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XanderHart's avatar
XanderHart
Iron Contributor
Jan 18, 2026

Best way to transfer files from one pc to another using ethernet cable?

Tried to do with USB drive and WiFi network but the transfer speed are pretty slow. The internal SSD on the source PC is more than 1TB. This could take a lot of time to complete the transfer. In addi...
YatesGriffin's avatar
YatesGriffin
Iron Contributor
Jan 18, 2026

Having transferred files numerous times, I've concluded that using an Ethernet cable is one of the fastest and most reliable methods for directly transferring files between two personal computers.

How to transfer files from one computer to another using an Ethernet cable

Prepare the required tools

  1. One Ethernet cable

  2. Two Windows computers equipped with wired network ports

Step 1: Physically connect the two computers

  • Insert one end of the Ethernet cable into the wired network port of the source computer and the other end into the wired network port of the target computer to establish a direct connection between the two machines.

Step 2: Configure manual IP addresses for both computers

  1. Manually assign IP addresses within the same subnet to ensure mutual recognition. Perform this on both computers.

  2. Press Win+R to open the Run dialogue, enter ncpa.cpl and press Enter to open the Network Connections panel.

  3. Right-click the ‘Ethernet’ adapter and select ‘Properties’.

  4. Double-click ‘Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)’ in the list.

  5. Select ‘Use the following IP address’ and enter the following parameters:

    Source Computer (PC1)

    IP Address: 192.168.1.1

    Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0

    Leave Default Gateway and DNS Server fields blank. Click ‘OK’ to save.

    Target computer (PC2)

    IP Address: 192.168.1.2

    Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0

  6. Leave Default Gateway and DNS Server blank, then click “OK” to save.

Step 3: Enable File Sharing and Network Discovery on Both Computers

  • Search for and open “Control Panel” from the Start menu. Navigate to “Network and Internet” → “Network and Sharing Centre” → “Change advanced sharing settings”.

  • Under “Private” network settings, tick “Turn on network discovery” and “Turn on file and printer sharing”;

  • Under the ‘All Networks’ configuration, tick ‘Turn off password-protected sharing’ and click Save changes.

Step 4: Share the target folder on the old computer

  • Right-click the folder to be transferred, select ‘Grant access’ → ‘Specific users’.

  • Select ‘Everyone’ from the dropdown menu, click “Add”, and set the permission level to ‘Read/Write’.

  • Click ‘Share’ and note the network path displayed by the system.

Step 5: Access and transfer files on the new computer

  • Open File Explorer, enter the source computer's IP address path in the address bar: \\192.168.1.1, then press Enter.

  • The shared folders from the source computer will now appear. Double-click to open them, then drag and drop files directly to the target computer's local path.

Transferring via Ethernet cable will operate at the maximum Ethernet bandwidth without requiring additional software. Simply wait for the process to complete.

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