Solved How can I change a public network to private in Windows 11?


hsehestedt

hsehestedt

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I have Win 11 setup on a laptop. I'm doing some experiments with a WiFi extender but when I connect to the WiFi connection presented by that device Windows sees it as a public network. Any idea how to change this to Private in Win 11? In Windows 10 I found this so easy to find, but for the life of me I cannot find it in Win 11.
 

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Press Start and type wifi, then SSID properties. That will then show Public or Private.
 

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Windows 11 Pro
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Laptop
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ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED
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Intel Core Ultra
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16GB
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Intel(R) Arc Graphics
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Realtek High Definition Audio(SST)
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2880 x 1800
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500 GB NVMe SSD
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Nope, not working for me. What's odd is that for Ethernet I get the option to switch between public and private, but not WiFi.
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • At a glance

    Win11 Pro 26H2 (Release Preview)Intel i7-14650HX32 GBNo GPU - Built-in Intel Graphics
    OS
    Win11 Pro 26H2 (Release Preview)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acemagic Matrix M5
    CPU
    Intel i7-14650HX
    Memory
    32 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    No GPU - Built-in Intel Graphics
    Sound Card
    Integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Varies as machine will often be moved to locations with different monitors
    Screen Resolution
    Varies
    Hard Drives
    1 x 1TB Gen 4 NVMe SSD
    PSU
    120W Power Brick
    Keyboard
    Corsair K70 Max RGB Magnetic Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1 Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender

  • At a glance

    Win11 Pro 26H2 (Release Preview)Intel i7-1255U16 GBIntel Iris Xe Graphics
    Operating System
    Win11 Pro 26H2 (Release Preview)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2
    CPU
    Intel i7-1255U
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek® ALC3306-CG codec
    Monitor(s) Displays
    13.3-inch IPS Display
    Screen Resolution
    WQXGA (2560 x 1600)
    Hard Drives
    4 TB 4 x 4 NVMe SSD
    PSU
    USB-C / Thunderbolt 4 Power / Charging Using an Anker 160W Charger
    Keyboard
    Backlit, spill resistant keyboard
    Mouse
    Buttonless Glass Precision Touchpad
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    WiFi 6e / Bluetooth 5.1 / Facial Recognition / Fingerprint Sensor / ToF (Time of Flight) Human Presence Sensor

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    Intel Core i7-8565U
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    My Crash&Burn system.
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    CPU does not pass the MS Health Check.
hsehestedt said:
Nope, not working for me. What's odd is that for Ethernet I get the option to switch between public and private, but not WiFi.
Click to expand...
To change your connection from either public or private, the WiFi has to be enabled as main connection. Then you will have the choice for either private or public.
1630203460593.png
 

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Windows 11 Pro 26H2
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CPU
Intel® Core™ i9-13900K Desktop Processor 16 (8P+8E)
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Asus TUF Gaming Z790-PLUS WIFI D4
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G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32gb (2x16gb) DDR4 3600mhz
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Asus Dual Geforce Rtx™ 3060 TI Edition 8gb Gddr6
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BenQ EW3270U 31.5” 3840x2160 UHD 16:9 HDR LED 4K LG 27UK850-W 27'' 4K UHD IPS LED Monitor with HDR10
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Samsung 990 with heatsink PRO PCIe 4.0 Gen 4 NVMe® SSD 1TB
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Logi MX Keys
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For WiFi and Ethernet, it is quite easy, how to do it for other networks like VPNs ?
Thanks and regards
 

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hsehestedt said:
Nope, not working for me. What's odd is that for Ethernet I get the option to switch between public and private, but not WiFi.
Click to expand...
The old media sharing trick still works in WIndows 11, when WiFi in settings is missing the option to switch from public to private network.

1.) Open Network and Sharing Centre, and select Change advanced sharing settings:

Private WiFi 1.jpg

2.) Select All networks, click Choose media streaming options:

Private WiFi 2.jpg

3.) Click Turn on media streaming:

Private WiFi 3.jpg

4.) Click OK:

Private WiFi 4.jpg

The public WiFi network has now been switched to private.

Kari
 
Last edited:

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    Windows 11 PRO x64 DevIntel Core i7-8550U6 GBMicrosoft Hyper-V Video
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    Intel Core i7-8550U
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    Laptop display (17.1") & Samsung U28E590 (27.7")

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    Windows 11 PRO x64 Dev Channel
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    Manufacturer/Model
    HP HP ProBook 470 G5
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-8550U
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    HP 837F KBC Version 02.3D.00
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    Intel(R) UHD Graphics 620 & NVIDIA GeForce 930MX
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The problem turned out to be some oddity with the network device to which I was connected. I was using a network bridge to connect me to a WiFi network using a physical Ethernet connection from my computer.

Why not just use a USB WiFi adapter, you might ask?

The whole idea was to be able to perform Wake-On-LAN which only works over Ethernet, and not WiFi. However, by using a bride to bridge your WiFi adapter to the WiFi network, it actually works.
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • At a glance

    Win11 Pro 26H2 (Release Preview)Intel i7-14650HX32 GBNo GPU - Built-in Intel Graphics
    OS
    Win11 Pro 26H2 (Release Preview)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acemagic Matrix M5
    CPU
    Intel i7-14650HX
    Memory
    32 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    No GPU - Built-in Intel Graphics
    Sound Card
    Integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Varies as machine will often be moved to locations with different monitors
    Screen Resolution
    Varies
    Hard Drives
    1 x 1TB Gen 4 NVMe SSD
    PSU
    120W Power Brick
    Keyboard
    Corsair K70 Max RGB Magnetic Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1 Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender

  • At a glance

    Win11 Pro 26H2 (Release Preview)Intel i7-1255U16 GBIntel Iris Xe Graphics
    Operating System
    Win11 Pro 26H2 (Release Preview)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2
    CPU
    Intel i7-1255U
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek® ALC3306-CG codec
    Monitor(s) Displays
    13.3-inch IPS Display
    Screen Resolution
    WQXGA (2560 x 1600)
    Hard Drives
    4 TB 4 x 4 NVMe SSD
    PSU
    USB-C / Thunderbolt 4 Power / Charging Using an Anker 160W Charger
    Keyboard
    Backlit, spill resistant keyboard
    Mouse
    Buttonless Glass Precision Touchpad
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    WiFi 6e / Bluetooth 5.1 / Facial Recognition / Fingerprint Sensor / ToF (Time of Flight) Human Presence Sensor
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