Use Windows 7 Homegroup to share files and printers

The HomeGroup feature makes it easier to share files and printers between Windows 7 computers. In this article we will introduce you more about this new feature, especially how to conduct resource sharing.

Set up HomeGroup

There are many ways to access the HomeGroup feature, you can go to Control Panel and click 'Choose homegroup and sharing options' or just type 'homegroup' (without quotes) in the search box in the Start menu.

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Next, click the Create a homegroup button.

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In the Create a homegroup screen, select what you want to share with other computers.

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After the group is created, you will receive a password to access it from other computers.

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After receiving the Password, you will be returned to the HomeGroup screen, where you can make some additional changes if you want.

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Connect to the HomeGroup

On other Windows 7 computers, visit the HomeGroup feature and click to join the group you created.

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Enter the password created for the HomeGroup.

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Once the password is accepted, the connection will take place, at which point you have completed your work.

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However, if you do not want to use this password anymore, go to the advanced options in the Network and Sharing Center and turn off sharing using a password ( turn off password protected sharing ).

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Another thing you might want to do here is create a shortcut to the HomeGroup. Just go to Network and copy its icon to the desktop. Alternatively, you can use another method for this to create shortcuts directly from the shared folder.

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To share the printer, you need to select Printers when creating the group and then, when you go to Devices and Printers in the Start menu, you will see it and can set it as default if you want.

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Here is an introduction to show you how to share files and printers between Windows 7 computers on your home network. If you have XP or Vista on your network, then you might want to refer to some other ways to perform sharing between these computers on the network.

Access data in HomeGroup from Vista and XP.