Hide your device on the network if you connect via cable or Wi-Fi
This is where we will find the Network Detection section. If we have it enabled, it means that our team is visible within that network. On the other hand, if we give Disable network detection, we will avoid this. An image like the one we can see below will appear.
We just have to check that box and hit Save changes. We accept those changes and that's it. At any time we can reverse the situation by following the steps mentioned again, but this time by clicking on Activate network detection.
Keep in mind that there are differences between the different network profiles. We can find the private profile, which would be when we connect to a home network, for example, and also the public or guest profile, which would be if we connect in a coffee shop or anywhere where there may be more users.
The steps that we have explained can be carried out for each of these profiles. It is interesting that if we connect to a public network, which would therefore be a guest or public profile, we do not have it configured so that the device is visible. On the other hand, it is possible that we are interested in making it visible in the private profile, although we can change it at any time.
This means that if, for example, we connect to a network at work or in any public place and deactivate network detection, once we connect to our home network, we would have to follow the same steps to deactivate it.
Windows 10 asks if we want to be visible
Surely on some occasion when connecting to a network we have seen a pop-up message that tells us whether or not we want to be visible on that network. It is a generic Windows 10 message and gives us the opportunity to choose one or the other option.
When this message appears, and to have the team hidden, we must give the option to stay hidden. This will disable network discovery. We will not be able to interact with any other computer that was on the network, even if they had network discovery enabled. Neither with printers or any network drives. Of course, we keep our team also hidden.
This is something we should do when connecting to a network that we don't trust. For example, a public Wi-Fi or any network that we do not control and therefore want to hide.
Our team never goes completely hidden
We have mentioned how to make a Windows 10 computer hidden from other devices connected to that network. It is a feature that the operating system itself allows you to have. However, we must bear in mind that our team is not completely hidden.
Why do we say this? Someone who has access to the router's administration panel could see that our team is connected, either by Wi-Fi or by cable. It could, for example, see what the MAC address of that device is, if we are connected by Wi-Fi or by cable, etc.
Of course, we must bear in mind that from the router's administration panel they could not access the files that we have on our computer. In that sense we are protected.
In short, it is possible to hide our Windows 10 computer so that it does not appear on other devices connected to that network. However, as we have seen, we will continue to be connected and therefore they could see it from the router's administration panel. If what we are looking for is to maintain privacy when browsing, we can take into account some tips regardless of what we have mentioned:
Therefore, by following these tips we can also improve privacy when we browse the Internet, beyond keeping our computer hidden from third parties. It is always important to preserve our data and avoid problems.
