How to Turn On Network Discovery Windows in 11: Complete Guide

Network discovery lets your computer find and be found by other devices on your network. When you turn on network discovery, you may find on your PC things like your streaming device plugged into the TV, router, or other PCs if they have network discovery settings enabled. 

Moreover, you may want to enable network discovery when another PC on your network is sharing a printer or another file, and you need easy access from your network folder in File Explorer. 

However, if you are confused about how to go about enabling network discovery settings on your computer, here is a complete guide with easy methods to do it. Let us save valuable time by getting started with it right away. 

Methods to Turn On Network Discovery in Windows 11

Below are the methods that you can use to enable network discovery on your computer to see other networked devices and allow your device to be seen by them. 

Method 1: Enable network discovery from settings

You can find the network discovery feature in your computer’s settings. Here is how to turn it on from there. 

• First, apply the Win+I keyboard shortcut to open Settings on your PC.

• Once the settings window appears, choose Network & Internet from the left and Advanced Network Settings from the right.

• Next, select Advanced sharing settings and toggle on the button present alongside the Network discovery option.

Note: If you later wish to turn off network discovery, you can do so by toggling off the network discovery button in the advanced sharing settings of the advanced network settings of the network & internet settings of your computer. 

Also know: How to Fix Windows Could Not Automatically Detect This Network’s Proxy Settings Error

Method 2: Turn on network discovery from File Explorer

Another way to enable network discovery in Windows 11 is through the File Explorer. Here are the steps to perform this action. 

• In the first step, you are required to use the Win+E keyboard shortcut to open File Explorer.

• Second, you can choose Network from the navigation menu on the left pane of the File Explorer window.

• Next, you will get a warning message that network discovery and file sharing are turned off. Click on this warning message and then toggle the button to turn on network discovery and file sharing. If you later want to turn off network discovery, you can simply toggle this button.

Network Discovery Turned On Successfully

That was all for how to turn on network discovery on your Windows 11 computer. Whether you should enable network discovery or disable it depends on where you are and your usage. 

Enabling this feature is helpful when you are at your home or connected to a secure network to facilitate file/folder/printer sharing with other devices and PCs, use LAN to play multiplayer games, seamlessly transfer files between devices, and automatically detect new gadgets and IoT devices. 

However, you should turn off network discovery to remain anonymous on public networks, block potential hackers, hide IoT devices that may present security threats like malware, and prevent connections that may lead to an attack on your computer. 

Have questions or doubts? Then, don’t worry, as you can reach out to us through the comments section. You can also leave your valuable suggestions or feedback (if any) about this article in the comments.