How to Change Network from Public to Private?

How to change the network from public to private on Windows 10?

"I have a crossover wire connecting a Windows 10 and a Windows 7 system. They are connected, but they are blind to each other. Both of these images depict a public network. I'd like to use RDP to transfer files over the internet. However, I am unable to change the network from public to private. "How should I proceed?"

Public network VS Private network

► Public network: With the public network, the computers will be hidden and can’t be found from other computers and devices on the same network. A printer, file sharing, or media streaming cannot be done on a public network device.

► Private network: Other PCs can see your PC on a private network. So, you can use a private network to print, files transfer, and stream media from one device to another. Select Private Network when you are in a safe place, such as your home. And to make your PC visible to other PC, we need to change the network from public to private.

4 Solutions for changing network from public to private

Here are 4 solutions with detailed steps recommended to tell you how to change network from public to private in Windows 11, 10, 8,7.

Solution 1. Change network to private by resetting the advanced sharing centers

Step 1. Press Win + R and then enter “control panel”, hit OK.

Step 2. Locate Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center > Advanced sharing settings.

Step 3. Under the Private option, tick “Turn on network discovery” and the option “Turn on automatic setup of network-connected devices.

Solution 2. Change network to private by using PowerShell

Step 1. Search Powershell, right-click the option, and select Run as administrator.

Step 2. Input Get-NetConnectionProfile.

Step 3. After searching for the network name and replace your network name in In the bolded part of the font of the following command. Input the command and press Enter key.

 Set-NetConnectionProfile -Name "NetworkName" -NetworkCategory Private

Step 4. Now the network category is changed successfully. You can run the first command again to check.

Solution 3. Change network to private by using Registry Editor

Step 1. Press Win + R and then input “regedit” and then click on “OK”.

Step 2. Navigation:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\NetworkList\Profiles

Step 3. Click on the first profile and then find the Category in the right pane.

Step. Double-click on “Category” and then change the value to “1”. (“1” means private, “0” means public.

Solution 4. Change network to private by resetting the system properties

Step 1. Press Win + R and then input “secpol.msc” and then hit OK.

Step 2. Click on “Security Settings” and then “Network List Manager Policies”. Find the name of your network, like Network 2 and double-click on it.

Step 3. In the network properties window, select the Network Location tab, and then select “Private” under the Location type.

Conclusion

How to change network from public to private on Windows 11, 10, and 8, 7? Here in the post, we explore 4 solutions, like resetting the advanced settings, using the PowerShell, Registry Editor, and so on to change the network to private.