Can Not connect two Win 11 PC's on the same private Ethernet

To resolve the issue of not being able to access one Windows 11 PC from another on the same private Ethernet network, you can follow these troubleshooting steps:

1. Check Network Sharing Settings: Ensure that network sharing is enabled on both PCs. Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Ethernet > Network and Sharing Center > Change advanced sharing settings. Make sure that Turn on network discovery and Turn on file and printer sharing are selected.
2. Verify Permissions: On the PC you are trying to access (HomePC), check the shared folder permissions. Right-click the folder, select Properties, go to the Sharing tab, and click on Advanced Sharing. Ensure that the folder is shared and that the user has the necessary permissions.
3. Use the Correct Credentials: When prompted for credentials, ensure you are using the correct username and password for the account on the HomePC that has access to the shared folder.
4. Disable Password Protected Sharing: If you want to simplify access, you can disable password-protected sharing. Go to Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Change advanced sharing settings and select Turn off password protected sharing.
5. Check Firewall Settings: Ensure that the Windows Firewall or any third-party firewall is not blocking file sharing. You may need to create an exception for file and printer sharing.
6. Use IP Address: Instead of using the PC name, try accessing the shared folder using the IP address of the HomePC. For example, use \192.168.x.x where 192.168.x.x is the IP address of the HomePC.
7. Restart Network Services: Sometimes, restarting the network services can help. You can do this by opening Command Prompt as an administrator and running the following commands:

      net stop server
      net start server
   

By following these steps, you should be able to resolve the access issue between your two Windows 11 PCs on the same network.

Thanks for sharing the details, Rien! Try to enable Function Discovery services (this one is critical in Win 11)

Windows 11 often breaks access if these services are disabled — even when sharing is “on”.

On BOTH PCs:

Press Win + R → type services.msc

Set these services to Automatic and Running:

• Function Discovery Provider Host
• Function Discovery Resource Publication
• SSDP Discovery
• UPnP Device Host

Restart both PCs

This directly fixes the “see PC but cannot access it” permission error. If the problem will persist, remove conflicting cached credentials

If you ever logged in once with the wrong credentials, Windows will reuse them forever.

On the PC that cannot access HomePC:

Open Control Panel

Go to Credential Manager

Select Windows Credentials

Remove EVERYTHING related to:

• HomePC
• MicrosoftAccount
• Any credential with the other PC’s name or IP

Reboot

Try connecting again → you should now get a clean credential prompt

See if these help. If you need further assistance just let me know.

Best regards,

Kimberly