Learn how to enable Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) in Windows 11 to share your internet with other devices, and disable it when not needed.
On Windows 11, there is a pretty neat feature called Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) that lets you share your computer’s internet with other devices connected to it. Unlike the Mobile Hotspot feature, which mainly shares your internet over Wi-Fi, ICS is more like a Swiss Army Knife. It allows you to share your internet using almost anything, including USB, Ethernet, Virtual Adapters, and Wi-Fi.
For example, if you have an old desktop computer without Wi-Fi, you cannot share your laptop’s internet using Mobile Hotspot. In that case, you can enable ICS on your laptop, connect it to your desktop via Ethernet, and share your laptop’s internet connection.
By default, this feature is disabled in Windows 11. If you want to share your internet connection, you need to first enable Internet Connection Sharing via the Control Panel’s Network Adapter settings. In this quick and easy guide, I will show you how to do it in simple steps. When not needed, you can just as easily disable Internet Connection Sharing in Windows 11. Let’s get started.
Before You Start
- To use Internet Connection Sharing, you require at least two network adapters. For example, Wi-Fi and Ethernet, Ethernet and USB, etc. One to receive the internet, and the other to share it.
- The device receiving the shared internet must use DHCP (obtain an IP address automatically) and NOT a static IP address.
Enable Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) in Windows 11
- Press “Windows key + R” to open the Run dialog.
- Type “ncpa.cpl” and click “OK“.
- Right-click the source adapter (the one you want to share the internet from).
- Select “Properties“.
- Go to the “Sharing” tab.
- Select the “Allow other network users to connect through this computer’s Internet connection” checkbox.
- Select the distributing adapter from the dropdown menu.
- Click “OK“.
- Click “OK” in the main window.
- With that, you’ve enabled the Internet Connection Sharing.
From now on, connect your other device to your computer/laptop, and it can use the internet.
Detailed Steps (With Screenshots)
First, we must open the Network Adapter settings. To do that, open the Run dialog by pressing the “Windows key + R” shortcut. Next, type “ncpa.cpl” and click “OK“.
Note: You can open this same page by searching for “Control Panel” and going to the “Network and Sharing Center” > “Change Adapter Settings” page.
Once you are in the Network Adapters page, right-click the adapter that you want to use as the source, that is, the one with the internet connection. For example, in my case, it is the Wi-Fi adapter. Next, select the “Properties” option.
In the Properties window, go to the “Sharing” tab. Here, select the “Allow other network users to connect through this computer’s Internet connection” checkbox.
Next, select the distributor adaptor from the “Home networking connection” dropdown menu. This is the adapter that Windows uses to share your internet connection with other devices. For example, because I want to share my Wi-Fi’s (source adapter) internet connection over Ethernet (distributor adapter), I selected Ethernet.
Click “OK” to save the change. If you see a confirmation dialog with an IP address, click OK/Yes.
Click “OK” in the main window.
That is it. With that, you’ve enabled Internet Connection Sharing in Windows 11. From now on, connect the device without an internet connection to your computer, and it can access the internet through your computer.
Important note: For the connection to work, the “guest” device (the one receiving the internet) must be set to DHCP. This means it should be configured to “Obtain an IP address automatically,” rather than using a static IP.
Disable Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) in Windows 11
- Press “Windows key + R” to open the Run dialog.
- Type “ncpa.cpl” and click “OK“.
- Right-click the source adapter (the one you want to share the internet from).
- Select “Properties“.
- Go to the “Sharing” tab.
- Uncheck the “Allow other network users to connect through this computer’s Internet connection” checkbox.
- Click “OK“.
- With that, you’ve disabled Internet Connection Sharing.
That is all. It is that simple to turn ON Internet Connection Sharing in Windows 11 and use it. When not needed, you can just as easily turn it OFF via the Control Panel.
