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In this article we will show you how to Connect Two Computers Windows 11/10. When you have more than one computer at your desk, it can be easier to work if you can share files without any problems. It’s easy to connect two computers wirelessly, but a wired connection is faster. Transferring several gigabytes of data at a slow rate can take a lot of time.
If you want to know how to connect two computers, we’ll show you a few great-speed ways to do it. Wired connections, like those made with an Ethernet cable, can be very fast and are great for moving large files. Some ethernet cables, like Cat 5e, are small enough to fit in your pocket and can connect at speeds of up to 1,000Mbps.
Other cables can transfer data at speeds of up to 10Gbps. If you don’t have a crossover ethernet cable, you can also choose other, slightly slower options. For example, USB 3.0 can transfer data at speeds up to 5Gbps, so it can still be used to send large files. You can also go to the official Microsoft support site to know more information.
Ways to Connect Two Computers Windows 11/10
Connect Two Computers Wirelessly
If two computers have wireless cards, you can use those cards to connect the two computers wirelessly. How do I set up a wireless network of computers? Just do what’s written below:
Step 1: Go to Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center.
Step 2: Click the Setup a new connection or network link.
Step 3: Choose Set up a wireless ad hoc (computer-to-computer) network from the new window.
Step 4: You need to name the network, choose a security type and set a security key. It is recommended to choose Save this network since it may disappear if you disconnect the ad hoc network.
Step 5: Then, go to the list of wireless networks and you can see the newly created one. If you connect it, you can see the information Waiting for users next to the network name. Just connect another computer to the network.
Now, the computers can share information. If your PC is running Windows 11/10 and another computer is running Windows 10 or higher, you can easily share music, pictures, videos, documents, printers, and more with the HomeGroup feature.
Step 1: Input HomeGroup to the search box and click the result.
Step 2: Click Create a homegroup.
Step 3: Choose what to share.
Step 4: After a while, a homegroup password is given to you. Click Finish.
Using LAN Cable
Get an Ethernet cable ready, and then follow these steps to finish the settings:
Step 1: Navigate to Control Panel > Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center.
Step 2: Click Change adapter settings and you can see some types of connection options.
Step 3: Choose a connection for your LAN. Generally, the connection is called Ethernet with the description network cable unplugged.
Step 4: Right-click it and choose Properties.
Step 5: In the Networking tab, choose Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and click Properties.
Step 6: In the pop-up window, set the IP address and subnet masks of the first computer to:
- IP – 192.168.0.1
- Subnet Mask – 225.225.225.0
Also, do the same thing for the second computer and set the IP address and subnet masks to:
- IP – 192.168.0.2
- Subnet Mask – 225.225.225.0
Step 7: Connect the crossover cable to the two computers’ network ports.
Step 8: Right-click on This PC to choose Properties and go to Change settings > Change and you can get a window with the name of the workgroup. By default, the workgroup name will be WORKGROUP.
Step 9: Right-click the drive that you want to share, go to Give access to > Advanced Sharing.
Step 10: In the Sharing tab, click Advanced Sharing.
Step 11: Check the box of Share this folder and click Apply.
You need to do some other things to share files:
Step 1: Right-click the specific folder and choose Give access to > Specific people.
Step 2: Choose Everyone to share.
Step 3: Go to the second computer’s Network Panel and you can find the first PC is ADMIN-HP. Just double-click it to show all the shared files and you can move the desired content by copy & paste.
FAQ
How to connect a Windows 11 computer to a Windows 10 computer?
If you want to connect two computers quickly, you should use a crossover ethernet cable. Find an ethernet cable and plug each end of it into one of the computers you want to link. First, you must turn on network sharing on both computers. To do this, go to the Start Menu, type “control,” and click “Control Panel.”
How do I share files between computers in Windows 11?
Choose the file or folder you want to send to someone else. Go to the Share tab and choose Specific people from the Share with list. Enter the email addresses of the people you want to share the file with, click Add for each one, and then click Share.