// WINDOWS 11 FIX GUIDE
Windows 11 Can't See Other Computers on the Network
Your PCs all worked together last month — now File Explorer's Network view is empty, or one machine has simply vanished. Windows 11, especially since the 24H2 update, has quietly tightened the rules on file sharing, and it keeps breaking small-office setups that used to just work. Here's what actually causes it, the fixes in the order we'd try them, and an honest word on when peer-to-peer sharing isn't worth saving. Rated 4.9 on Google.
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/01 — THE SYMPTOM
Your PCs have vanished from the Network view — here's the shape of it
You open File Explorer, click Network, and the other computers simply aren't there. Or one machine can see everyone else but nobody can see it. Or a shared folder that worked for years now throws a "Windows cannot access" error. If that's you, you're in the right place.
In small offices and homes this almost always comes down to one of four things, and we'll take them in the order we check them on real callouts:
- The network profile — Windows has decided your own network is "Public" and gone quiet on purpose.
- Network discovery — the machinery that lets PCs announce themselves is switched off or has stalled.
- Deliberate security tightening — Windows 11, particularly since the 24H2 update, now blocks older, less secure ways of sharing.
- The machines aren't really on the same network — guest Wi-Fi, mesh kits and second routers quietly split a network in two.
One honest note before we start: the Network view in File Explorer has always been unreliable, even on perfectly healthy networks. A PC missing from the list doesn't necessarily mean you can't connect to it — so we'll also show you how to reach a machine directly, which often works even when the browsing list is empty.
/02 — FIRST CHECKS
Is the network set to Private — and is discovery actually on?
Windows treats every network as either Public or Private, and on a Public network it deliberately hides your PC and refuses incoming file sharing. That's sensible on café Wi-Fi and maddening in your own office — and Windows sometimes flips a network back to Public after an update or a router change, without asking.
Open Settings, go to Network & internet, and click into the properties of the connection you're actually using. You're looking for the network profile type setting: set it to Private on a network you trust. Menu wording moves between Windows versions, so if the labels look different, searching Settings for "network profile" will land you in the right place.
While you're there, check network discovery and file and printer sharing are switched on for private networks — they live under the advanced sharing settings. Do this on every machine involved; it only takes one PC sitting on Public to make a share vanish.
One more quiet culprit: discovery depends on a handful of background Windows services, and they do occasionally stall. Restarting both machines after changing these settings sounds like a cliché, but it genuinely resets the discovery machinery and is worth doing before you dig any deeper.
/03 — THE 24H2 CHANGE
Windows 11 has tightened file sharing on purpose
If everything broke after an update, that's not your imagination. Windows 11's 24H2 release made two deliberate security changes: connections to shared folders now expect SMB signing, and guest access — shares that let anyone connect without a username and password — is disabled. That silently breaks a lot of older NAS drives and shares set up years ago "without passwords, to keep it simple".
The right fix is to bring the share up to standard: create a proper user account and password on the NAS or the sharing PC, update the device's firmware if it has any available, and connect using those credentials instead of as a guest.
You can re-enable insecure guest logons through Group Policy or the registry, and plenty of forum posts will cheerfully tell you to. We'd call that a last resort: it switches off a protection that exists for a reason and leaves that share open to anything else on your network. On a home network with one elderly NAS, it's a judgement call. In a business, we wouldn't do it.
We've covered the update-specific side in more depth in our guide to shared folders not working after the 24H2 update.
/04 — NAMES & SUBNETS
When the name fails, try the address — and check it's really one network
Here's the quickest diagnostic we know. Find the sharing PC's IP address — it's shown in the connection's details in Settings, or type ipconfig at a Command Prompt. Then, on the other machine, put \\192.168.1.50 (using the real address) into File Explorer's address bar.
If the address works but the computer's name doesn't, sharing is actually fine — you have a name resolution problem. The old ways Windows found names on a local network have been wound down over the years, and name lookup is now the flakiest part of the whole system. Connecting by IP, or mapping a drive to the IP address, sidesteps it entirely. If mapped drives then start dropping out on you, that's a separate known nuisance — see our guide to mapped network drives that keep disconnecting.
If the IP address doesn't work either, check the machines are genuinely on the same network. Compare their addresses: if the first three groups of numbers don't match — say 192.168.1.x on one and 192.168.4.x on the other — they can't reach each other. The usual culprits are one PC on the router's guest Wi-Fi, a mesh kit running in router mode behind another router, a second router added for signal, or an "isolation" setting on the Wi-Fi. Everything needs to sit behind one router doing the addressing.
/05 — HONEST ADVICE
When it's not worth fighting — and what we'd do instead
Here's the truth most fix-it guides skip: Microsoft has spent a decade dismantling casual PC-to-PC sharing. HomeGroup was removed, the old SMB1 protocol was retired, and now guest access and unsigned connections are blocked too. Each change was made for sound security reasons — and each one broke setups that used to just work. Peer-to-peer sharing between Windows machines is fragile by design now, and every feature update is another chance for it to fall over.
For a home user moving the odd file about, honestly: a shared cloud folder — or even a USB stick — may cost you far less grief than keeping Windows shares alive.
For a business, we'll say it plainly: if the company's files live on one person's PC and everyone else maps to it, you're one Windows update, one failed drive or one annual leave away from a very bad week. A small NAS with proper user accounts, or Microsoft 365's built-in file sharing, gives you permissions, backups, and files that don't disappear when a PC is off. Setting that up — and keeping it healthy — is exactly the sort of thing covered by our business IT support subscriptions.
And if you'd rather not lose an afternoon to it, we can usually diagnose sharing problems in a single remote support session — no fix, no fee.
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// GOOD QUESTIONS
Frequently asked
Why can't Windows 11 see other computers on my network?
The most common cause is that Windows has set your network profile to Public, which deliberately hides your PC and blocks file sharing. Check every machine is set to Private and that network discovery and file and printer sharing are switched on. If it broke after an update, Windows 11's 24H2 release also disabled guest access to shares and expects signed connections, which silently breaks older NAS drives and password-free shares. And bear in mind the Network view in File Explorer has always been unreliable — try connecting to the other PC directly by name or IP address before assuming sharing itself is broken.
How do I change my network from Public to Private in Windows 11?
Open Settings, go to Network & internet, click into the properties of your current Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection, and set the network profile type to Private. Microsoft moves these menus around between versions, so if the labels look different, search Settings for "network profile" and you'll land in the right place. Only set a network to Private if you genuinely trust it — your own home or office, never a café or hotel. Afterwards, check network discovery and file and printer sharing are on under the advanced sharing settings, and repeat all of this on every machine involved.
Did the Windows 11 24H2 update break my network file sharing?
Quite possibly, yes — and it was deliberate rather than a bug. 24H2 expects SMB signing and disables insecure guest logons by default, which breaks connections to older NAS boxes and to shares set up without a username and password. The proper fix is to update the device's firmware and connect with a real account and password rather than as a guest. Rolling the security settings back is possible but weakens your protection, so we treat it as a last resort. We've written a separate guide on shared folders not working after 24H2 with the full detail.
Is it safe to turn insecure guest logons back on in Windows 11?
It usually works, but we'd treat it as a last resort. Guest logons let anything on your network open the share without a password, and Microsoft disabled them partly because Windows has no way to verify a guest connection hasn't been tampered with. On a home network with one elderly NAS that can't do better, it's a calculated risk some people accept. In a business handling customer or financial data, we wouldn't do it: create a proper account on the device instead, or replace the device if it genuinely can't manage one.
Do all my computers need to be on the same network to share files?
Yes — for normal Windows file sharing, every machine needs to be on the same subnet, which in practice means connected to the same router or mesh system. Compare the IP addresses: if the first three groups of numbers don't match, the machines can't reach each other. Setups get split without anyone noticing: one PC on the router's guest Wi-Fi, a mesh kit running in router mode behind another router, a second router added as an extender, or an isolation setting on the Wi-Fi. Getting everything back onto one network — one box doing the addressing — fixes it.
Should my business use a NAS instead of sharing folders between PCs?
In most cases, yes. Peer-to-peer sharing between Windows PCs is fragile by design now — Microsoft has removed HomeGroup, retired SMB1 and blocked guest access, and every feature update risks breaking what's left. A small NAS with proper user accounts, or Microsoft 365's built-in file sharing, gives you permissions, backups, and files that don't vanish when one PC is switched off or mid-update. The cost is modest set against a morning of lost work each time sharing falls over. We set these up regularly for small Dorset businesses — and we'll tell you honestly if your current setup is actually fine.
Still can't see your other computers?
We diagnose sharing and network problems remotely most days — no fix, no fee. Call 01202 775566 or book a remote session and we'll take a proper look.
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