Fix Network Discovery is turned off in Windows 11

Recently, some Windows 11 users have been experiencing the “Network Discovery is turned off” error. It might be due to disabled services, outdated network adapter drivers, or Windows Defender blocking the feature. Whatever the reason, we’ll show you how to fix it with several troubleshooting methods.

Fix: Network Discovery is turned off in Windows 11

Method 1: Run Network Troubleshooter

If you’re experiencing network problems, a good first step is to run the network troubleshooter.

1. Open the Settings app and navigate to “System” > “Troubleshoot”.

2. Under Troubleshoot options, click “Other troubleshooters“.

3. Click “Run” next to the Network and Internet.

Method 2: Reset Windows Defender Firewall

1. Type “Command Prompt” in the Start menu and select “Run as administrator” for the top result.

2. In the following command, run the below command:

netsh advfirewall reset

3. After successfully resetting the firewall, reboot your PC.

Method 3: Enable the Network Discovery-related Services

1. Open the Run dialog box, type “Services“, and click “OK“.

2. In the Services app, locate, enable the following services, and set them to start automatically:

• Function Discovery Provider Host
• Function Discovery Resource Publication
• SSDP Discovery
• UPnP Device Host
• DNS Client

Here’s how you do this:

1. Once you find a service, right-click on it and select “Properties“.

2.  Select “Automatic” from the Startup type to set to start the service automatically.

3. Click “Apply” and then “Start“.

4. Once you’re done with this service, repeat the same process for the other four on the list.

Method 4: Whitelist Network Discovery From Windows Defender

1. Type “Windows Security” in the Windows Search.

2. Go to the “Firewall & network protection” section on the left and click on “Allow an app through firewall” on the right.

3. Find “Network Discovery” under Allowed apps and features and check if both Public and Private boxes are checked next to it.

4. If the boxes aren’t checked, click “Change settings,” check them both, and click “OK” to enable Network Discovery.

Method 5: Enable Network Discovery through Settings

1. Open Windows Settings and go to “Network & internet” > “Advanced network settings”.

2. Click “Advanced sharing settings” under More settings.

3. Expand the “Private” and “Public” menus.

4. Make sure the “Network Discovery” toggle is turned on and check the “Set up network connected devices automatically” option.

Method 6: Update the Network Adapter Drivers

1. Right-click the Start menu and select “Device Manager“.

2. Expand the “Network adaptors“.

3. Right-click the network adaptor you’re using and select “Update driver“.

4. Select “Search automatically for driver” and follow the on-screen instructions.

Video fix

You can checkout following video to illustrate above mentioned solutions:

That’s it.