Network and Internet Turn On or Off Password Protected Sharing in Windows 11


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This tutorial will show you how to turn on or off password protected sharing on your Windows 11 PC.

When password protected sharing is turned on, only people who have an account and password on your computer can access shared files and folders, shared printers attached to your computer, and Public folders on the network.

If you wanted to give access to shared items to other people without an account and password on your computer, then you will need to turn off password protected sharing.


You must be signed in as an administrator to turn on or off password protected sharing.



Contents

  • Option One: Turn On or Off Password Protected Sharing in Settings
  • Option Two: Turn On or Off Password Protected Sharing in Control Panel


EXAMPLE: "Enter network credentials" prompt for password protected sharing

Enter_network_credentials_for_password_protected_sharing.png





Option One

Turn On or Off Password Protected Sharing in Settings


This option is only available starting with Windows 11 version 22H2 KB5030310 Build 22621.2361.


1 Open Settings (Win+I).

2 Click/tap on Network & internet on the left side, and click/tap on Advanced network settings on the right side. (see screenshot below)

Password_protected_sharing_Settings-1.png

3 Click/tap on Advanced sharing settings on the right side. (see screenshot below)


Password_protected_sharing_Settings-2.png

4 Click/tap on All networks to expand it open. (see screenshot below step 5)

5 Turn On (default) or Off Password protected sharing for what you want.

Password_protected_sharing_Settings-3.png

6 You can now close Settings if you like.




Option Two

Turn On or Off Password Protected Sharing in Control Panel


This option is no longer available starting with Windows 11 build 22509.1011.


1 Open the Control Panel (icons view), and click/tap on the Network and Sharing Center icon.

2 Click/tap on the Change advanced sharing settings link on the left side in Network and Sharing Center. (see screenshot below)

Password_protected_sharing_Network_and_Sharing_Center-1.png

3 Expand open the All networks. (see screenshot below)

4 Under Public folder sharing, select (dot) Turn on password protected sharing (default) or Turn off password protected sharing for what you want, and click/tap on Save changes.

5 You can now close the Control Panel if you like.

Password_protected_sharing_Network_and_Sharing_Center-2.png



That's it,
Shawn Brink


 

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Shawn, my Windows 11 Home Build 22000.832 does not have these options under Advanced Network Settings. I have to use option two to do this. Is there something wrong with my Windows?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home
Shawn, my Windows 11 Home Build 22000.832 does not have these options under Advanced Network Settings. I have to use option two to do this. Is there something wrong with my Windows?
Hello, and welcome. :-)

There's nothing wrong. Option 1 is only available starting with Windows 11 build 22509.1011.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gbps Download and 35 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Spectre x360 2in1 14-eu0098nr (2024)
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 7 155H 4.8 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Integrated Intel Arc
    Sound Card
    Poly Studio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    14" 2.8K OLED multitouch
    Screen Resolution
    2880 x 1800
    Hard Drives
    2 TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
    Internet Speed
    Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200 (2x2) and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
One note regarding this:

When you turn OFF password protected sharing to allow users without a local account on your computer to access a share, you will also need to add EVERYONE to the NTFS file permissions on your share and all files / folders within.


Image1.jpg
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home Built
    CPU
    Intel i7-11700K
    Motherboard
    ASUS Prime Z590-A
    Memory
    128GB Crucial Ballistix 3200MHz DRAM
    Graphics Card(s)
    No GPU - CPU graphics only (for now)
    Sound Card
    Realtek (on motherboard)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP Envy 32
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440
    Hard Drives
    1 x 1TB NVMe Gen 4 x 4 SSD
    1 x 2TB NVMe Gen 3 x 4 SSD
    2 x 512GB 2.5" SSDs
    2 x 8TB HD
    PSU
    Corsair HX850i
    Case
    Corsair iCue 5000X RGB
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black cooler + 10 case fans
    Keyboard
    CODE backlit mechanical keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1 Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Additional options installed:
    WiFi 6E PCIe adapter
    ASUS ThunderboltEX 4 PCIe adapter
  • Operating System
    Win11 Pro 23H2
    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
    2 TB 4 x 4 NVMe SSD
    PSU
    USB-C / Thunderbolt 4 Power / Charging
    Mouse
    Buttonless Glass Precision Touchpad
    Keyboard
    Backlit, spill resistant keyboard
    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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