5 Methods To Fix Network Discovery Is Turned Off On Windows 10

Network Discovery is a feature in Windows 10 that allows its users to discover other devices on the same network which have this feature enabled. It is primarily used to share files and folders between various devices on the network. It can also be used to share a locally-attached printer to run errands of other computers on the network. When enabled, this feature makes the IP address and other information public on the network. Hence, anyone on the same network could access the files and folders on the computer.

Users often complain that even though the discovery is turned on from their settings, it is still prompted by the error which states that it is still off. Now, let’s see what methods we can adopt to get rid of the error so that Windows 10 users can easily share data.

Methods to Fix Network Discovery Is Turned Off

Method 1: Restart Computer

Before adopting other methods, restarting your PC is your first consideration. Then check if the issue is fixed.

Method 2: Change Advanced Sharing Settings

1. Press Win + R to open the Run dialog box, then type the following command and click OK to open Network and Sharing Center.
   control /name Microsoft.NetworkAndSharingCenter
2. Click Change advanced sharing settings in the left panel.
3. Find the Privacy section and drop down the options, click the Turn on network discovery button, and then click Save changes.

Method 3: Reset Network

1. Press Win + I to open Windows Settings and click on Network & Internet.
2. Click Status, scroll down to find and click Network reset.
3. Click Reset Now to reset your network.

Method 4: Manage Windows Services

1. Type services.msc in the Run box and hit Enter.
2. Scroll down, look for and double-click Function Discovery Resource Publication.
3. Then drop down the Startup type option and choose Automatic.
4. After that, click on Start under Service status and click OK.
5. Go back to the Service window, look for DNS Client and make sure it’s set to Automatic as well.
6. Next, look for and double-click SSDP Discovery and change it to Automatic from the drop-down menu to start the service.
7. Last, restart your PC to fix the issue and check if the issue that Network Discovery is turned off is resolved on your Windows 10.

Method 5: Allow Network Discovery Through Windows Firewall

Your Windows firewall may be blocking Network Discovery’s services, causing it to not work. In this case, whitelist the feature in your firewall.

1. Type Control Panel in the Search box and open it.
2. Then select System and Security.
3. Beneath Windows Defender Firewall, choose Allow an app through Windows Firewall.
4. On the appearing window, choose Change Settings.
5. In the list of apps and features, find Network Discovery.
6. To the left of Network Discovery, enable the checkbox. Then, to the right, enable the checkbox for Private.
7. When you’re done, at the bottom of the window, select OK to save your changes.

Conclusion

This article has introduced 5 methods to help you fix the error that network discovery is turned off on Windows 10. Depending upon the circumstances of the user, please adopt a different method. If you don’t know the particular reason, it is OK to perform all of the above methods in the same order to make the network discovery work.