Home Networking

How to Turn Off Network Discovery Settings on Your Device

Disabling network discovery settings on your device can significantly improve your privacy and security. Here’s a straightforward guide for both Windows and macOS users in 2026.

2 min read
A laptop on a desk displaying network settings in a modern office.

If you're looking to enhance your privacy and security, disabling network discovery settings on your device is an effective step. This feature makes your device less visible to others on the network, reducing the risk of unauthorized access. Here’s how to turn off network discovery on both Windows and macOS systems in 2026.

Accessing Your Network Settings

To turn off network discovery, you'll first need to access your network settings.

On Windows:

  • Click on the Start menu.
  • Type Settings and hit Enter.
  • Go to Network & Internet.

On macOS:

  • Click on the Apple menu in the top-left corner.
  • Select System Preferences.
  • Click on Network.

Disabling Network Discovery on Windows

Follow these steps to disable network discovery on Windows:

  1. In the Network & Internet settings, click on Status on the left menu.
  2. Click on Network and Sharing Center.
  3. In the new window, select Change advanced sharing settings on the left side.
  4. Expand the section for your current network profile (Private or Public).
  5. Under Network Discovery, select Turn off network discovery.
  6. Click Save changes at the bottom of the window.
A close-up of a Windows 11 network settings menu with options visible.

Turning Off Network Discovery on macOS

To disable network discovery on macOS, follow these steps:

  1. In the Network settings, select your active connection (Wi-Fi or Ethernet).
  2. Click on Advanced in the bottom right corner.
  3. Go to the Sharing tab.
  4. Uncheck the box next to File Sharing. This will limit your device's visibility on the network.
  5. Click OK and then Apply to save the changes.

Why You Might Want to Disable This Feature

Disabling network discovery can have several benefits:

  • Enhanced Security: Your device becomes less visible to potential attackers on the same network, reducing the risk of unauthorized access.
  • Privacy Control: It limits the ability of other devices to see your shared files and services, giving you more control over your data.
  • Network Performance: In some cases, disabling network discovery can reduce network traffic, which may improve performance.

Verifying Network Discovery is Disabled

To confirm that network discovery is off:

On Windows:

  1. Go back to the Change advanced sharing settings section.
  2. Ensure that Turn off network discovery is still selected.

On macOS:

  1. Open System Preferences again and go to Sharing.
  2. Ensure that File Sharing is unchecked.

If you notice any issues, revisit the settings to ensure you followed the steps correctly.