4 Ways to Fix Network Discovery Not Working in Windows 10

If you’ve ever tried to connect devices over your home or office network and found that Windows 10 just won’t detect them, chances are Network Discovery is the problem. This feature lets your PC see other devices on the same network — and vice versa. When it fails, file sharing, media streaming, and remote desktop access can grind to a halt.

Here are four proven ways to fix Network Discovery not working in Windows 10:

1. Turn On Network Discovery Manually

Sometimes, the simplest solution works. Here’s how to enable Network Discovery:

• Go to Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Change advanced sharing settings.
• Expand the Private network section.
• Select Turn on network discovery and also enable Turn on automatic setup of network-connected devices.
• Click Save changes.

Make sure you’re connected to a Private network. If you’re on a Public network, Windows will disable discovery by default for security.

2. Check That Required Services Are Running

Network Discovery depends on certain Windows services. If they’re not running, the feature won’t work.

• Press Win + R, type services.msc, and press Enter.
• Ensure the following services are running and set to Automatic:
  • Function Discovery Provider Host
  • Function Discovery Resource Publication
  • SSDP Discovery
  • UPnP Device Host

Right-click each, select Properties, and set Startup type to Automatic. Then click Start if they’re not already running.

3. Allow Network Discovery Through the Firewall

Even if Network Discovery is enabled, your firewall might be blocking it.

• Go to Control Panel > Windows Defender Firewall > Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall.
• Scroll down and make sure Network Discovery is allowed on Private networks (and Public, if needed).
• Click Change settings if the options are greyed out, then check the appropriate boxes.

4. Restart Your Network Stack

Corrupted network settings can silently break discovery features. Resetting the stack often clears the issue.

Open Command Prompt as Administrator and run these commands one by one:

netsh int ip reset
netsh winsock reset
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew
ipconfig /flushdns

After that, restart your computer and check if Network Discovery works.

Final Thoughts

Windows 10 is powerful, but network quirks are common. If Network Discovery goes dark, one of these fixes usually brings it back. And if nothing works, consider updating your network drivers or doing a system restore to a point when things were working fine.

Need help with other Windows 10 headaches? Drop a comment or check out our other troubleshooting guides.