If after upgrading Windows 11/10 you find that Network Discovery is not working, and Workgroup computers or Network places are missing or not showing up, this post will show you how to resolve the issue.
Network computers not showing in Windows 11/10
Try the following solutions sequentially and see if any of them help you.
- Update Network Adapter Driver
- Reset Winsock, etc.
- Check Function Discovery Resource Publication Service
- Ensure that SMB 1.0 is manually enabled
- Network Reset.
Windows computer not showing up on the Network
1] Update Network Adapter Driver
Press Win+R to open the Run box and type the command devmgmt.msc. Press Enter, and it would open the Device Manager window.
Expand the list of network drivers and update them.
If that doesn’t work, uninstall the same drivers and restart the system. The system will reinstall the drivers.
Another suggestion is to download and install the drivers from the manufacturer’s website.
2] Reset Winsock, etc.
Right-click on the Start button and select Command Prompt (administrator) to open an elevated Command Prompt.
Enter the following commands one by one and press Enter after entering each command to Reset Winsock:
netsh winsock reset
netsh int ip reset
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew
ipconfig /flushdns
Restart your computer and see.
3] Check Function Discovery Resource Publication Service
Press Win+R to open the Run window and type the command services.msc. Press Enter to open the Windows Services window.
Locate the Function Discovery Resource Publication Service, right-click on the Service and select Properties.
Here, ensure that the Startup type of Function Discovery Resource Publication service is Automatic and that it is Started.
Related: Windows can’t find a computer or device named
4] Ensure that SMB 1.0 is manually enabled
If Network computers are not showing ensure that SMB 1.0 is enabled. Maybe that will help. You will be able to do it via Control Panel > Programs & Features > Turn Windows features on or off.
5] Network Reset
If the above solutions fail, we might consider resetting all network settings.
Click on the Start button and then on the gear-like symbol to open the Settings window.
Select Network and Internet. Scroll and locate Network Reset. Click on it and then on Reset now.
Hope something here helps you.
How do I make my PC visible on the network?
Enable network discovery and file and printer sharing to make your PC visible on the network. Go to Start > Settings > Network & Internet > Sharing options. Under Private, choose “Turn on Network discovery” and “Turn on file and printer sharing.” This setup allows other devices on the same network to detect your PC.
Why is my computer not identifying the network?
Your computer may not identify the network due to incorrect IP settings, outdated network drivers, or hardware issues like damaged cables. Start by checking your cable connection for damage and testing different cables or ports. Updating network drivers and ensuring router settings are correct can also help resolve the issue.
I don’t understand the error, so im not sure if it’s the same as mine before i try your solution.
is your problem means that there is no computer showing up on the network folder? my problem was my other computer in my home network will show up in the network folder, but now they are gone. is this the same?
The last 2 worked, or maybe it was a combination of all of them.
In step 4, you advise to ensure SMB 1.0 is manually enabled. Microsoft just spent the last two years telling us this protocol is obsolete, not secure, and should be DISABLED. What’s the deal?
this worked for me after trying other things which didn’t make any difference:
1) open file explorer on both PCs
2) on target computer right click on ‘this pc’ and select properties to get the computer name of this pc
3) on pc you want to access target from, type in the address field of file explorer ‘\name-of-target-pc’ where you replace the text with name found in 2), and hit enter, the target pc will now be recognised again
perhaps the network computer not found problem is a one off issue for each pc/network combo, and once you have done the above, all pcs will see each other again… hope this helps some of you out there who’s lost the network links after the 1803 windows 10 upgrade… it was frustrating for me to have to go through all the network sharing, adapter settings, etc to get to the above simple solution!
One million thanks – it worked!
Turning on the “Function DIscovery Resource Publication” worked for me. I also had to turn it on for all the Windows 7 PCs in the network before they could see the Windows 10 PC.
Cheers.
Yes it sounds like the same problem.
Turning on the “Function DIscovery Resource Publication” (option 3) worked for me. I
also had to turn it on for all the Windows 7 PCs in the network before
they could see the Windows 10 PC.
I took this rainy Sunday to see why 20 Windows 10 PCs I manage wouldn’t show up in their network list. I could access them fine by typing their name into the bar so it was a low priority thing. Anyways, I came across this post and wanted to reply stating #3 was the solution to the problem. Thanks.
My desktop PC does not show my laptop PC in the ‘computers’ section of Network in File Explorer.
But it shows the media server (library) in the ‘Media Devices’ section.
When I put \Laptop in the File Explorer address field, the shared folders on the laptop become visible.
So everything seems to be working fine, just VERY annoying that we can’t have a readily available real-time view of the network, and that in order to share, we have to type the share name.
#3 worked for me also. My desktop computer would show my laptop, but the laptop would not show the desktop computer. I had to perform the fix on both to make everything work properly. Both are running Windows 10.
I just don’t understand how Windows 10 updates can screw up stuff that much. It is very frustrating to find out that things that worked okay before the update, don’t continue to work afterward.
Number 3 saved the day~ Thank you
#3 worked perfectly! Thanks for the great help.
I have one stubborn son of a computer that REFUSES to see any network resource. I’ve tried everything shown above with NO luck. Microsoft Tech support was worthless as usual too. I’ve also tried over a dozen different NIC drivers too … I’m at a complete loss now on how I might get this fixed …
ah in my case only one of 4 pcs showed!!! I tried the steps and got to number 4 then they all appeared. so thanks, what was strange another notebook that had windows 1803 on it had no problems but the version was not quite the same. so thanks again, I was about to start pulling my hair out…. good Windows version – 17134.345 bad one 17134.376
Just fixed this one. The Windows panel for manual IP configuration has a “network mask length”. If you put in your network mask there, you get the problem… If you put in “32”, for a mask of 255.255.255.0, then all the systems appear…..
This solved the problem with my PCs. I can now see both my desktop and my Lenovo laptop.
Thanks for this support.
Steps 3 & 4 were required on each computer. Thank you for figuring this out.