What's a homegroup?
A homegroup is a group of PCs on a home network that can share files and printers. Using a homegroup makes sharing easier. You can share pictures, music, videos, documents, and printers with other people in your homegroup.
You can help protect your homegroup with a password, which you can change at any time. Other people can't change the files that you share unless you give them permission to do so.
After you create or join a homegroup, you select the libraries (for example, My Pictures or My Documents) that you want to share. You can prevent specific files or folders from being shared, and you can share additional libraries later.
HomeGroup is available in Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows RT 8.1, and Windows 7. You can join a homegroup on a PC running Windows RT 8.1, but you can't create a homegroup or share content with the homegroup. In Windows 7 Starter and Windows 7 Home Basic, you can join a homegroup, but you can’t create one.
Create a homegroup:
When you set up a PC with Windows 7, a homegroup is created automatically. If a homegroup already exists on your home network, you can join it.
Open HomeGroup by clicking the Start button, clicking Control Panel, typing homegroup in the search box, and then clicking HomeGroup.
On the Share with other home computers running Windows 7 page, click Create a homegroup, and then follow the instructions.
Notes:
* If a homegroup already exists on your network, you'll be asked to join it instead of creating a new one.
*If your PC belongs to a domain, you can join a homegroup but you can't create one. You can access files and resources on other homegroup PCs, but you can't share your own files and resources with the homegroup.
After you create a homegroup, the other PCs running Windows 7 on your network can join it.
Add your other PCs to the homegroup:
After someone on your network creates a homegroup, the next step is to join it. You'll need the homegroup password, which you can get from the person who created the homegroup.
To join a homegroup, follow these steps on the PC that you want to add to the homegroup:
Open HomeGroup by clicking the Start button, clicking Control Panel, typing homegroup in the search box, and then clicking HomeGroup.
Click Join now, and then follow the steps on your screen.
Note:
If you don't see the Join now button, there might not be a homegroup available. Make sure that someone has created a homegroup, or you can create a homegroup yourself.
Access homegroup files:
PCs that belong to your homegroup will appear in Windows Explorer.
To access files or folders on other homegroup PCs
Click the Start button, and then click your user name.
In the navigation pane (the left pane), under Homegroup, click the user account name of the person whose files you want to access.
In the file list, double-click the library you want to access, and then double-click the file or folder you want.
Notes:
PCs that are turned off, hibernating, or asleep won't appear in the navigation pane.
If you've made homegroup files or folders available offline, and then you disconnect from the network, the files or folders will no longer be visible in the Libraries window. To find them, open the Network folder.
Control which files or folders are shared with your homegroup:
When you created or joined your homegroup, you selected the libraries you wanted to share with other people in the homegroup. Libraries are initially shared with Read access, which means that you can look at or listen to what's in the library, but you can't make changes to the files in it. You can adjust the level of access later, and you can exclude specific files and folders from sharing.
To prevent a library from being shared:
Open HomeGroup by clicking the Start button, clicking Control Panel, typing homegroup in the search box, and then clicking HomeGroup.
Clear the check box for each library you don't want shared, and then click Save changes.
To prevent specific files or folders from being shared
Click the Start button, and then click your user name.
Browse to the file or folder you want to exclude from sharing, and then select it.
Do one of the following:
1. To prevent the file or folder from being shared with anyone, in the toolbar, click Share with, and then click Nobody.
2. To share the file or folder with some people but not others, in the toolbar, click Share with, clickSpecific people, select each person you want to share with, and then click Add. Click Share when you're finished.
3. To change the level of access to a file or folder, in the toolbar, click Share with, and then select eitherHomegroup (Read) or Homegroup (Read/Write).
Share printers:
Printers that are connected with a USB cable can be shared with a homegroup. After the printer is shared, you can access it through the Print dialog box in any program, just like a printer that's directly connected to your PC.
To share your printer with the homegroup:
Open HomeGroup by clicking the Start button, clicking Control Panel, typing homegroup in the search box, and then clicking HomeGroup. Click Install printer.
Select the Printers check box, and then click Save changes.
To automatically connect to a homegroup printer:
Click the Windows found a homegroup printer message that appears.
To manually connect to a homegroup printer:
On the PC the printer is physically connected to, click the Start button, click Control Panel, type homegroup in the search box, and then click HomeGroup.
Make sure the Printers check box is selected.
Go to the PC you want to print from.
Open HomeGroup by clicking the Start button, clicking Control Panel, typing homegroup in the search box, and then clicking HomeGroup. Click Install printer.
If you don't already have a driver installed for the printer, click Install driver in the dialog box that appears.
Note:
The PC that the printer is connected to must be turned on to use the printer.
Change homegroup settings if needed:
At any time after you set up your homegroup, you can change settings by following these steps:
Open HomeGroup by clicking the Start button, clicking Control Panel, typing homegroup in the search box, and then clicking HomeGroup. Select the settings you want, and then click Save changes.
These are the settings on the HomeGroup settings page:
SettingDescription:
Share libraries and printers Select the libraries and printers you want to share in their entirety with your homegroup.
Share media with devices:
Use this setting to share media with all devices on your network. For example, you can share pictures with a digital picture frame, or share music with a network media player.
Note:
Shared media isn't secure. Anyone connected to your network can receive your shared media.
View or print the homegroup password:
View or print the password for your homegroup.
Change the password:
Change the password for your homegroup.
Leave the homegroup:
Leave your homegroup.
Change advanced sharing settings:
Change settings for network discovery, file sharing, Public folder sharing, password-protected sharing, homegroup connections, and file sharing connections.
Start the HomeGroup troubleshooter Troubleshoot homegroup problems.
PropertiesArticle ID: 17145 - Last Review: May 12, 2016 - Revision: 26
Applies to
Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows RT 8.1, Windows 7
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