HomeGroup is gone. Here is how to share files in Windows 10

HomeGroup was a Windows networking technology designed to make it easier to share files but it has been removed from Windows 10 and replaced with a brand new way to transfer files.

Although HomeGroup was a nice idea and it aimed to make networking simpler, did enough people use it? The question needs to be asked because Microsoft has taken it out of the latest version of Windows 10, the April 2018 Update. It’s gone, probably never to be seen again.

Maybe there was something wrong with it or perhaps hardly anyone used it. It certainly was not necessary and the ability to share files between computers on the same local network has been in Windows since the 1990s and possibly earlier.

Does the removal of HomeGroup mean we have to return to fiddling with network sharing protocols and settings to exchange files with computers in the home or office? No. There is a new networking technology called nearby sharing in Windows 10 April 2018 Update.

What is nearby sharing?

A networking feature called AirDrop has been in Apple Macs, iPhones and iPads for years and it enables files to easily be transferred from one device to another. Nearby sharing looks a lot like this and it works in a similar way, at least it appears to on the surface. It seems like Microsoft night have got the idea from Apple!

Nearby sharing enables a file to be transferred between PCs and devices (a tablet perhaps) running the latest version of Windows. Sharing files between computers is possible with online storage like OneDrive, Google drive, Dropbox and so on, but Windows nearby sharing is quicker and easier to use when the devices are nearby.

You don’t need to set up online shares or invite people, send them links and so on. You just choose a file, pick who to share it with and the job is done in seconds.

Enable Bluetooth in Action Centre

Bluetooth and Wi-Fi both need to be enabled for nearby sharing to work. Wi-Fi tends to be permanently on because that is how many people access the internet, but Bluetooth is not always enabled unless there is a need for it. Now there is.

There are two ways to turn on Bluetooth and one way is to click the button a the right side of the taskbar. This opens the Action Centre and clicking the Bluetooth button at the bottom enables it. It may say Not connected, but this is not important (connections could be made to Bluetooth speakers for example).

Enable Bluetooth in Windows Settings

You don’t need to do this if you already enabled Bluetooth in Action Centre, but it is useful to know alternative ways of doing things. Open the Settings app by pressing Windows+I and then click Devices.

Select Bluetooth & other devices in the sidebar on the left and then turn on the switch on the right under Bluetooth.

Enable shared experiences

If you try to use nearby sharing without enabling shared experiences, you will be prompted to enable it. You can save a step by enabling it before you start. In the Windows 10 Settings app, click System and then Shared experiences near the bottom of the sidebar.

Turn on the switch. There are a couple of options and you can choose to share or receive content from everyone nearby or just your own devices - computers, tablets and phones you are logged into. Choose Everyone nearby.

The place to save files received is set as your personal Downloads folder, which is fine, but there is a button to change it if your want to.

1 Share from Explorer

The most likely place you will want to share files from is Explorer and right clicking any file, such as a photo, Word or Excel file, or anything else, displays a menu with a Share option. Click it.

2 Enable nearby sharing

If nearby sharing is not already turned on, you are prompted to turn it on.

3 Select a computer or device

If nearby sharing (shared experiences) is already turned on, the previous step is skipped and you come straight here. Computers and devices close to you on the same network with nearby sharing enabled are listed and those that don’t have it enabled are hidden.) Click the other computer.

4 Send a file with nearby sharing

As soon as the computer is clicked, Windows tries to send it. It displays a message like this in the bottom right corner of the screen and waits for a response from the other computer.

5 Receive a file with nearby sharing

On the other computer, a message appears in the bottom right corner of the screen telling you someone is sending you a file. You can choose to save it and open it, save it, or decline.

6 File received ok

Bluetooth is only used as a last resort and the file transfer is as fast as the Wi-Fi network allows. Small files are almost instantaneous for example. As soon as it is done, either open the file or open the folder. You can simply ignore the message and continue working if you want to see the file later though.

How to share from within apps

In the example a file was shared from within Explorer but files and other items, such as web links, can be shared from within some other apps too. For example, open the Photos app and open a photo to view it. Click the Share button at the top and there is the same sharing panel as with Explorer. Just select the computer to send it to.

Whether the app has this share feature depends on the app.