There are moments where you want to share files from one computer to another but you seem to have run out of options to carry out the transfer. Besides, you can't be too sure that the source computer is clean considering the sea of malwares of late. This is where file sharing over network saves the day.
We'll discuss two levels of access you can use to share files in this guide. It is basically allowing other computers to access certain folders on your and vice versa. Personally, I prefer to have use my public folders e.g.'Public Downloads' for this receiving files from other computers but I designate a particular folder where I keep files I share often, and simply access it from the recipient's computer. This way, I get to copy other files that doesn't exist in the folder already to it and then access it from the recipient's computer. Let's first look at how to share your public folders.
Sharing public folders
1. Press Start and search for Manage advanced sharing settings.
2. Under both private and guest or public, Turn on both Network discovery and File and printer sharing.
3. Under All Networks, tick Turn on sharing so anyone with network access can read and write files in the Public folders.
4. Select Turn off password protected sharing.
5. Click on Save changes.
This is how to use your public folders to share files between computers on the same network. If you need to share a file, you simply put the file in one of the public folders e.g. Public Downloads, and access it from the other computers of the same local network.
Accessing shared public folders
To access the file from other computers;
1. Open file explorer and click on Network from the left navigation pane. Note that network discovery has to be turned on, on any computer you want to access the host computer from. So use step 1, 2 and 4 as outlined in "Sharing public folders" to turn it on.
2. Look for your computer and double click on it or right-click on it and click Open. I'm using DESKTOP-RVFDPVC as an example.
Note that;
A. if there are a lot of computers on your network that has discovery turned on, you will find lots of computers here. To identify the specific computer you looking for, do this on that computer to get the system name.
Click on the Start menu button or search to look for System Information and open it. From the list of items, look for System Name.
(The example in the image below is for a PC named ALIHAMTECH, therefore this name will appear when this PC is connected to a network).B. Sometimes after setting up your computer for discovery, it still won't appear. In this case, press Windows Key + R and enter the system name of the computer you want to access, preceding it with two forward slashes. Example, //DESKTOP-RVFDPVC. Then press Enter or click on OK.
3. Proceed to Users > Public > Public Downloads (If that is where you placed it).
Sharing a custom folder
We'll begin with the sharing basics. Hence, follow through step 1 to 3 as outlined in Sharing public folders and continue with the following steps;
1. Under File Sharing Connections, select to use 128-bit encryption since it is a more secure connection.
2. The next step is to choose to either protect network access to your computer with a password or not.
3. Click on Save changes.
Unprotected sharing (No password)
I personally prefer simple things so I usually select to turn password protected sharing off. After all, I only share folders (and files) I intend to.
I however make my shared folder read-only so that no one can delete my content from a different computer on the same network.
1. First step here is to locate the folder you want to share. It might be smart to create one in a location that's easy to access, e.g. the desktop. I have created mine and named it EpicTech and that's what I'll use for this guide.
2. Right-click on the folder and click on Properties.
3. From the Properties window, click on the Sharing tab and click on Share.
4. From the Network Access window that appears, click on the down arrow at the end of the textbox as illustrated in the picture below
5. Select Everyone in the drop-down list and click on Add
Once Everyone is added, it's time to set access permission level.
6. Under the the column Permission Level at the right hand side, select the type of access you'd like to give to users of your shared folder. You get to choose between Read (giving users the access to view and copy your files only) and Write (giving users the access to view and copy and edit and delete files.)
7. Click on Share.
Accessing a custom shared folder without password protection from other computers is pretty easy. Simply open file explorer and click on Network from
the left navigation pane > Find the host computer's name and double-click on it > The shared folder should be sitting right in front of you.
Password Protected Sharing
If you prefer to protect your shared folders using a password, this part is for your.
The first step to take is to set a password on your computer (the host) since you'll use the same password to access you shared folder.
Once you are done with that, let's proceed with the guide;
1. Press Start and search for Manage advanced sharing settings 👆.
2. Under both private and guest or public, Turn on both Network discovery and File and printer sharing.
3. Under All Networks, select Turn on password protected sharing.
4. Now, follow through all steps for Sharing a custom folder.
To access the shared custom folder, open file explorer and click on Network from the left navigation pane > Find the host computer's name and double-click on it > Enter the username and password for the user account used to create the shared folder and press Enter. It's the same username that appears on the lock screen, and the password used to open that user account.
Well done.
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