How to Share Internet Connection on Android for Windows 7

Use the USB port

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Plug Android into computer. Use the charging cable and USB port on your computer to do this.

Sharing a USB connection with an Android phone is a feature only available on Windows.

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Open Android Settings. Swipe down from the top of the screen, then tap the "Settings" gear in the upper-right corner of the drop-down menu.

On some Android phone models, you'll have to swipe down with two fingers.

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Tap Network & Internet . This button is near the top of the page.

On your Samsung phone or tablet, you'll need to tap Connections .

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Tap Hotspot & tethering . You'll find this button in the center of the page.

On Samsung Android, you need to tap Mobile Hotspot and Tethering .

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Tap the white "USB tethering" switch. This switch will turn green. Now your computer has a wired connection (LAN) to the Internet via Android data.

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Correct the connection if necessary. If your Windows 7 computer does not recognize the Android device you have plugged in as an Internet access point, you may have to resolve this issue by following the steps below:

Open Device Manager: click Start , click the search bar, type device manager, then click Device Manager .

Double click Network adapters .

Right click on Remote NDIS based Internet Sharing Device .

Click Update Driver Software. .

Click Browse my computer for driver software .

Click the Let me pick button at the bottom of the window.

Uncheck the "Show compatible hardware" box.

Click Microsoft Corporation in the "Manufacturer" column.

Click Remote NDIS Compatible Device , then click Next .

Click Yes and then click Close when prompted.

Use an access point

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Open Settings on Android. Swipe down from the top of the screen and tap the "Settings" gear located in the upper right corner of the drop-down menu.

For some Android phone models, you will have to swipe down with two fingers.

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Tap Network & Internet . This button is near the top of the page.

For Samsung tablets or phones, you'll need to tap Connections .

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Tap Hotspot & tethering . You can find this button in the center of the page.

For Samsung Android, you need to tap Mobile Hotspot and Tethering .

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Tap Set up Wi-Fi hotspot . This button is in the center of the page.

On Samsung, tap the white "Mobile hotspot" switch to turn on the mobile hotspot. You can then change your password by tapping Password , typing the new password, then tapping SAVE . Once you're done, you can jump to the "Open your computer's Wi-Fi settings" step.

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Android hotspot settings. Fill in the following fields:

Network name — Android name will be displayed in the wireless network section of your computer.

Security — Tap the WPA2 option from this menu.

Password — The password you will use to log in.

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Tap SAVE . This button is at the bottom of the menu. After clicking, you will return to the Hotspot & Tethering page.

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Tap the white "Portable Wi-Fi hotspot" switch. This switch is at the top of the Hotspot & Tethering page. The switch will turn green. Now Android will broadcast the Wi-Fi signal.

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Open your computer's Wi-Fi settings. Click the Wi-Fi icon (looks like multiple signal towers) in the lower right corner of the screen. A pop-up window will be displayed.

You may have to click ▲ to see the Wi-Fi icon.

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Click the name of your Android device. This name is usually in the window that appears.

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Enter password. Type the password you created during installation, then click Connect or tap ↵ Enter.

If you don't create a password during setup, the hotspot network password will be listed in the hotspot page in Android Settings. You may need to touch the access point's name to see the password.

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Wait for network connection. After your computer connects to the network, you can surf the Internet as usual.

Isabella Humphrey

Update 23 June 2024