How To Network Windows 10 To Windows 7

Over the years, Windows has gotten much better nearly how it handles networked printers. Simply if you desire to share a printer over the network, you may nevertheless demand to exercise a piffling legwork to get it all up and running. Here'south how it all works.

Setting up a printer on your network involves 2 steps. The first step is getting the printer connected to the network, and at that place are three means you can do that:

Connect the printer to the network directly. This is the easiest mode to ready a network printer. It doesn't require that another PC be turned on to print (like the below methods do), and you don't have to go through the hassle of setting up sharing. And, since most printers made within the final few years have networking built in, there'southward a skillful run a risk your printer supports this selection.
Connect the printer to one of your PCs and share information technology with the network over Homegroup. If connecting a printer directly to the network isn't an selection, you can connect it to a PC on the network and share it with Windows Homegroup. It's easy to set up, and is optimal for networks that are made upward of mostly Windows computers. This method, however, requires that the computer its connected to be up and running in order for you to utilise the printer.
Connect the printer to 1 of your PCs and share it without Homegroup. This is ideal if your network has other computers running different operating systems, if you want more than control over file and printer sharing, or if Homegroup but isn't working very well. Like the Homegroup method, this requires that the computer its connected to be up and running in order for you to apply the printer.

The second pace, once you've hooked up your printer, will be connecting other PCs to the network printer…which depends a lot on how you hooked it up. Dislocated yet? Don't worry. We're about to go over all of this.

Update: Microsoft removed the HomeGroup feature from Windows 10 in the April 2018 update. You can still utilise HomeGroups if you lot're using Windows vii or 8, but they won't be attainable by computers running Windows 10 (at least with the latest updates) unless you likewise set up traditional file sharing.

Step Ane: Connect Your Printer to the Network

First, allow'due south talk about getting that printer connected to your network. Every bit we mentioned higher up, yous have iii options here. You can connect it direct to the network, you tin connect information technology to a PC and share information technology through a Homegroup, or you can connect it to a PC and share it without using Homegroup.

Connect Your Printer Straight to the Network

Most printers these days have networking built in. Some come equipped with Wi-Fi, some with Ethernet, and many accept both options bachelor. Unfortunately, we can't give you precise instructions for getting this done, since how you practise it depends on the type of printer you have. If your printer has an LCD display, chances are you can find the network settings somewhere in the Settings or Tools portion of the menus. If your printer has no display, yous'll probably accept to rely on some series of physical button presses to tell it whether it should use its Wi-Fi or Ethernet network adapter. Some printers even have a defended like shooting fish in a barrel connect button that tin prepare the Wi-Fi for y'all.

If you're having trouble setting upward a printer that connects directly to the network, the manufacturer should have instructions for making it happen. Check the manual that came with your printer or the manufacturer's web site for information on hooking information technology upwardly.

Share a Printer Connected to a PC past Using a Homegroup

Sharing a printer with Homegroup is super easy. Commencement, of course, you'll want to make sure that the printer is connected to 1 of the PCs on the network and set up properly. If that PC tin print to the printer, then y'all're good to go.

Start by firing up the Homegroup control panel app. Click Outset, type "homegroup," and so click the selection or hit Enter.

What y'all practise next depends on what you encounter in the Homegroup window. If the PC you have the printer connected to is already part of a Homegroup, y'all'll run into something like the post-obit screen. If it shows that you're already sharing printers, then you're done. You can skip on to step ii, where you connect other PCs on the network. If yous're not already sharing printers, click the "Alter what yous're sharing with the homegroup" link.

On the "Printers & Devices" drop-down carte, cull the "Shared" pick. Click Next and so you can close the Homegroup options and move on to pace two.

If there is already a Homegroup created for other PCs on the network, but the PC y'all've got your printer connected to isn't a member, the main screen when you start the Homegroup command panel app will expect something like the one below. Click the "Join at present" button and then click "Next" on the following screen that just tells you a bit about Homegroups.

Prepare your sharing options, making sure that "Printers and devices" is set to "Shared," and then click "Next."

Type the countersign for the Homegroup and and so click "Adjacent." If you don't know the password, go to one of the other PCs on the network that is already a member of the Homegroup, launch the Homegroup control console app, and you can look it upwards there.

If you're connecting from some other PC that you've signed onto using the same Microsoft account every bit the PC that'south already a fellow member of the Homegroup, Windows eight and 10 won't ask for your countersign. Instead, Windows will authorize you automatically.

On the final screen, click the "Cease" button and so you can motion on to step two and go your other PCs on the network connected to the printer.

And finally, if there is no Homegroup at all on your network, y'all'll see something like the post-obit screen when you open the Homegroup command panel window. To create a new homegroup, click the "Create a homegroup" push.

The post-obit screen just tells you a little almost Homegroups. Get ahead and click "Side by side."

Choose whatsoever libraries and folders yous desire to share with the network from the PC you're on. Simply brand sure that you select the "Shared" option for "Printers & Devices." Click "Next" when you're done making your selections.

The terminal screen shows the countersign you'll need for other PCs on your network to connect to the Homegroup. Write it down and so click the "Cease" push button.

At present that yous've got your Homegroup ready and your PC is sharing its printers with it, you can skip down to footstep two and get those other PCs on the network connected to the printer.

Share a Printer Connected to a PC Without Using a Homegroup

If y'all have computers or mobile devices on your network that run an OS other than Windows vii, 8, or 10–or you but don't want to use Homegroup for some reason–yous can always use the sharing tools that have e'er been a part of Windows to share a printer with the network. Once again, your first step is making certain the printer is continued to a PC and that you lot can print to information technology.

Click Offset, blazon "devices and printers," then hit Enter or click the result.

Right-click the printer you want to share with the network and then select "Printer properties".

The "Printer Properties" window shows you all kinds of things y'all can configure almost the printer. For now, click the "Sharing" tab.

RELATED: Customizing Your Network Sharing Settings

You are informed that the printer will not exist available when your computer sleeps or it is shut down. Also, if you are using password protected sharing, you lot are informed that only users on your network with a username and countersign for this computer can impress to it. Credentials are a i-time affair you lot'll take to enter the get-go fourth dimension you connect another PC to the shared printer; you won't accept to do it each time you print. If you'd adopt, you can make sharing available to guests so that passwords aren't necessary, but that setting will also utilize to any files you have shared. We propose yous read up on customizing your network sharing settings before making that decision.

To proceed, enable the "Share this printer" option and, if you want, give the printer a friendlier name so that others on the network can more easily identify the printer.

The other option y'all can set here is whether you would similar to render print jobs on client computers. If this setting is enabled, all the documents that will be printed are rendered on the computers where people are doing the press. When this setting is disabled, the documents are rendered on the computer to which the printer is attached. If it'south a PC that someone uses actively, we recommend enabling this setting and so that organization performance is not impacted every time something gets printed.

When you're done setting things up, become ahead and click "OK."

Now that you've shared the printer, other PCs on your network should be able to connect to it. Then, you're ready to motility on to step two.

Stride Two: Connect to Your Printer from Any PC on the Network

Now that yous've got your printer connected to the network using one of the to a higher place methods, it's time to turn your attending to the second part of the process: connecting other PCs on the network to that printer. How you do that really just depends on whether you're using Homegroup or not.

Connect to a Printer That's Shared past a PC Using a Homegroup

This is probably the easiest stride in this whole tutorial. If you've got the printer connected to a PC and that PC is sharing the printer every bit function of a Homegroup, all y'all have to do is make sure that other PCs on the network are besides joined to the Homegroup. You can apply the same process we went over in Pace One to get them joined. When PCs are part of the same Homegroup, Windows volition automatically connect to any printers shared from other PCs. They'll only prove upward in your Devices and Printers window automatically and whatever PC in the Homegroup can print to them. Super simple.

Connect to a Printer Without Using Homegroup

If your printer is connected straight to a network, or is shared from a PC without using Homegroup, you lot'll have to practise a little more work to connect to it from other PCs on the network. It's still pretty straightforward, though. Click Outset, type "devices and printers," and then hit Enter or click the result.

The Devices and Printers window shows a collection of devices on your PC. Click the "Add a printer" link to get started adding your network printer.

Windows will perform a quick scan of your network for discoverable devices that are not yet installed on your PC and display them in the "Add a device" window. Chances are high that yous'll run into your printer on the list, whether information technology's straight continued to the network or shared from another PC. If you run into the printer you lot're looking for, then your job only got super easy. Click the printer you desire to install. Windows will handle the installation, download drivers if needed, and inquire you lot to provide a name for the printer. That'south all you take to do.

If you don't come across the printer yous desire to install–and you're sure you've got it properly connected to the network–click the "The printer that I want isn't listed" link. The next window will present you with several options for helping yous discover information technology:

My printer is a lilliputian older. If you select this choice, Windows volition perform a more thorough scan of your network looking for the printer. In our experience, though, information technology rarely finds anything that it didn't already find during its initial browse. It'due south an easy plenty pick to try, but it may take a few minutes.
Select a shared printer past proper name. If the network computer is shared from some other PC, this is the all-time option for finding it. If you know the exact network name of the computer and printer, you can type it here. Or you tin can click the "Browse" button to look through the PCs on your network that have sharing enabled and run across if you tin can detect the printer that style.
Add a printer using a TCP/IP address or hostname. If your printer is attached direct to the network and you know its IP address, this is probably the simplest and surest option. Well-nigh network printers take a part that lets yous determine their IP accost. If your printer has an LCD display, you may be able to find the IP address by scrolling through the printer settings. For printers without a brandish, yous can commonly perform some sequence of button presses that volition impress the settings for you. If all else fails, you can always employ an IP scanning app like Wireless Network Watcher to locate devices on your network. Check out the last section of this guide for more information on how to practice that.
Add a Bluetooth, wireless, or network discoverable printer. If yous choose this option, Windows will browse for those types of devices. Over again, we've rarely seen information technology pick upwards a device that information technology didn't discover during the initial browse. But, it all the same may be worth a try.
Add together a local printer or network printer with manual settings. This option may help you become a printer added if nothing else works. It's mostly for configuring a local printer by specifying verbal port information, but in that location is 1 setting in particular that can assist with network printers if you know the model. When asked to specify a port, you lot tin choose a Windows Self Discovery option, which is listed toward the bottom of the available ports every bit "WSD" followed by a string of numbers and messages. When you choose that, Windows will enquire you lot to specify a model and so that information technology tin can install drivers. When yous're done, Windows volition and then monitor the network for that printer. It's a longshot, but it's worth a attempt if all else fails.

You'll discover all these options are pretty straightforward and feature curt wizards for walking yous through the procedure. Since TCP/IP is the surest fashion to get a printer added, nosotros're going to continue with that as our example. Select "Add a printer using a TCP/IP address or hostname" and so click "Next."

Type the IP address for the printer into the "Hostname or IP address" box. Brand sure the "Query the printer and automatically select the commuter to use" check box is selected then click "Next."

Type a new name for printer if the default proper noun doesn't adapt you lot and so click "Next."

Choose whether to gear up the new printer as the default, print a test page if you want to make certain everything's working, and then click "Terminate" when you're done.

Hopefully, y'all never need to bother with most of this stuff. If your network printer is properly continued to the network, the chances are high that Windows will pick it up and install it for y'all right off the bat. And if your network is mostly Windows machines and you lot utilise Homegroup for sharing files and printers, things should besides happen by and large automatically. If it doesn't–or if you have a more complicated setup–at least y'all know you take some options.

Source: https://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-7/share-files-and-printers-in-windows-7-with-homegroup/

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