Windows 10: How do I share folders from two computers over my home network without using OneDrive?

Note that I can't use OneDrive to transfer files because I currently can only afford the free OneDrive tier.


I use my laptop as a secondary backup to many folders on my desktop. One of these folders is the My Music folder over 250gb of which I like to keep synced between the two computers. I don't usually sync but once every so often when I am going on a trip or need to use my laptop for somethings.

I started doing this a few years ago using Syncback free and it worked quite well at first. It seems like over the last year or so I have had to go into my network settings and keep adding and changing permissions so I could continue to sync the My Music folder and another much larger folder from my desktop PC to my laptop.


I have all changed all my sharing settings in the Network settings area on both computers. Here is what I do:

1. I go to the Network & Internet section under settings.
2. I go to both ethernet and wifi and enable the same settings on both computers.
3. In Private current profile I have Turn on network discovery, Turn on automatic setup of network connected devices, and Turn on file and printer sharing checked.
4. Under Guest or Public I have Turn on network discovery and Turn on file and printer sharing checked.
5. Under All Networks I have Turn on sharing so anyone with network access can read and write files in the Public folders, use 128 bit encryption, and and Turn off Password protected sharing checked.
6. Under the folders I want to share I have shared them with "everyone" have have the folder permissions set to read and write.

For some reason the desktop folders I share do not show up in the network path on either computer. If I go to "Show me all the network shares on this computer" it opens a file explorer page with all the shares I've set but they do not actually show up in file explorer when I open it normally. I will try to post an image below.


My laptop does show up in both network folders but it keeps asking for a password that I don't have and in fact is turned off so I do not need to use a password.

:)

 

?? How do I PW protect Folders in windows

hmmm?
Sharing files and folders overview You can share the files and folders stored on your computer, on a network, and on the Web. The method you choose depends on whom you want to share files with, and what computer they will use to access the files.

When you share files or folders, they are not as protected as they are when you do not share them. People with access to your computer or your network might be able to read, copy, or change files that are in a shared folder. You should always be aware that the files and folders that you share are available to other people and be sure to monitor your shared files and folders on a regular basis.

Important

If your computer is not joined to a domain, you can use the Network Setup Wizard to automatically turn file and printer sharing on or off. To start the Network Setup Wizard, click Start, click Control Panel, click Network and Internet Connections, and then click Network Setup Wizard.
If you both use the same computer

You can put the files you want to share in the Shared Documents folder. Files stored in the Shared Documents folder or its subfolders are always available to other users on your computer.

Step-by-step procedure
Note

If you are connected to a network domain, the Shared Documents, Shared Pictures, and Shared Music folders are not available.
If both computers are on the same network

You can share a folder or drive on your computer with others on the network. You can also control whether the files in the shared folder can be modified by other users.

If your computer is connected to a network domain, use this procedure:

Step-by-step procedure
If your computer is connected to a workgroup, use this procedure:

Step-by-step procedure
Note

If you are connected to a network domain, you will need to set the Access control for the folder or drive after sharing it. For more information, go to To set, view, change, or remove file and folder permissions.
If you want to share your files online

You can publish pictures and documents on the Web using the Web Publishing Wizard. The files will be stored in a private, online folder that you manage.

Step-by-step procedure

If you don't want others to access your files

You can prevent other users from accessing your folders and the files they contain. When your computer is connected to a domain, this is called setting permissions for your file or folder. When your computer is connected to a workgroup, this is called making your folders private.

If your computer is connected to a network domain, use this procedure:

Step-by-step procedure
If your computer is connected to a workgroup, use this procedure:

Step-by-step procedure

'HELP' it can be your friend *Smile

 

Windows media player automatically shares OneDrive pictures folder on network

HI,

Thanks but this is not the problem I have (onedrive folder sharing). The problem is the Windows Media Player is linking to my OneDrive pictures folder and availing all the content (13 GB of back up pictures from PC and my mobile) on my home network which
can be accessed by anyone connecting to the my home network. Despite going to WMP and deleting the Onedrive folder from the shared folders list (right click on pictures/Manage Pictures Libraries and then remove OneDrive pictures folder) the dang WMP still
reconnects and addes Onedrive folder back to the list of libraries to be shared !

this is frustrating because first, WMP should not automatically connects by default to Onedrive without specifically requesting it the first place, then when I delete it form the list, it should not reconnect to it.

 

Sharing folders over network - access denied

Hello,

To troubleshoot your concern with sharing files over the network using your Windows 10 device, we suggest that you run the Shared folders troubleshooter and check if it helps. Kindly refer to the steps below:

• Type in Troubleshooting in the search box and press
  Enter.
• Click View all.
• Click Shared Folders.
• Click Next and follow on-screen instructions.

Hope it helps.