Can't get Nearby Sharing to work

Use these checks and steps on both Windows 11 PCs to get Nearby sharing working:

1. Confirm system and hardware support
   • Nearby sharing requires Windows 11 and Bluetooth 4.0 or higher with Low Energy (LE) support.
   • On each PC:
     1. Select Start and type device manager, then open Device Manager.
     2. Expand Bluetooth and double-click the Bluetooth adapter.
     3. Go to Properties > Details.
     4. In Property, select Bluetooth radio supports Low Energy Central Role and confirm the Value is True.
2. Turn on Nearby sharing correctly
   • On each PC:
     1. Go to Start > Settings > System > Nearby Sharing.
     2. Turn Nearby sharing On.
     3. Set sharing to Everyone nearby (this is more reliable than limiting to own devices while testing).
3. Ensure Bluetooth and Wi‑Fi are enabled and usable
   • On both PCs:
     • Turn Bluetooth on.
     • Turn Wi‑Fi on and ensure both are connected to the same network if using Wi‑Fi for transfer.
4. Set the network profile to Private
   • Nearby sharing only works on a Private network profile.
   • On each PC:
     1. Go to Start > Settings > Network & Internet.
     2. Select Wi‑Fi (or Ethernet if wired), then select the network in use.
     3. Under Network profile type, select Private network.
5. Fix “device visible but not talking” (discoverable but not connecting)
   • If the PCs appear under Network but Nearby sharing doesn’t work:
     1. On each PC, re‑check Nearby sharing is still On and set to Everyone nearby.
     2. Toggle Bluetooth off and back on again on both PCs.
     3. Toggle Wi‑Fi off and back on again on both PCs.
     4. Try sending a small file (e.g., a text file) from one PC to the other using the Share menu to confirm the feature works before sending large data.
6. If transfers get stuck on “Waiting to receive”
   • If one PC shows “Waiting to receive” and the other shows nothing:
     1. Turn Bluetooth off and on again on both PCs.
     2. Restart both PCs.
     3. If using My devices only, ensure both PCs are signed in with the same Microsoft account; otherwise keep it on Everyone nearby.
7. Check notifications on the receiving PC
   • If nothing appears on screen when sending:
     • Open Action center (notification area on the right side of the taskbar) and look for Nearby sharing notifications there.
     • If Focus assist or similar features are enabled, they may hide the prompt.

If, after these steps, Nearby sharing still does not transfer reliably, consider using another method (e.g., external drive or direct file sharing over the network) for moving a large volume of data, and keep Nearby sharing for smaller, ad‑hoc transfers.

References:

• Fix problems with nearby sharing in Windows

Hi Alan Moore,

Nearby Sharing is a different protocol to Network Sharing, so seeing both PCs in File Explorer does not necessarily mean it would work. The Q&A Assist has actually covered the common checks that I think you should try out first, I’ll just add a few additional ones you can consider after:

1 - Make sure the settings on both PCs are correct

• Open Settings > Time & language > Date & time
  • Turn ON Set time / time zone automatically
  • Click Sync now > Restart both PCs.
• Still in Settings, navigate to Network & Internet
  • Select your connection (WiFi/Ethernet)
  • Metered connection turns OFF

2 - Restart the required Windows services

• On both PCs, press Win + R > type services.msc > press Enter
• Find and double click each other these following entries:
  • Bluetooth Support Service
  • Function Discovery Provider Host
  • Function Discovery Resource Publication
• Make sure the Startup type is set to Automatic
• Check the Service status:
  • If they’re Stopped, click Start.
  • If they’re Running, click Restart.

3 - Test with a small file first

• Right‑click a small file (like an image)
• Select Share > Choose Nearby Sharing
• Check if the receiving PC show a prompt.

From my experience, Nearby Sharing is not designed for large or bulk data moves. Even when it works, it may stall or fail with no error for large transfers. So if the small file testing works, we know what's the issue here.

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