Although some of these requirements are not mandatory, we recommend that you comply with all of them so as not to have compatibility problems of any kind. For example, if we are not using Windows, the other operating system may be using a version of SMB older than ours (such as SMB 1, also vulnerable to BlueKeep), and since this version is disabled in Windows we will not be able to communicate with the other pc.
The first thing we must have is windows installed, either version 10 or version 11, on both computers. If possible updated to the latest version so that there is no compatibility problem.
Also, of course, the two computers must have configured a IP address within the same network, since otherwise they could not communicate with each other. It is also recommended that both computers have the same working group configured to be able to communicate with each other more easily and also to be able to share other resources, such as printers.
Finally, for security, it is recommended that both computers have your account protected with a strong password, thus preventing intruders from accessing the shared data.
For security: how to disable SMB 1.0/CIFS
Typically, Windows uses SMB versions 2.0 or 3.0. These versions are supported and, as of today, are safe. However, for compatibility reasons, Microsoft continues to include version 1.0 of this protocol in its operating system. And that is a danger. SMB 1.0 It has serious vulnerabilities and security flaws that can endanger the security of our computer. There are even well-known and dangerous threats that take advantage of this security problem to jeopardize our systems.
Therefore, if we do not use this compatibility layer, the best thing we can do is disable it in Windows, to gain security. We can disable this feature by opening a PowerShell window and running the following command:
Disable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName smb1protocol
After restarting the computer, the older version of SMB will be deactivated, and we will no longer be at risk when using it. To check if we have it enabled or not, the command we must execute is:
Get-WindowsOptionalFeature –Online –FeatureName SMB1Protocol
We can also disable the use of this obsolete protocol from add or remove features. To do this, what we must do is open said window, from the Windows search engine itself, and locate the following entry in the list:
Once these optional features are disabled, we restart the computer and that’s it. Of course, we must know that, by deactivating this protocol, we will not only gain security, but also problems when connecting to other older Windows operating systems, such as XP or Windows 7.
Share files and folders on local network
There are several ways to set up Windows so that you can share files with other users. There are quite simple and fast ways, which are more than enough to walk around the house, and then we can find other much more advanced alternatives that give us more control over the files we share and their access. The first thing we must do before sharing a folder is to enable the Windows function that allows us to share files and folders within a network, whether it is a public or private network. To enable this function, we just have to access the file manager, click on Grid. At the top, a message will be displayed that invites us to enable the sharing of files and folders, by clicking on it, we select the option Activate network detection and file sharing.
In the next window, it will invite us to select how we want to share the files. To prevent anyone from accessing the shared folder, we must select the option No, make the network I’m connected to a private network.
Share specific files and folders
To share a specific folder through this method, all we have to do is select the folder (or the file we want to share), and, using the top bar of the file explorer, choose the tab “Share”.
A bar like the following will appear, with all the options for sharing files and folders in Windows.
In this toolbar we will click on «Specific users«. A new window will open in which we must choose which user will be able to access these resources. We can create a user on our computer for others to use to access our data, or share the username and password of our main user (although it is not recommended).
From this window we can also choose if we want users to have read, write or full permission. Read-only permissions allow access to the file or directory but without the possibility of modifying it. For its part, the read and write permission allows any user to access the content of the folder and edit or delete its content, so we must first consider what kind of permissions we want to establish for the users with whom we want to share the content.
Next, we click on “Share” and ready. We are already sharing the folder, and all its contents, with the other users of our local network. We can see the network directory of the shared folder, through which other users will enter our PC after authenticating with a username and password.
How to access advanced file sharing options
So, with the Windows default settings for file and folder sharing, this works. However, we may want to have more control over our files and thus avoid possible inconveniences or security breaches.
To do this, what we must do is open the folder properties window (right click > properties) and move to the tab “Share”.
If we click on “Share” We can go back to the user and permissions configuration window. Very useful if we want to add or delete users so that they cannot access our data through the network.
If we click on “advanced sharing» we will be able to see other useful options on the network file sharing function.
From these windows we can change the name of the share, change the number of simultaneous users that can connect to the folder at the same time, add comments (for other users) and change the specific permissions of the folder and what is related to the cache.
The cache is important, for example, since we can make other users have the shared folder available offline, always synchronized.
How to manage and stop sharing folders and files
Over time, we may be accumulating folders and shares that, without realizing it, are slowing down the network and even making file sharing a chaotic task.
To solve this problem it is recommended from time to time to review all shared resources. So we can control their controls and access and, if something is no longer necessary, delete it. The best way to do it is from the team admin panel.
View and stop sharing folders
To access it we simply write in the Cortana search bar «compmgmt.msc«. A window like the following will open. We can also access this same section by typing its name in the system execution box. To access this we only have to use the Win + R key combination. We must bear in mind that this section of Windows will allow us to see first-hand those resources that we have shared, or not, with other users without margin of mistake.
As we can see, all the network shares that we have on our computer appear here, all from a single interface. If we right-click on any of them, a menu will appear with the different options that we have available in this section.
if we choose “Properties” we can see all the customization and configuration options of the shared folder, the user permissions and the different security options. This is something that will be especially useful for advanced users or company network administrators, for example.
Another point that interests us the most in this panel is the possibility of stopping sharing resources over the network. In the menu that appears when you click with the right button, an option called «stop sharing«.
We click on this option and we will confirm the option that appears. In this way we make sure that those folders and contents that we had shared will no longer be shared from now on.
In a few seconds, the shared resource will no longer be available to other network users, for the moment, permanently.
Another way to remove shared folders
If the team management panel seems too complicated, there is another faster way to stop sharing files and folders on the network. We just have to go back to the tab “Share” from the Ribbon bar in File Explorer. This is one of the elements most commonly used by the majority in Windows, so it is known a lot more.
Here we can see an icon of a lock with the text «remove access to«. By clicking on this icon, with the shared folder selected on our PC, we will be able to see a window that will allow us to stop sharing said folder.
In a few seconds the file or folder will no longer be available on the network for other users. This way does not always work, as it depends on other factors and permissions.
Therefore, if we verify that after removing it it continues to appear to users, we recommend doing it directly from “compmgmt.msc”, as we have shown you previously. In this way we can make sure, more than anything for security reasons, that our own content is no longer shared. Therefore, and as we can see, this second mentioned method is simpler, but somewhat less effective than the previous one.
How to do it in Windows 11
If something characterizes Windows 11, it is the fact that some things are much easier to do, and for others you have to take a lot more detours. And, in the case of sharing files and folders, we find ourselves in this second situation. The new Microsoft operating system has changed many aspects of the interface, such as the Ribbon bar that we found in the file explorer. Therefore, we will not be able to access the file and folder sharing options from there. Although it may take some getting used to at first, here Microsoft tries to make things easier for us, hence many of the changes made to the general interface of Windows 11.
To get to the sharing wizard we are going to have to take a little detour. What we will have to do (which is also valid for Windows 10) is open the Properties window of the folder we want to share, and go to the…
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