You keep your important data saved in your laptops or computers but technology keeps on evolving. So you want to buy an updated version of your laptop or computer, or you want to share data from one computer to the other that may be a bit complex if you are not into technology. Here is a guide to all the ways you can use to connect two laptops so you can easily share your files or data.
Connect Two Laptops through LAN
To share files through this method, you have to connect both of your devices with the same internet connection. You can either use a wired connection to the modem or a wireless connection can work properly.
- Open the Control Panel on the host device from which you want to share files.
- On the control panel, type network in the search bar at the upper-right corner of that window which shows network setting options.
- Click on Network and Sharing center, which can be seen at the top in green fonts.
- On the side, click on Change Advanced Sharing Settings.
- A new will appear that will display different settings on which you have to enable the Network Discovery, and File and Printer Sharing, and save the changes.
- Then navigate the file or folder, you want to share, on file explorer.
- Once you have navigated, right-click on the file or folder.
- A menu will appear, click on give access to.
- A sub-menu will open, click on Specific People over there, a network access menu will open.
- You can write the name of the device and the status of the sharing file in the menu and share it with the other device.
Connect Two Laptops through Ethernet Cable
Ethernet cable can build a wired connection between two laptops using the internet. You can do this in the following ways:
- Connect both devices with an ethernet cable.
- Open the Control panel from the Start button at the bottom-left corner of the desktop.
- Then, click Network and Internet. When a new menu opens, click Network and Sharing Center.
- Then choose change adapter settings from the sidebar.
- When the new window opens, select the Wi-Fi connection and Ethernet
- Right-click on Wifi Connection which will open a drop-down menu.
- Click on bridge connections from the menu and the connection will be made to the other laptop.
Building Ad-Hoc Wireless Connection
LAN is the most reliable connection but if you lack it, you can create your wireless connection by using your device’s wireless adapter. It uses a built-in or USB Wifi Adapter to connect to another laptop. To set up an Ad-hoc connection, follow the given steps:
- Right-Click on the menu icon, click on Windows Powershell (Admin).
- A new window will open, type netsh WLAN show drivers.
- A list of the available devices will appear with which you can create a virtual connection.
- Check if the Hosted Network Connections says yes/no. If No, you have to reinstall or update the driver.
- If it is supported, type netsh WLAN set hosted network mode=allow ssid=adhoc key=password.
- In the listed down setting, change the SSID (name) and key (password) according to your choice.
- Once you have done it, type netsh WLAN start hosted network which will start the network.
- Your device will be visible to other devices with your specified name and can be accessed through your set password.
- If you want to disable it, type netsh WLAN stop hosted network in Windows PowerShell window.
Connecting through Wifi-Direct
Ad-hoc connection or Bluetooth may be difficult to learn and set up on a laptop or computer. But there is an easy way to connect devices using Wifi Direct that uses a Third-party app to share files and folders to other devices. Feem is free software that allows Windows 8 and other updated versions to share files wirelessly with WIfi-direct, more easily.
- To use Wifi- Direct, make sure that one of your device or Wifi Adapter supports Microsoft Virtual Wifi Miniport Adapter
- To start sharing, Install the Feem app.
- Open the app and click on the turn on Wifi Direct slider to turn it in.
- Once you have turned it on, the other device will be able to locate your device’s name which will begin with FeemWifi.
- Connect both the devices together.
- The connected device or devices will be visible on Feem Window.
- Select the computer you want to share files with.
- Click on the send file on Feem Window.
- On the other device, the sharing progress will be available in the Feem chat log.
- Once it is shared, you can find it on the Feem Windows and File explorer of the other device.
Connecting through Bluetooth
Other than LAN, ad-hoc, and Wifi-Direct options, there is one other way of connecting two laptops wirelessly. It is called Bluetooth which is a temporary connection between the two devices. The connectivity through Bluetooth requires the devices to be located in close range to each other so they could be easily detected and the speed remains stable. If devices are not near, they will not be visible to one another and thus connection could not be made. Bluetooth is for the short-range and temporary connections of laptops to share files.
To use Bluetooth connectivity, both devices have to be supported by Bluetooth connectivity. The updated versions have built-in Bluetooth but if it is not available, you can use an external USB Bluetooth adapter. To connect computers through Bluetooth, follow the given steps:
- Turn on Bluetooth on both devices. You can do this either directly from the taskbar or through settings.
- To turn on Bluetooth from settings, go to Devices and then choose Bluetooth and other devices. From there, turn on Bluetooth through the slider which is shown on the window.
- Then click Add Bluetooth or other device and the Add a device menu appears,
- In the newly opened menu, click on Bluetooth and all the nearby devices will be visible.
- Select the device that you want to connect to.
- Both of the devices will be paired by the verification of a key that will be available to both devices.
- When pairing is done, right-click on the Bluetooth option in the taskbar and select send or receive files.
- When the menu pops up, explore the files or folders from your laptop and send it to the other computer.
Connecting through a Mobile Hotspot
Another wireless method of connecting laptops is to create a mobile hotspot to provide the same connection to both devices. By using a mobile hotspot, you can use your mobile data to share a connection if the LAN is not available. It provides a temporary connection. A mobile hotspot becomes a wireless router that enables other devices to be connected and share files. This method is available in Android as well as in Apple mobiles or tablets.to use this method, you have to be careful about the range and speed. The devices have to be nearby, otherwise, the laptop will not detect mobile hotspots. To enable a hotspot on your mobile phone, you have to follow this procedure:
- Go to the settings of your phone, go to the mobile network and connections
- Turn on the mobile Hotspot and Tethering or Personal hotspot from the settings. They may vary in both Android and Apple.
- Note the Wi-Fi password that is available as a default password or change it to your preference.
- Once the hotspot is turned on in your mobile phone or tablet, the wifi connection will be visible to the nearby devices.
- Connect your laptop or computer with the hotspot.
- Once both devices are connected with a hotspot, you can use this connection to share files between both laptops like other wireless networks.
Connecting via USB Cable
A USB cable is one of the easiest methods to connect two laptops. All you require is a USB cable that is attached to each device and transfers the files and folders easily. To connect laptops with a USB cable, here is the procedure:
- A bridging USB cable has an electronic circuit at the middle and USB connectors on each end that is plugged into different devices.
- You have to install a USB transfer software to enable connectivity so the cable comes with a CD or DVD which contains the software.
- When you plug in the cable, launch the software, and you will be able to locate files from both laptops on one of them.
- The file manager will be divided into two parts: local and remote. Local being the laptop that you are using and remote is the laptop that you are connected to.
- For the transfer of files, drag and drop files from the remote to a local laptop or vice versa.
These are some of the ways to connect two laptops. It also depends upon your type and version of your laptop that some of the ways may not work properly as the specifications of Windows and Macintosh are different and they are available in different versions of the operating system. From the above mentioned, you can choose an option which fits best for you.
