Solving problems with the visibility of networked computers

network (LAN);Local area network is a technology that is fully implemented in the family of Windows operating systems. Computers within the same network can exchange files with each other, transfer other data, and even control shared devices. However, sometimes this technology does not work correctly, for example, PCs connected to a home or workgroup simply do not appear in the directories. This situation requires an appropriate solution. This is what we want to talk about further, using Windows 10 as an example.

We solve problems with the visibility of network computers in Windows 10

first,Let’s start with the advice that concerns the general configuration of the local network. Sometimes users skip some settings or do not pay attention to details, which eventually leads to various problems, including today’s one. Therefore, first we advise you to make sure that the parameters set are correct. A separate article on our website will help in this, where you will find suitable illustrated instructions and will be able to understand at what stage the mistake was made. If everything is set up correctly, proceed to the analysis of the following methods:

Method 1: Checking the workgroup name

The rules for using a local network oblige each device to assign the same workgroup name so that there are no connection problems. If this value is set incorrectly, the computer simply will not be displayed on the network. This is the first reason for the appearance of the problem in question. We advise you to check this setting and change it if necessary, which is done as follows:

1. Open “Start“ and go to “Settings“ .
2. Here you are interested in a tile called “System“ .
3. Use the left pane to navigate to the “About“ category .
4. Left-click on the inscription “System Information“ .
5. Go to the category “Advanced system settings“ .
6. Move to the Computer Name tab .
7. Click on the “Change“ button
8. Mark the “workgroup“ item with a marker and make sure that the name matches the computer that is the creator of the local network.
9. You will be notified of the name change
10. You will need to restart your computer for all changes to take effect.

A separate notice will appear. Click on the “Restart now“ button to send the PC to reboot.

Perform a similar check on each PC that must be connected to the local network to make sure that the settings you have chosen are correct.

Method 2: Check your sharing settings

Sharing options are briefly described in the material that we recommended for review as instructions for creating a local network. However, we would like to dwell on this aspect in more detail, because the visibility of the PC on the network directly depends on the settings set here.

Open the “Options“ menu and go to the “Network and Internet” section .
Here, in the first category “Status“ click on the inscription “Sharing Options“ .
Make sure that network discovery and folder access is enabled for all required network types.
If any changes have been made, do not forget to click on “Save changes“ after that for them to take effect.

These steps, just like those described in the previous method, should be performed on each device that is a member of a home or workgroup. After that, go on to check the display.

Method 3: Set up the Routing and Remote Access service

A separate service called Routing and Remote Access is responsible for the correct functioning of the local network in Windows . The visibility of the equipment and the possibility of exchanging files depend on it. It is important that this service is always active or managed automatically, which can be achieved as follows:

Open “Start“ , find “Services“ in the search and launch this application.
In the list, find the service just mentioned and double-click on its line with the left mouse button.
Set the startup type to Automatic .
After that, click on the “Apply“ button .
Now the “Run” button will become active, so click on it or restart the operating system so that this happens automatically.

Perform the same steps on each computer included in the local network, including the one where it was created. If the cause of the issue in question was indeed a non-working service, it should go away and all PCs will become visible.

Method 4: Reset routing settings and restart the network

Sometimes, various network problems are provoked by incorrect routing, which was caused by minor system failures or software settings. You can check and fix this situation through the console by entering several commands there that are responsible for resetting the settings and restarting the network.

Open “Start“ , find the application “Command Prompt“ and run it as an administrator by selecting the appropriate item in the panel on the right.
Enter the following commands one by one, activating each by pressing the Enter key . This will reset the settings and reboot the network.
```
netsh int ip reset reset.txt
netsh winsock reset
netsh advfirewall reset
```
After that, on each device in the console, enter the command netsh advfirewall firewall set rule group="Network Discovery" new enable=Yesthat is responsible for visibility on the network.

Method 5: Deactivate the firewall and antivirus

As you know, a standard firewall and a manually installed antivirus have certain rules that do not allow some incoming or outgoing connections to pass. Sometimes this can lead to the fact that the PC simply will not see other devices on the network or will not appear there itself. You can check whether such rules really exist by temporarily disabling your firewall and antivirus software. For more details about the implementation of this task, read the separate instructions on our website by clicking on the links below.

If it suddenly turns out that the firewall or antivirus is really to blame for the error, you can leave them disabled forever, however, custom configuration is also available for the firewall, as described in another material on our website. If you do not want to give up antivirus, choose a more reliable solution.

Now you are familiar with five methods to fix the problem with the visibility of local network computers in Windows 10. It remains only to perform each of them one by one in order to eventually find the optimal solution that will permanently get rid of the problem.

Solving problems with the visibility of networked computers