How to see computers on network on Windows 10

Do you need to find a computer in the network? Here's how on Windows 10.

Windows 10 computers in the network
Windows 10 computers in the network
  • To view other network PCs on Windows 10, open File Explorer > Network. You may also need to open Settings > Network & internet > Ethernet (or Wi-Fi), choose active connection, and set the profile to “Private.” Then on File Explorer, turn on the network discovery option.

On Windows 10, finding other computers in the local network can come in handy in many scenarios. For example, when you need to access a shared folder or printer or when you need to access a particular application hosted on a remote computer.

Whatever the reason, you can always use File Explorer to find and access network devices quickly. 

This guide will teach you the easy steps to quickly find other computers connected to a local network on Windows 10.

Find computers in network from File Explorer

To find computers in the network on Windows 10, use these steps:

  1. Open File Explorer on Windows 10.

  2. Click on Network from the left pane.

  3. See computers available in the local network.

    File Explorer view network devices

  4. Double-click the device to access its shared resources, such as shared folders or printers.

Once you complete the steps, you will be able to access the device. However, you can only access the shared resources as long as the remote device has the same account and password. If it doesn’t, you’ll need to authenticate using an administrator account username and password available on the remote computer to access it.

Enable network discovery on Windows 10

If you can’t see any computer in the network, it’s probably because network discovery is disabled.

To enable network discovery on Windows 10, use these steps:

  1. Open Settings.

  2. Click on Network & Internet.

  3. Click on Ethernet (or Wi-Fi).

    Open network adapter settings

  4. Select the active network connection.

  5. Under the “Network profile” section, select the Private option.

    Network profile private

  6. Open File Explorer.

  7. Click on Network from the left pane.

  8. Click the message at the bottom of the ribbon and select the Turn on network discovery and file sharing option.

    Enable network discovery

  9. Click the “No, make the network that I am connected to a private network” option.

After you complete the steps, you should be able to see the devices in the network.

Enable network discovery from Control Panel

To enable network discovery from the Control Panel on Windows 10, use these steps:

  1. Open Control Panel.

  2. Click on Network and Internet.

  3. Click on Network and Sharing Center.

  4. Click the Change advanced sharing settings option from the left pane.

    Change advanced sharing settings

  5. Expand the Private network profile.

  6. Under the “Network discovery” section, select the Turn on network discovery option.

    Enable network discovery in Control Panel

  7. Under the “File and printer sharing” section, select the “Turn on file and printer sharing” option.

  8. Click the Save changes button.

After completing the steps, you should be able to find other computers in the local network.

About the author

Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 21 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].