How to share files between your PCs

If you have more than one PC in your house, you may want to set up file sharing so that everyone can access the same files. The good news is that getting this set up on your machines is quite simple - and even easier with Windows HomeGroups.

What is a HomeGroup?

A HomeGroup is a feature of Windows 7 and 8 that enables you to easily share files between your Windows machines. Most PCs will tend have HomeGroup enabled by default, as it usually sets this up when you connect to a network such as your home WiFi. HomeGroups only works with Windows PCs running Windows 7 and Windows 8, so ensure you are running one of these operating systems before trying to set up HomeGroup. 

Setting up a HomeGroup

This is an important step as it makes sure that all your PCs are able to see each other and share files. You only need to create a HomeGroup on one PC and then your other PCs can join this one.

To get started, open up your Explorer. You can normally find the icon for this on your desktop and it looks like a yellow folder. Once this is open, along the left-hand side you should see the option for HomeGroup. Click on this to get started.

Once in here, your computer will begin to search all the computers on your network for HomeGroups. As you are setting up a new HomeGroup on your PC, after a few seconds you should get a message saying that it couldn't find any HomeGroups on the network and you will be presented with the option to create one.

Pressing Create a HomeGroup will start the process. Now you simply need to follow the steps below:

1. In the Create a HomeGroup box, press Next
2. Choose what content you want to share, including Photos, Videos and Music, and Press Next
3. Youl will now be given your HomeGroup password. Write this down somewhere!
4. Press Finish to set up the HomeGroup.

So that's the HomeGroup set up and running. Next we'll get your other computers connected to it.

Connecting PCs to your HomeGroup

Now that the HomeGroup is up and running, you should now be able to connect your other PCs to it quite easily. Again you'll need to start off by opening Explorer, and looking for the HomeGroup section along the left-hand side. Clicking on this should once again start the search for a HomeGroup, and after a few seconds you should be told that Windows has detected a HomeGroup, and you will have the option of joining it:

1. Press Join Now
2. Choose what data you wish to share and press Next
3. Type in the HomeGroup password your wrote down a few minutes ago and press Next
4. You should then get confirmation that you have joined the HomeGroup
5. Click on Finish, and you should find the other computer listed here. Clicking on this will enable you to see the shared content.
6. Repeat this process for any other computers you want to add.

So that’s HomeGroups in a nutshell: a nice easy way of getting your Windows-based PCs to speak to each other and share your most important files. 

Alternatives

The best alternative to the more traditional kind of file sharing is cloud sharing. We use cloud sharing a lot here at Geek Squad, so be sure to check out the following easy-to-follow guides on sharing your PC's files using the cloud:

Geek Squad guide to DropBox

Getting the most out of SkyDrive

Getting started with Cloud Storage