Find network access credentials windows 10 or 11

Been there - done that. Does not work! It has something to do with microsoft's passwordless accounts. I finally - after trying everything I've read everywhere used my PHONE number for user name and skipped the password and it actually connected!

Go figure!

OMG!!! I was at my wit's end trying to file share 2 Windows 11 PCs... When I read you post I thought "This isn't going to work, but I am going to try it anyway."

IT WORKED!!!!??? Why!!??! This makes no sense to me what so ever...

Can someone explain to me why I needed to enter my phone number and Microsoft Live account password to connect my 2 Windows 11 PCs, both with ALL credentials deleted, and File Sharing Passwords set to OFF?!?!?!?!

EDIT: My Microsoft password is not needed, but my phone number is needed for the account name???

I've finally found the solution (above!) -its been stressing me out for weeks so tonight im gonna celebrate!!

Don't get too excited. After a few days I tried to grab a file from one of the two PCs on this network and it IS NOT WORKING AGIAN!!!!

I have tried everything, phone numbers, user names, passwords, Microsoft passwords, and all combinations of them.

I checked and rechecked all sharing settings on both PCs, and rebooted them multiple times.

I can not connect to either of them, from either of them. And no settings have changed.

Total waste of time, easier to e-mail myself files, or even use a thumb drive and move it from room to room. All this after I had spent the time getting it work work, AND THEN all the time allowing permissions on both PCs drives/folders, which took hours to do...

THANKS A LOT MICROSOFT!!! I swear it's like someone at Microsoft read this thread and saw the phone number solution and said "Nope, screw this guy!" and disabled it...

I can't retrace the exact steps I took since there doesn't seem to be a way to remove the local accounts I created. Still.. I have gotten it to work 2 different ways that I haven't seen posted anywhere else, so hopefully one of these does the trick for you and everyone else. At this point, I'm having the opposite problem of everyone else. I can't find a way to make my computers forget each other. Keep this in mind when it prompts you for the username/password as you may not want to select the part where it offers to remember your credentials. I deleted the credentials from the credentials manager and my computers can still access each other...

Everything below is basically the same for Windows 10(Pro) and 11(Home). It probably doesn't matter whether you have Home or Pro.

Follow these 2 steps first.

1. Make sure your computers have a matching type of network profiles(Private or Public).

-In Windows Search, enter "Wifi". Click your network name. Select Private or Public. It's the same for Win 10/11.

2. Make sure that Network discovery is turned on for the type of network profile you chose.

-In Windows Search, enter "Control Panel". Click "Network and Internet". Click "Network and Sharing Center". Click "Change advanced sharing settings". Enable "File and printer sharing" if you want to be able access folders/files/etc.

At this point, I believe you should be able to see the computer(s) listed under Network in the File Explorer. Try rebooting if you can't. If you try to open one of them, it should be asking for a username/password. If this is the case, continue to the next part. If not, you may be out of luck and the next part probably won't help.

Next part, you need to be able to use a username/password to log in. I've got it working 2 different ways. In my case, the first method is fine because the computers I'm using are both mine and on my own home network. I don't mind that they both use the same username/password. You might want to try the second method if you have different people on different computers(they likely aren't sharing a Microsoft account).

First Method: I saw a Verify option for my Microsoft account. I hadn't noticed it until tonight, so maybe it's new(a couple updates installed so who knows). After verifying, I was able to connect to my computers using my email/password associated with my Microsoft account.

-In Windows Search, enter "Settings". Click "Accounts". Click "Your info". Look for the Verify link/button. It describes it as syncing passwords across your devices or something like that. After you've verified, open the computer under Network in the File Explorer. Enter your Microsoft email/password.

Second Method: It seems that you can just create a local account with a new username/password. Once you do that you can just switch back to your Microsoft account, and it will still let you use the local account credentials to access the computers over the network.

-In Windows Search, enter "Settings". Click "Accounts". Click "Your info". Click "Sign in with a local account instead". Go through the prompts. Now try opening the computer under Network in the File Explorer. Use the username/password you entered when creating the local account. It should work. You can now go back to the "Your info" screen and sign back into your Microsoft account.

Thanks for trying

Tried every possible password I have used in the past year. Even those that work for other Microsoft stuff.

Cannot get past the credentials page.

It is unbelievable that an organisation like Microsoft cannot develop a simple secure system.

I am not surprised.

I can access my tablet without restriction from my PC and download/upload files but there is no way I can get the tablet to link to the PC so I can download files from the PC to the tablet.

Windows security is just a great bowl of porridge. It seems as if it just good luck if it all works.

I've followed most or all of the advice here and not yet gotten it working. This is a travesty -- two Win-11 PCs on the same LAN, wanting to share files? Who would have imagined such a thing?!

That Microsoft has not put out some basic HOW-TO article on this is a disgrace. Better yet, make it obvious.