How to Enable or Disable Password-Protected File Sharing in Windows In today’s connected environments, file sharing should be both convenient and secure. Windows offers a feature called password-protected sharing, which restricts access to shared files and folders only to users with valid credentials only. In this video, we’ll show you how to enable or disable password-protected sharing in Windows. Before we begin, be sure to subscribe to NinjaOne's IT Video Hub and our YouTube channel for more tech content like this. Methods for Configuring Password-Protected File Sharing in Windows Users can choose between four methods to enable or disable password-protected file sharing. Method 1: Control Panel Method For individual users and small office setups, the control panel method is the most straightforward option. First, open Control Panel and go to Network and Sharing Center. Click Change advanced sharing settings on the left pane. Once a new window pops up, expand All Networks. Find password-protected sharing and select Turn on password-protected sharing to allow only users with credentials to access shared resources or Turn off password-protected sharing to allow anyone to access the resources. Method 2: Registry Editor Method Using the Registry Editor is ideal for advanced users and IT administrators managing a small fleet of devices. Start by opening Registry Editor by pressing Win + R. Then type regedit, and click Enter. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa. Next, create or modify a DWORD (32-bit) value named LimitBlankPasswordUse. Set the value to 1 to require a password for remote access or 0 to allow network access without a password. Once done, restart your device to apply changes. Method 3: PowerShell Script To automate this setting across multiple devices, IT administrators can use a PowerShell script. First, open PowerShell as Administrator. Then run the appropriate script. To enable password-protected sharing, use the command... To disable password-protected sharing, use the script... Method 4: Using a .reg file IT administrators can use a .reg file to provide remote support to end users. First, open Notepad and paste the appropriate command. To enable password-protected sharing registry entry... To disable password-protected document sharing... Save the text as a dot reg file and run it with admin rights to apply the changes.For more information, check out our official blog post on How to Enable or Disable Password-Protected File Sharing in Windows linked in the description below.