.
Summary
Cannot Turn On File And Printer Sharing
That’s all for how to fix Windows 10 file sharing not working problem. Hope one of themethods can help you fix the problem. To avoid any network sharing problem in the future,you can have a try on AOMEI Backupper which can help you sync two folders on same computer,autosync files to external hard drive,sync folder to a network drive.
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By the way, other features like cloning files to an external hard drive, backing up files, restoringfiles from backup image are also available for this software. If you want to prevent yourfiles from being lost, you can take advantage of theses practical functions. Just give it atry by yourself now!