How to Change Network from Public to Private

Machines on private networks are often open to each other, while those on public networks are less accessible. While it might seem more secure to designate all networks as public, there are a lot of benefits to setting up private networks on secured devices. 

It’s easy to change network types. The most challenging part of the process is choosing which way you’d prefer to do it since there are many different methods. 

What Are Public and Private Network Types?

Public and private networks are ways to designate an Internet connection that tells Windows how to treat it.

A public network is open to multiple people who might not know each other. For example, if you connect your laptop to Wi-Fi at a coffee shop, you might choose a public network setting. It restricts access to your computer by other computers on the network.

A private network is restricted only to certain people. For example, a home router might be the center of a private network. On a private network, you might be able to access other devices and share files wirelessly, for example. 

There is more security on the standard settings for a public network because sharing a network could offer other people access to your computer. Because of that, it’s essential to understand and set the appropriate network types for each connection. 

How to Change Network from Public to Private

Often, when you first connect to the network, Windows will prompt you to select whether it is public or private. Whichever you choose during that first connection, you can change later to suit your developing needs.

From Taskbar

You can change the network setting of your Wi-Fi connection right from the Windows taskbar. Choosing the network you’re planning to use when you switch network types is essential. If you use multiple networks, you might want to go through these steps more than once to ensure each is set as you prefer.

1. Click the Wi-Fi symbol on the right side of your taskbar. A list of networks should appear, including the network to which you’re currently connected.
2. Click Properties. It will appear in the faint text under the network connection status.
   
3. Choose Public or Private by clicking the appropriate option on the new windows.
   

Windows displays a basic explanation of private and public network types in this area, explaining that your computer is hidden from other devices on the network if you select public. You can’t use it to share printers or files.

Though it’s easy to change the network connection this way, it must be a network you’re actively connected to. If you need to change it on multiple Wi-Fi networks, connect to each and repeat the steps. 

Using Settings

You can also change the network connection type in Settings. Many people choose this option if they’re using an Ethernet cable to connect to the Internet.

1. Press Windows key + X.
2. Choose Settings.
3. Click Network and Internet.
4. On the left-side pane, Choose Ethernet.
5. Click on the name of your connection. You may have multiple connections listed, so choose the one you’re actively using.
   
6. Choose Private.
   
7. Close the window.

Now you should find other computers on your network and use networked printers. You can always return to the page and change the network back to the public setting in the same way later if you prefer.

From PowerShell

If you prefer to use commands to change the network type, you can do it in PowerShell. It’s crucial to run PowerShell as an administrator because making these kinds of changes requires that level of access.

1. Press Windows key + X.
2. Click Windows PowerShell (Admin).
3. Click Yes to confirm that the program can run as an administrator.
4. Type “get-netconnectionprofile” without quotes and then press Enter. You’ll see detailed information about your current network connection, including the interface, category, and which IP protocol it’s using.
5. Make a note of the network name you’re trying to adjust, because you have to use the exact name in the following command. 
6. Type “set-netconnectionprofile -name “networkname” -networkcategory private” without external quotes. Replace the word networkname with the exact name of your network. 
   • It should end up looking like this: –set-netconnectionprofile -name “My Wifi Network” -networkcategory private
     
7. Press Enter.  
8. Type “get-netconnectionprofile” without quotes and press Enter. You can confirm that the type of network connection has changed this way.

You don’t have to copy the exact capitalization of your network name. Just make sure you do include the spaces, and the name must be in quotes.

Using Local Group Policy Editor

The group policy editor is a Windows utility that lets users adjust their PC settings. With this program, you can switch the type of network from public to private.

1. Press Windows key + R.
2. Type “gpedit.msc” without quotes and then press Enter.
3. Expand the following categories:
   Computer Configuration > Windows Settings > Security Settings
4. Highlight Network List Manager Policies. A list of options will appear in the pane to the right of the categories.
5. Double-click the name of your network. If you don’t see it, then double-click Unidentified Networks.
   
6. Click the Network Location tab. Some types of networks may not have multiple tabs available.
7. Click Private.
   
8. Click Apply.
9. Click OK and then close the Local Policy Group Editor.
10. Restart your computer.

Unless you’re the admin on a network or configuring a computer for multiple users, there are more straightforward ways to change the network type. However, this can be useful to people setting up computers for specific purposes. 

Making Registry Changes

You can also change the network type by editing the registry. However, this is probably overkill and unnecessary for most users. 

If you have difficulty changing network types the other way, try this as a last resort. Remember to always back up your PC before making changes to the registry since doing so can create problems for your system.

1. Press Windows key + R.
2. Type “regedit” without quotes. Press Enter.
3. Click Yes.
4. Expand the following categories:
   Computer > HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > Software > Microsoft > Windows NT > CurrentVersion > NetworkList > Profiles
5. Under profiles, you’ll see a list of folders that display information in the right-side pane when highlighted. Each of these represents a connection your computer has made to the Internet. The numbers and letters are called a globally unique identifier, and each one will be different. 
6. Highlight a GUID and look at the ProfileName listing. Continue highlighting them until you find one with a network name that matches the network you want to adjust.
7. Double-click the Category entry in the same pane. 
8. Change the Value Data entry to 1 to set the network to private.
   
9. Click OK.
10. Close the registry.
11. Restart your computer.

One of the benefits of changing the network type through the registry is that you can quickly change the network type for multiple networks. 

If you need to use the Domain setting instead of public or private, you can do that through the registry as well. The Value Data should be set to 0 for public and 1 for private.

Changing Network Settings

Your network settings aren’t set in stone. You can change what each network type actually means in your Windows settings.

1. Press Windows key + X.
2. Choose Settings.
3. Click Network and Internet.
4. Click Network and Sharing Center.
   
5. Click Change Advanced Sharing Settings.
   
6. Expand the network type you want to change. You can choose between three.
   • Private
   • Guest or Public
   • All Networks
7. Decide what you want to share and how you want to share it.
   
8. Close the window.

You can opt-in or out of network discovery or printer sharing on both private and public options.

In the All Networks option, you can adjust what kind of encryption you use and choose whether sharing should be password protected.

Stick with 128-bit encryption as long as your system supports it. There shouldn’t be much need to change this particular setting.

There are only specific circumstances where this will be necessary, and most users are unlikely to encounter them unless they already have the specialized knowledge to know they need to switch. 

You can choose to use password-protected sharing or not, as you prefer. Remember that using a password is always more secure than not doing so.

If you require a password, remember that you’ll have to share it with other people on your network if you want to connect with other users’ computers and not just network your own devices. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Is Safer, a Public or Private Network?

Connecting to a private network that you can trust is safer. However, the network setting, Public, is the safer setting. It can be a bit confusing. It’s about the difference between your network settings and the network to which you’re connecting. 

A private network might be one where you can trust the people who are also using the connection. A public network might be open to more people. However, a public network setting for your connection will leave your device less available to others.