How To Use Homegroup Windows 10

The Windows 10 HomeGroups feature lets y'all easily share your music, pictures, documents, videos libraries, and printers with other Windows computers on your abode network.

Of import Update: Starting with Windows version 1803, the Homegroup feature has been removed. According to Microsoft: "HomeGroup has been removed from Windows ten (Version 1803). Notwithstanding, even though it has been removed, you tin still share printers and files by using features that are congenital into Windows ten."

The Windows HomeGroup feature lets you share files, folders, and printers connected to your local area network with other Windows computers. Each computer connected to the HomeGroup can share its library of pictures, music, videos, documents, and printers with other computers on the same HomeGroup. Any computer running Windows seven or after can join a HomeGroup.

This tutorial sets up a Windows Homegroup in Windows 10, but the steps are also applicable for Windows vii and Windows 8/8.1. Yous tin also bank check out our previous manufactures: Windows vii: How To Set up Homegroup Sharing and Set Up Windows 8 HomeGroup Sharing with a Windows vii PC.

Setting Up a HomeGroup in Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows x

To create your first HomeGroup, click Start > Settings > Networking & Net > Status > HomeGroup. This will open the HomeGroups control panel.

Click Create a homegroup to begin.

Click Next.

Click in the list box under Permissions, then choose the items y'all would similar to share with other computers on your home network. These items are your libraries for your Windows user account. Read our article on how libraries work in Windows if you're not sure what's in these.

Click Next.

Expect while Windows configures your selections.

A password will exist generated. Write this downwards; y'all'll need to enter this when joining other computers to this homegroup.

Joining a Homegroup

Next, open up File Explorer, click Homegroup in the Navigation pane, then click Join now. If yous don't meet HomeGroups in File Explorer, open up Settings > Network & Internet > Condition > Homegroupand clickJoin at present. If yous still don't see Homegroups, read the Troubleshooting Homegroups section beneath.

Click Side by side

Cull what you desire to share and and then clickAdjacent.

Enter the password generated earlier, then click Next. This might take a while, and so hang tight while Windows configures your homegroups permissions. If Windows no longer detects a homegroup, close the sorcerer, then try over again.

Browse Homegroups

To view the contents of a homeGroup, open File Explorer, expand homegroup then choose one of the available homegroups listed.

Troubleshooting HomeGroups

Earlier you can get HomeGroups upward and running, your network environment must exist prepare to Private. To do this, right-click the network icon in the Notification Area, click Open Network and Sharing Center, click HomeGroup in the left-hand corner of the window. Click the Beginning the HomeGroup troubleshooter link to brainstorm troubleshooting, and then follow the on-screen instructions. You might also demand to run the HomeGroup troubleshooter on the computer where you created the HomeGroup.

There's another way to configure your network equally private: open Network and Sharing Center and click Modify advanced sharing settings. Expand Private, select Turn off network discovery, then click Save changes.

Open up Network Explorer, then click the Network discovery is turned off the banner, then cull Private.

Another issue I discovered that can prevent HomeGroups from being detected is the date and time. You should ensure computers connecting to HomeGroups take synchronized clocks. Cheque out our commodity for instructions on how to adapt your date and fourth dimension.

If yous still experience issues connecting to HomeGroup, Windows Firewall might be blocking it. Click Start, type: Windows Firewall, and hit Enter. Click Allow an app or characteristic through Windows Firewall, click Change settings, brand sureHomeGroupis checked, then click OK. Echo these steps on each figurer.

Managing Your HomeGroups

If at any time you would similar to modify or change the settings of your HomeGroups, open Settings > Network & Internet > Condition > HomeGroups. In that location you tin update your HomeGroups password, alter what type of media gets shared with other computers, or leave the HomeGroup.

Conclusion

As you tin see, getting all your Windows computers on the same folio with HomeGroups tin can sometimes exist a tricky procedure. But once yous've set up your HomeGroup, sharing libraries and printers among your connected computers is incredibly like shooting fish in a barrel and convenient. This is a corking way to share photos with all your computers from your main PC or access a music library from a centralized location.

Practise you use HomeGroups? Let us know in the comments.

Want to accomplish something similar on other platforms? Cheque out How to Network Windows 10 and OS 10, Share Files, and Connect Windows 10 to Wired, Wireless, and P2P Networks.