Intermittent file sharing problem on Windows 11 network

This pattern fits a network sharing discovery or SMB connectivity issue rather than an internet problem. Since access returns for a short time and then disappears after reopening File Explorer, work through these checks on all three PCs:

1. Confirm all PCs are on the same network If the desktops and laptop connect through the same router, make sure they are all still on that same local network.
2. Set the network profile to Private On each PC, go to Settings > Network & internet and make sure the active Wi‑Fi or Ethernet network is set to Private.
3. Turn on sharing features On each PC:
   • Open Start > Settings
   • Search for manage advanced sharing settings
   • Under Private networks, turn on Network discovery and File and printer sharing
   • Under All Networks, turn off password protected sharing
4. Make the required discovery services start automatically Intermittent visibility can happen if these services are not running consistently.
   • Press Windows key + R
   • Type services.msc and select OK
   • For each service below, open Properties
   • If it is not running, select Start
   • Set Startup type to Automatic
   Services to check:
   • Function Discovery Provider Host
   • Function Discovery Resource Publication
   • SSDP Discovery
   • UPnP Device Host
5. Turn on network discovery from File Explorer if prompted If File Explorer > Network shows the message “Network discovery is turned off…”, select the banner and choose Turn on network discovery and file sharing.
6. Test access by mapping the share If browsing is intermittent, map the shared folder as a network drive:
   • Open File Explorer
   • Select This PC
   • Select More > Map network drive
   • Choose a drive letter
   • In Folder, enter the shared folder path or browse to it
   • Turn on Reconnect at sign-in
   • Select Finish
7. If one PC can see another but access is one-way or unreliable A similar Windows 11 case points to checking whether the issue is name resolution or service related:
   • Try accessing the target PC by its IP address instead of its computer name
   • Recheck the four discovery services above on the target PC
8. If the error is specifically Access Denied On newer Windows versions, SMB security defaults can block some shares. Check on the client PC:
   • net use
   • Get-SmbConnection
   • Get-SmbClientConfiguration
   Also review Event Viewer > Applications and Services Logs > Microsoft > Windows > SMBClient in the Connectivity and Security channels.

If the problem is only that devices disappear from browsing, steps 2 through 5 are the most relevant. If the PCs appear but opening shares fails, steps 6 through 8 are the next checks.

References

• File sharing over a network in Windows
• Access Denied when you access an SMB file share in Windows
• Access Denied when you access an SMB file share in Windows
• Intermittent file sharing problem on Windows 11 network - Microsoft Q&A