5 Top Ways to Fix Windows 10 File Sharing Stop Working

Everyone agrees that File Sharing is a useful feature that you can use to share files through network. But it would be annoying when the File Sharing feature stop working. However, there are 5 top ways to fix Windows 10 Files Sharing stop working issue. Read them on the following discussion.

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How to Fix File Sharing Issue on Windows 10

ALSO READ: Solve “There Was A Problem Resetting Your PC” Error in Windows 10 / 8

1. Restart Computer

Restart your computer when you got Windows 10 File Sharing stop working issue. It is by far is the most efficient and easy solution for many problems happen in Windows computer. Do it right away and see the result.

2. Turn Password Protection On and Off

Check on the password protection on your computer. If it is on, it means other users should have a user account on your PC to be able to use it.

If they don’t have the user account on your PC, you can turn it off by going to Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Change advanced sharing settings (from the left pane). Next, under All Networks, check the box next to Turn off password protected sharing.

3. Allow File and Printer Sharing in Firewall Settings

There might be a possibility that the firewall on your computer causes the Windows 10 File Sharing issue. It somehow blocks the File Sharing connection so that you cannot use this feature on your computer. To solve it, you should allow the File and Printer Sharing in Firewall Settings. Here’ how:

Go to Control Panel > Windows Defender Firewall.
On the left pane, click on Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall.
Tick on the File and Printer Sharing as shown below.

4. Enable File Sharing

It is important to check that you have enabled the File Sharing feature properly. Check on how to do it on the steps below.

Open Control Panel and click on Network and Sharing Center.
On the left pane, hit on Change Advanced Settings.
Under Private (current profile) tick on Turn on network discovery and Turn on file and printer sharing.
Finally, click on Save Changes.

Enabling the File Sharing feature alone doesn’t give you access to all files and folders in your computer. To be able to access all files and folders in your computer, you need to share them manually. The benefit is that you can choose the specific files and folders that you want to share.

Check on the steps below how to do so:

Open File Explorer and right click on the item that you want to share.
Choose Properties.
Go to Sharing tab and click on Advanced Sharing.
Tick on Share this folder on top and press Apply, then OK.

Note: By default, you can only read the files or folders. To change this setting, go to the Permissions and choose the setting you want.

5. Change File Sharing Connections

Another way to fix file sharing stop working issue is by changing the encryption setting.

The recommended setting is 128-bit encryption, but some devices only support 40-50-bit encryption. Thus, you can change it to see if it works. Follow the instructions below:

Go to Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center.
Tap on the Change advanced sharing settings on the left pane.
Expand All Networks and go to the File sharing connections. Try to change the encryption settings.

Conclusion

Hopefully the methods above can fix the file sharing stop working issue on your computer. Another method you can try is to disable your anti virus temporarily. Sometimes the anti virus blocks this feature. So, it’s worth it to try and see if it works.

Don’t hesitate to contact us when you have any questions. Thank you for reading!