Windows

Quick Fix: Why Can’t I See Other Computers On My Network Windows 10

494

If you are using Windows 10, you will surely come across many issues with the latest build, but among those, many have questions: Why can’t I see other computers on my network windows 10. These errors often occur due to incorrect settings on your system or an interrupted network correction.

Doing minor tweaks to the settings acts as the best remedy for these problems and solves computers not showing up on the network. Let’s see the methods to solve why can’t I see other computers on my network windows 10. You can also give a look at the fixes for Connection To The Remote Computer Cannot Be Established.

Table of Contents

1 Methods To Fix Why Can’t I See Other Computers On My Network Windows 10
2 FAQs
- 2.1 Why can't I see all the computers on my network Windows 10?
- 2.2 Can only see some computers on network Windows 10?
3 Conclusion

Methods To Fix Why Can’t I See Other Computers On My Network Windows 10

Here are the few fixes that help you solve why can’t I see other computers on my network windows 10 or cannot see other computers on the network.

Method 1: Enabling Network Discovery On Windows 10

Probably for most Windows users, some computers not showing up on the network can be of the network discovery settings on Windows 10. When this particular setting is not there in your computer, may misbehave.

Firstly, You can check if the network discovery is enabled by opening windows file discovery. In the navigation tab on the left, press the network tab.
Secondly, You can navigate Setting > Network and Internet > Sharing options > Turn on Network Discovery to enable the network discovery. If the network discovery is not there, the windows alert you immediately. And also, windows provide you a shortcut option to allow it to be at the top of the file explorer window. Press the yellow bar at the top to bring the quick options menu. Read this article, if your file explorer is not working or loading properly.
After clicking the options menu, press the Turn on Network discovery and file sharing.

If your network is currently applied as a public network, Windows will insure you if you want to switch your network to private or otherwise allow network discovery on public networks. Mostly this setting is not recommended; select the No, make the network that I am connected to a private network. Once network discovery is being on, you should be able to see other systems in the Networks section—but only if those devices network discovery enabled. You can also access devices directly by typing their IP address or hostname in the address tab at the top of the File Explorer window.

If this method does not helps you to solve why can’t i see other computers on my network windows 10

Method 2: Configuring Your Firewall To Allow File And Printer Sharing

The Windows Firewall‘s main objective is to block unnecessary traffic from your computer. If the network discovery is on, you still can’t find the computer on the network. Then you may need to whitelist the printer and file sharing in your firewall. If you are a user if the Windows 10 operating system then it is highly unlikely that you might not have used a person with your computer system. However, when the computer system shows an error printing message, you need to fix it.

1. Firstly, right-click on the windows start menu and press settings. Press update and security > Windows Security > Firewall and security Protection in the Windows settings menu.
2. Secondly, In the firewall and network protection menu, click the allow an app through the firewall option.
3. Allow apps to communicate through the Windows Defender Firewall window; press Change Settings to allow access. Scroll through the list where you can see the Fill and Printer Sharing and File and Printer Sharing under SMBDirect options, and click the checkbox for each section under the Private column to allow this through the firewall settings.
4. You can also enable the checkboxes under the Public column to allow public networks access, but this is not mandatory. Press OK to save.

You can also do the same process for the other third-party firewalls and try to solve why can’t i see other computers on my network windows 10

Fix: Windows 10 Won’t Automatically Connect To WiFi

Method 3: Enabling The Computer Browser Service On Windows 10

Seeing if the computer browser system service is on and running on your PC can probably be the cause of why can’t I see other computers on my network windows 10.

Firstly, To start, press the Win + R on your keyboard. In the run dialog box, type services.msc, then press OK to launch.
Secondly, In the service management console window, locate the computer browser and look at the status under the Status column. If the group stops, you will need to enable it by right-clicking and pressing the properties option.
Click on the start button to enable the Computer browser properties window. Then select the automatic under the startup type drop-down menu and make sure it starts automatically in the future. Click OK to save.

This can probably solve the issue can’t see computers on network and laptop can’t see desktop on the network.

Method 4: Checking Your Local Network Configuration

If your PC doesn’t see other computers on the network, check the connections between your PC and the local network. And see if your router cables are not in bad condition. And if you are using a wireless network, see your router is on and active.

One remedy is to check the Ping command from the PowerShell or command line. This will permit you to see whether your computer is connected to your network correctly and can identify local networks.

Firstly, Right-click on the start menu to use ping and press the Windows PowerShell or Windows PowerShell (Admin). From the Powershell admin, type ping x.x.x.x or ping hostname, replacing x.x.x.x and hostname with the local IP Address or PC hostname. If the Ping command responds you with a reply, then a network connection should not be preventing you from seeing another computer on your network. This would likely recommend a software or network configuration issue elsewhere.
Secondly, You can test your network configuration for problems in your Windows settings—right-click the Start menu and press Settings to access this. Press Update & Security > Troubleshoot > Network Adapter and click Run the Troubleshooter. ( If Windows detects any problems with your network configuration, it will automatically attempt to fix them ).

To change this, right-click the Start menu button and press Settings. And also Press Network & Internet > Status > Change adapter options from the Windows Settings menu.
Right-click on your network device in the Network Connections menu and press Properties. Click Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) in the Properties window and press Properties.
In the IPv4 Properties window, ensure that Obtain an IP address automatically and Obtain DNS server address automatically are selected and enabled, then press OK > Close to save.

This method probably helps you to solve why can’t I see other computers on my network windows 10

FAQs

Why can't I see all the computers on my network Windows 10?

There are many reasons why Windows 10 Can't See Other Computers on Network. However, the major reasons are probably due to bugs and wrong settings of Network Discovery, SMB 1.0 Protocol, and Disabled Printer and File Sharing.

Can only see some computers on network Windows 10?

If network discovery is on off in your computer, your Windows 10 PC won't be visible to other devices on the network and vice versa. You can check if network discovery is off by clicking on Network in the left pane of the File Explorer. If you see an error message that reads “Network discovery is turned off.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Here are 4 methods to solve why can’t I see other computers on my network windows 10, you can use any of the methods above and solve your issue.

See Also:

Matt Brown

Matt Brown is a senior editor. Following six years of professional consumer technology and gaming coverage, he’s focused on the world of Xbox and Windows PCs. You can follow him on Twitter @mattjbrown.