DirectConnect

Guides

Connect two Windows PCs with a USB4 or Thunderbolt cable

Plug the cable into a USB4 or Thunderbolt port on each PC, set the new network connection to Private, share a folder, and open it from the other PC by typing the cable connection’s address in File Explorer. Windows does nothing visible when you plug in: there’s no prompt and no drive, only a new network adapter you have to find and set up yourself.

Why this is harder than it should be

  • Nothing appears. Windows adds a network adapter for the cable and stops there. Nearby sharing doesn’t use it.
  • Not every PC can do it. Both need USB4, or Thunderbolt with USB4-compatible drivers, on Windows 11. Older Thunderbolt 3 PCs may not support PC-to-PC networking at all.
  • The connection starts out blocked. Windows treats the cable as an unidentified Public network, so discovery and file sharing are off.
  • Sharing needs an account and password. The other PC signs in with an account on the sharing PC. With a Microsoft account, that’s the account’s email address and password, not the PIN.
  • Addresses are self-assigned. You look up a 169.254 address on the sharing PC, and it can change after you unplug.
  • The share drops when the link does. Sleep, a restart or unplugging the cable disconnects it, and you reconnect by hand.
  • Small files are slow. File sharing handles files one at a time, and recent Windows 11 versions sign every request.

Before you start

Both PCs need Windows 11 and a USB4 or Thunderbolt port. Look for a lightning-bolt symbol or a “USB4”, “40Gbps” or “20Gbps” label next to the port. If you’re not sure, see how to tell if your laptop has Thunderbolt or USB4.

Use a Thunderbolt or USB4 cable. A phone charging cable won’t carry the connection. See which USB-C cable you need.

1. Connect and find the adapter

Check that Windows sees the cable as a network connection on both PCs:

  1. Plug the cable into a USB4 or Thunderbolt port on each PC.
  2. Open Settings and choose Network & internet > Advanced network settings.
  3. Under Network adapters, look for a new Ethernet connection, such as Ethernet 2. Its description is usually USB4(TM) P2P Network Adapter, or Thunderbolt(TM) Networking on some Intel PCs.

If no new connection appears on one of the PCs, that PC doesn’t support PC-to-PC networking over this port. Try another USB4 or Thunderbolt port before giving up on it.

2. Make the connection Private and turn on sharing

Windows puts the cable on a Public network, which hides the PCs from each other. On both PCs:

  1. In Settings, choose Network & internet, then choose the cable’s connection, such as Ethernet 2. It shows as Unidentified network.
  2. Under Network profile type, select Private network.
  3. Go back to Network & internet and choose Advanced network settings > Advanced sharing settings.
  4. Under Private networks, turn on Network discovery and File and printer sharing.

3. Choose an account to sign in with

The other PC signs in with an account on the PC that has the files. Windows 11 doesn’t allow sharing without a password.

  • Your own account: with a Microsoft account, the user name is its email address and the password is the Microsoft account password, not your PIN. With a local account, use its name and password.
  • A separate sharing account: in Settings, choose Accounts > Other users and click Add account. Choose I don’t have this person’s sign-in information, then Add a user without a Microsoft account, and give it a password.

4. Share a folder

On the PC with the files:

  1. In File Explorer, right-click the folder and choose Properties.
  2. On the Sharing tab, click Share….
  3. Choose the account from step 3 and click Add.
  4. Under Permission Level, choose Read, or Read/Write if the other PC needs to save files here.
  5. Click Share, then Done.

If Windows asks whether to turn on network discovery and file sharing for all public networks, the cable is still on a Public network. Choose the option to make the network private instead, or go back to step 2.

5. Find the cable connection’s address

On the PC with the files, choose Network & internet in Settings, then the cable’s connection. Its IPv4 address is near the bottom of the page.

You can also run this in Terminal:

ipconfig

Find the section for the cable’s connection, such as Ethernet adapter Ethernet 2, and note the Autoconfiguration IPv4 Address. It starts with 169.254. That’s normal here: with no router on the cable, each PC gives itself an address. If the section says Media disconnected, the cable link isn’t up.

6. Open the folder on the other PC

  1. In File Explorer’s address bar, type \\ followed by the address, for example \\169.254.20.30, and press Enter.
  2. In the Enter network credentials window, type the user name and password from step 3. If the same user name exists on both PCs, type the sharing PC’s name first, such as DESKTOP-ABC123\sharing.
  3. Optional: select Remember my credentials so Windows doesn’t ask again.
  4. Double-click the shared folder to open it.

To give the folder a drive letter, right-click it, choose Show more options > Map network drive…, and select Reconnect at sign-in.

After sleep, a restart or unplugging

The share works only while the cable link is up. If either PC sleeps or you unplug the cable, open files and copies in progress stop with a network error, such as “The specified network name is no longer available”.

  • After sleep or replugging: wait for the cable connection to come back, then open the share or mapped drive again.
  • After a restart: Windows may say it could not reconnect all network drives, because the cable link comes up after you sign in. Open the drive in File Explorer to reconnect it.
  • If the address changed: run ipconfig on the sharing PC again, and map the drive to the new address.

For more on shares that drop, see why a network share disconnects after sleep.

If copies are slow

  • The copy goes over Wi-Fi. If you open the share by the PC’s name, such as \\DESKTOP-ABC123, and both PCs are on the same Wi-Fi, Windows may use Wi-Fi instead of the cable. Use the cable’s 169.254 address. In Task Manager, the Performance tab shows which connection carries the traffic.
  • The folder has many small files. File sharing opens, writes and closes each file in turn, so thousands of small files copy far slower than one large file of the same size.
  • Every request is signed. Windows 11 version 24H2 requires SMB signing by default on all connections, which adds work to every request.
  • Defender scans each file the first time. The first copy of a folder of small files from a PC waits for Microsoft Defender. See known issues on Windows.

Other options

  • Intel Thunderbolt Share is built into some new PCs and docks. It needs licensed hardware on at least one side.
  • Nearby sharing sends files over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, which is fine for a few files and slow for big folders.