This document provides instructions for sharing folders across different operating systems, including Windows 7, Windows XP, Mac OS, and Linux. It explains that shared folders allow easy access to files from any computer on the network that has permission. For Windows 7 specifically, it outlines six steps for sharing a specific folder, such as enabling file sharing and network discovery, selecting the folder to share, choosing which users to share with, and setting user permissions. It also discusses using public folders that are shared with all network users.

1. 10/31/2015 University of Education okara 1

2. How to Share a Folder
 Windows 7
 Windows XP
 Mac OS
 Linux
Do you have multiple computers attached to your home network? You can increase efficiency and
easily share between all of your computers by creating shared folders. These folders can be
accessed by any other computer on the network that has permission, and is a great way to quickly
access the files you need anywhere on your network. See Step 1 below to learn how to share
folders on any operating system.
10/31/2015 University of Education okara 2

3. Sharing Specific Folders in Windows 7
 Click the Start button, type "control panel", and press Enter.
 Double-click the "Network and Sharing Center" icon.
 Click the "Change advanced sharing settings" link.
 Expand the profile that you want to enable sharing on (Home/Work or Public).
 Turn on both "Network discovery" and "File and printer sharing".
 Click the "Save changes" button and enter your administrator password if necessary
10/31/2015 University of Education okara 3

4. • Go to Start Button
10/31/2015 University of Education okara 4

5. Type “Control Panel”
10/31/2015 University of Education okara 5

6. Select "Network and Sharing Center“
10/31/2015 University of Education okara 6

7. Click the "Change advanced sharing settings" link
10/31/2015 University of Education okara 7

8. (1) Ensure that File and Printer Sharing is enabled. In order to share
specific folders, you will need to have this feature enabled. The method for
enabling it varies slightly depending on which version of Windows you are
using. It is highly recommended that you do not enable folder sharing
when on a public network
10/31/2015 University of Education okara 8

9. (2) Find the folder you wish to share. Once File and Printer Sharing has been enabled, you can share any folder on
your hard drive with other people on your network. Navigate to the folder that you want to share using Explorer.
Right-click on it.
10/31/2015 University of Education okara 9

10. (3) Select the "Share with" option. This will open the Sharing submenu. You can choose to share it with everyone
in your Homegroup or select specific people to share it with.When choosing a Homegroup option, you can allow
other Homegroup members to both read and write to the folder, or limit them to just read from it.
10/31/2015 University of Education okara 10

11. (4) Click the "Specific people" option to select which users you want to share with. This will open a new window
with a list of all the users that currently have access to the folder. You can add users to this list and give them
specific permissions for the folder.To share the folder with everyone, click the dropdown menu at the top and
select "Everyone". Click the Add button.
To share with specific users, click the dropdown menu and select them or type in the name and click Add.
10/31/2015 University of Education okara 11

12. (5) Set permissions for users on the list. Find a user on the list that you want to change the permissions for. Look
in the Permissions Level column, and click the arrow next to the existing permission. Select the new one from
the list.Read - User can see, copy, and open files from the folder, but cannot change files or add new ones.
Read/Write - Besides Read abilities, users can change files and add new files to the shared folder. Files can be
deleted by users with Read/Write permissions.
Remove - Removes permissions for this user, and removes them from the list.
10/31/2015 University of Education okara 12

13. (6) Click the Share button. Your permission settings will be saved, and the folder will be available on the network
for all allowed users.
10/31/2015 University of Education okara 13

14. Using Public Folders
(1) Enable Public folders. Public folders are folders that are always shared with anyone that is connected to the
network. Anyone can read and write to Public folders, and there are no special permissions required. Public
folders are turned off by default unless you are in a Homegroup.
10/31/2015 University of Education okara 14

15. (2) Enable or disable Password Protected Sharing. In the same place that you found the Public folder controls, you
can find the password protected sharing options. Turning this feature on means that only people who have a
user account and password on the same computer can access the Public folder. If this is on, users on other
computers will not be able to access the folder.
10/31/2015 University of Education okara 15

16. (3) Find your Public folders. Once the folder has been enabled, you can start adding things to it to be shared with
everyone on the network. The Public folder is part of the Libraries view, and is accessed slightly differently
depending on your version of Windows. There is a Public folder in each of the Libraries (Documents, Music,
Pictures, and Videos).
Click Start and select Documents. In the left pane, expand the Libraries and Documents folders, and then
select Public Documents. You can also choose Public folders in the other libraries as well.
10/31/2015 University of Education okara 16

17. Go to “c” drive
10/31/2015 University of Education okara 17

18. Click on “users” option
10/31/2015 University of Education okara 18

19. Open Public File
10/31/2015 University of Education okara 19

20. (4) Add files. You can add and move files in Public folders just like you would in any other folder. You can copy
and paste from other locations, or drag and drop files.
10/31/2015 University of Education okara 20

21. Folder Sharing in Windows XP
Many users need to share computer files with other users on their networks or computers. File
sharing can be useful for sharing documents and other types of files. This article will tell you how to
enable file sharing.
10/31/2015 University of Education okara 21

22. (Method 1) Run the "Network Setup Wizard" on the computer(s) you want to enable sharing on.
10/31/2015 University of Education okara 22

23. Choose "Enable file sharing" when the wizard gives you the option.This option creates a "Shared
Documents" folder on all of your computers.The files in the "Shared Documents" folder are accessible
to anyone in your network. You cannot share individual files outside of the folder in Windows XP.
10/31/2015 University of Education okara 23

24. 10/31/2015 University of Education okara 24