3 Ways to Turn Network Discovery on or Off in Windows: Explained

Explore 3 ways to turn network discovery on or off in Windows, including the key concepts, practical examples, important considerations, and useful guidance.

Turn Network Discovery on or off via Settings

Step 1

Open Settings on your computer, then click on Network & internet . On the right, select Ethernet or Wi-Fi , depending on your connection.

Step 2

Click on the name of the network your computer is connected to . Under Network profile type, select Private to enable Network Discovery for trusted networks such as your home or work network.

If you want to turn off Network Discovery , click Public network (Recommended) .

Use the Control Panel to turn Network Discovery on or off

Step 1

Open the Control Panel on your computer and select Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center .

Step 2

On the new interface, users select the "Change advanced sharing settings" option .

On this interface, you can expand your current network configuration to Private or Public .

Step 3

Here you can turn Network Discovery on or off as you wish.

Use Command Prompt to turn Network Discovery on or off

First, type cmd into the search bar and then run it as administrator to open Command Prompt.

To enable Network Discovery , enter the following command and press Enter.

netsh advfirewall firewall set rule group="Network Discovery" new enable=Yes

To turn off Network Discovery , enter the command below.

netsh advfirewall firewall set rule group="Network Discovery" new enable=No