How to change network type to private or public in Windows 11

Network profiles are a powerful tool because they can be used to control the behavior of Windows computers on a network as they move from one environment to another.

Equipped with this information about the different types of network profiles, if you need to change it, here's how to adjust your Windows 11 network settings.

How do users change their network profiles in Windows 11?

1. Use Settings

1. Tap key and click Settings. Windows
2. Select Network & Internet Settings in the left pane and click Wi-Fi (If connected, select the Ethernet connection ).
3. Select one of your Wi-Fi networks and click on it.
4. Under "Network Profile Type", switch to your preferred profile.

If you find that the network profile type is missing, you may have an outdated driver, so a quick driver update should resolve the issue.

2. Use the PowerShell command line

1. click key, type Powershell in the search bar, and then click Run as administrator. Windows
2. Enter the following command and click: Enter<strong>Get-NetConnectionProfile</strong>
3. Make a note of the name of the network you want to change, and then type the following command. Remember to replace the network name with the network name you noted down and use the Network profile (such as Public, Private or Domain) by typing: <strong>Set- NetConnectionProfile -Name "network name" -NetworkCategory <Type></strong>

3. Use the registry editor

1. to open the run command. WindowsR
2. Type Registry Editor in the dialog box and click.Enter
3. Navigate to the following location: <strong>HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\NetworkList\Profiles</strong>
4. Click "Profiles" to expand the subkeys. Each will have its profile name listed on the right as the last entry.
5. Double-click the category, and in the Value data, enter 0, 1, or 2 to change to Public, Private, and Domain respectively, and then click Click "OK".
6. Close Registry Editor and restart your PC for the changes to take effect.

Keep in mind that editing the registry can be disastrous if anything goes wrong, so be sure to back up or create a restore point before making any changes.

4. Use local security policy

1. Press to open the run command. WindowsR
2. Type secpol.msc in the dialog box and click .Enter
3. Click "Network List Manager Policies" and then double-click the selected network on the right.
4. In the Network Properties dialog box, navigate to the NetworkLocation tab and under the Location Type option, select Private" or "public profile".
5. Also, users under Settings User Permissions cannot change the location, then click Apply and OK to save the changes.

It is important to note that this solution may be limited because Local Security Policy is not available in all Windows versions. However, if you are using Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions, you are safe.

Some users complained that they encountered network problems after changing the current network type. Windows cannot connect to this network is the most common, so if you are in the same predicament, check out our expert article on how to fix this problem.

Hopefully now you have a better understanding of how and when to change network profiles in Windows 11 to public or private. What's more, you can easily protect your data.