How to Connect Two Laptops Through a LAN

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Connecting two laptops through a LAN (Local Area Network) is a great way to quickly transfer data between two computers. You can transfer data between two laptops over a LAN using Mac or PC using an Ethernet cable or wireless connection. This wikiHow teaches you how to share and access files and folders over a Local Area Network on Mac and PC.

Quick Guide: Connecting Two Laptops on a LAN

  1. Enable "Network Discovery" and "Turn on file and printer sharing" on both laptops.
  2. On one laptop, right-click a folder and select Give access to > Specific people .
  3. Choose who can access the folder and click Share .
  4. On the other laptop, go to the host laptop's address (e.g., \\wikiHow) in File Explorer to access the folder.
Method 1
Method 1 of 7:

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  1. You can connect both laptops using a wireless connection, or you can connect both laptops to a LAN port on your modem or router using an Ethernet cable.
  2. Use the laptop that has files or folders you want to share. Use the following steps to open the Control Panel:
    • Click the Windows Start button in the lower-left corner.
    • Type "Control Panel".
    • Click Control Panel .
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  3. It's in the upper-right corner of the Control Panel window. This displays various network settings options.
  4. It's the green header at the top of your network settings.
  5. It's in the sidebar to the left.
  6. To turn on Network Discovery and Printer and File sharing is turned on, click the radio button next to "Turn on network discovery" and "Turn on printer and file sharing." These options are below "Private" and "Guest or Public (current profile)."
  7. It's at the bottom of the Control Panel window. This saves your settings changes.
  8. It has an icon that resembles a folder with a blue clip. It's in the taskbar at the bottom of the screen.
    • If you do not see File Explorer in the taskbar, click the Windows Start button and type "File Explorer" to display File Explorer in the Start menu.
  9. You can share files and folders with other computers on your network. Use File Explorer to navigate to a file or folder you want to share. You can click the Quick Access folders in the menu to the left, or click a folder in the main window.
  10. This displays a menu to the right of the file or folder.
  11. It's in the menu that pops up when you right-click a file or folder. This displays a sub-menu to the side.
  12. It's at the bottom of the sub-menu next to "Give access to". This displays the Network Access menu.
  13. It's at the bottom of the Network Access menu. This shares the file or folder across your network and displays the network address for the folder.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 7:

Accessing Shared Files and Folders on Windows 10

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  1. You can connect both laptops using a wireless connection, or you can connect both laptops to a LAN port on your modem or router using an Ethernet cable.
  2. Use the laptop that you want to connect to. It has an icon that resembles a folder with a blue clip. You can either find it in the taskbar at the bottom of the screen or in the Windows Start menu.
  3. It's at the bottom of File Explorer in the menu bar to the left. This displays shared files and folders on the network.
  4. The computer's network address should be \\[computer name] . Replace "[computer name]" with the name of the computer you want to access. It can be a Mac or Windows computer.
    • The computer you are trying to access must be powered on, logged in to and connected to the network.
  5. You'll need to enter the username and password for the computer you want to access. Then you should see all shared files and folders from the other computer.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 7:

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  1. You can connect both laptops using a wireless connection, or you can connect both laptops to a LAN port on your modem or router using an Ethernet cable.
  2. It's the Apple logo icon in the upper-left corner of the menu bar. This displays the Apple menu.
  3. It's in the second option in the Apple Menu. This opens the System Preferences window.
  4. It has an icon that resembles a blue folder with a crosswalk sign on the front.
  5. It's in the box to the of the Sharing menu. This turns File Sharing on.
  6. It's the same option in the box on the left that you just checked. This displays the File Sharing options.
  7. This box displays all folders you have shared over the network. Click the Plus sign (+) at the bottom to add new folders.
  8. You can click any of the "Favorites" folders in the sidebar to the left, or any folder in the Finder window.
  9. It's in the lower-right corner of the window. This adds the folder to your list of shared folders, which can be accessed over the LAN.
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Method 4
Method 4 of 7:

Accessing Shared Folders on Mac

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  1. You can connect both laptops using a wireless connection, or you can connect both laptops to a LAN port on your modem or router using an Ethernet cable.
  2. The Finder has an icon that resembles a blue and white smiley face. It's in the Dock at the bottom of the screen. Click this icon on the Mac you want to access shared folders through.
  3. It's in the menu bar at the top of the screen when you have the Finder open.
  4. It's at the bottom of the drop-down menu below "Go".
  5. The network address for a shared computer is usually smb://[computer name] . Replace "[computer name]" with the actual name of the computer you want to access. This can be a Mac or Windows computer.
  6. It's in the lower-left corner of the "Connect to Server" window.
  7. After your Mac is able to establish a connection with the other computer, enter the username and password you use to log in to that computer. You can then access the Shared files and Folders in the Finder under "Shared" in the menu bar to the left.
    • If you are trying to access a Windows computer, enter the email address and password for user's Microsoft account. [1]
    • Make sure the other computer you are trying to access is powered on and logged into (not sleeping).
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Method 5
Method 5 of 7:

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  1. You can connect both laptops using a wireless connection, or you can connect both laptops to a LAN port on your modem or router using an Ethernet cable.
  2. Use the following steps to open the Control Panel.
    • Click the Windows Start button in the lower-left corner.
    • Type "Control Panel".
    • Click Control Panel .
  3. It's in the upper-right corner of the Control Panel.
  4. It's the green header next to an icon that resembles a blue and green molecule.
    • Homegroup is no longer available on Windows 10.
  5. It's the button in the bottom right of the window.
    • Note that the button will only be enabled if you are not currently in a HomeGroup. If you are, leave your current HomeGroup.
  6. The first screen will just tell you what a HomeGroup does.
  7. Use the drop-down menus to select "Shared" next to the file types you want to share. You will be able to choose from: Pictures, Documents, Music, Printers, and Videos. Depending on your needs, select or deselect the file types.
  8. It's in the lower-right corner of the screen.
  9. It's at the top of the screen. This will be the password that other devices will need to enter in order to connect to the HomeGroup. Then, click finish.
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Method 6
Method 6 of 7:

Accessing Shared Files and Folders on Windows 8 and Below

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  1. You can connect both laptops using a wireless connection, or you can connect both laptops to a LAN port on your modem or router using an Ethernet cable.
  2. Use the laptop that has files or folders you want to share with a second laptop. Use the following steps to open the Control Panel:
    • Click the Windows Start button in the lower-left corner.
    • Type "Control Panel".
    • Click Control Panel .
  3. It's in the upper-right corner of the Control Panel.
  4. It's the green header next to an icon that resembles a blue and green molecule.
    • HomeGroup is no longer available on Windows 10.
  5. A new HomeGroup displayed on the HomeGroup window. Click the new HomeGroup and click Join Homegroup in the lower-right corner.
  6. Use the password that was displayed on the first computer.
    • You can now use the drop-down menus to select which file types you want to share on the HomeGroup network.
  7. It has an icon that resembles a folder with a blue clip. Click this icon in the taskbar or Windows Start menu.
  8. It's in File Explorer. This displays user accounts that are part of the HomeGroup network. [2]
  9. This is the Windows username for the person you want to access across the network. This displays the shared files and folders the user has shared across the network.
  10. This allows you to access the shared file across the local area network.
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Method 7
Method 7 of 7:

Connecting Two Connected Laptops to the Same Network

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  1. This is a type of Ethernet cable used for connecting two computers to one another. If you have an older computer, you must use a crossover cable. A regular Ethernet cable will not work on older computers. There is no aesthetic difference between the two cables. Ask your store representative to find you a cross over cable just to be safe.
  2. The network port is what you connect your Ethernet cable to usually. The cable will click when successfully connected to the network port.
    • Note that some newer laptops do not have a network port. Some laptop manufacturers have decided not to include a network port so that the laptop is thinner or lighter. If this is the case, you will need to connect your laptops to a wireless network.
  3. Use the following steps to open the Control Panel:
    • Click the Windows Start button in the lower-left corner.
    • Type "Control Panel".
    • Click Control Panel .
  4. The search bar is in the upper-right corner of the Control Panel.
  5. It's the green header next to an icon that resembles a computer screen. You should see information about your computer such as Manufacturer, Model, etc.
  6. It's on the right side of the screen below "Computer name, domain, and workgroup settings." A new window should pop up titled "System Properties."
  7. It's at the bottom of the "System Properties" window. This displays the computer name and workgroup name.
  8. It does not matter what the name is, as long as both computers use the same workgroup name.
  9. It's in the upper-right corner of the Control Panel.
    • For Windows 7, Vista, and XP Users: Open up "Network Settings" directly from your Control Panel. Search for it in the search box in the upper right corner of the window.
  10. It's below the "Network and Sharing Center" header in the Control Panel.
  11. It's in your "Network Connections" window. There may be multiple "Ethernet" options. Right-click the one that does not have a red "x" in the lower-left corner of the icon next to it.
  12. It's at the bottom of the menu that appears when you right-click "Ethernet".
  13. You can find "Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)" in the list of items. Click it to select it, and then click Properties below the list of items.
  14. This will allow you to manually enter an address.
  15. Use the fields below "Use the following IP address" to enter the following on both computers. It's is important that the last number for the IP address is different for both computers.
    • PC 1
      • IP Address: 192.168.0.1
      • Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
      • Default Gateway: This field blank
    • PC 2
      • IP Address: 192.168.0.2
      • Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
      • Default Gateway: Leave this field blank.
  16. You should now be able to share files across two computers over your connected LAN cable. You might need to restart each computer for the changes to take effect. [3]
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    While you could set up an ad-hoc peer-to-peer network between them, the easiest way is to connect them both through the same wireless access point/router and share resources over the network.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204445#targetText=To%20enable%20File%20Sharing%20on,computer%20on%20the%20local%20network .
      2. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/17145/windows-homegroup-from-start-to-finish
      3. ↑ https://www.maketecheasier.com/connect-two-windows-computer-on-lan/
      4. http://classroom.synonym.com/connect-two-laptops-using-wireless-lan-10391.html
      5. http://www.online-tech-tips.com/computer-tips/how-to-connect-two-computers-or-laptops-wirelessly/
      6. http://ccm.net/forum/affich-25120-how-to-connect-two-laptops-using-lan-cable
      7. http://ccm.net/faq/6340-connecting-two-pcs-using-a-crossover-ethernet-cable
      8. http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_8-networking/how-to-transfer-data-between-two-laptops-using-lan/7d95a049-07b8-47d3-8bb2-322c928d648e?auth=1

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      1. Open the Control Panel in the Windows Start menu on the first computer.
      2. Search "Network" and click Network Sharing Center .
      3. Click Change advanced sharing options .
      4. Ensure "Network Discovery" and "Printer and File Sharing" is enabled.
      5. Open File Explorer and right-click a file or folder you want to share. 6. Click Give access to followed by Specific People . 7. Click Share . 8. Open File Explorer on a second laptop.
      9. Click Network .
      10. Enter "\\[computer name]" in the address bar at the top.
      11. Enter the username and password for the computer you want to access.

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