The Nearby Sharing feature in Windows 11 is designed to make file transfers between PCs quick and wireless, saving you from using cables or cloud services. THe only problem with it is that speeds quite often drop to just a few hundred KB per second, which make what is supposed to quick and easy take forever. So follow along as this guide explains what's causing the problem and shows you a few things you can do to speed up Nearby File Transfers on Windows.

Takeaways:

  1. What's causing slow Nearby File transfer speeds on Windows 11?
  2. Learn how to speed up Nearby File Transfer speeds on Windows 11

Why File Transfers Are Slow in Windows 11

Slow transfers usually comes down to a few really simple things.

  • Background applications may be consuming system resources, weakening performance.
  • A poor Wi Fi signal or interference can also limit transfer speeds.
  • Older HDDs struggling to keep up.

How to Fix Nearby Sharing File Transfer Speed Is Slow in Windows 11

Windows restricts peer to peer communication when a network is set to Public or marked as metered. This limits device discovery and reduces bandwidth usage. So you might need to change some settings.

  • Open Settings using Win + I.
  • Go to Network and Internet, then select Wi Fi.
  • Click your connected network and switch the profile to Private.
  • Scroll down and turn off the metered connection option.
  • Repeat this on both PCs and reconnect to the network.

Compress Files Before Sending

Transferring many small files slows things down because each file requires its own processing cycle. This can significantly slow down transfers. So Zipping them makes things way faster.

  • Select your files, right click, and choose Send to followed by Compressed zipped folder.
  • Transfer the single ZIP file instead.
  • After receiving it, extract the contents on the destination PC.

Force Transfers Over Wi Fi Not Bluetooth

Windows might switch to Bluetooth if the Wi Fi Direct connection is unstable, which reduces speed. Wi Fi connections also have better range.

  • Open Device Manager with Win + X, expand Bluetooth.
  • Right click your adapter, and disable it.
  • Try the transfer again.
  • Re enable Bluetooth afterward if needed.

How to Fix Nearby Sharing File Transfer Speed Is Slow in Windows 11

Use a 5GHz Wi Fi Network

The 5 GHz band provides higher speeds and less interference than 2.4 GHz, making it better for file transfers. Check your connection from the system tray. If needed, enable a mobile hotspot in Settings under Network and Internet and set it to 5 GHz. Connect both devices to this network and retry the transfer. Some older devices might not be able to use 5Ghz though so keep that in mind.

Disable MIMO Power Save Mode

  • In Device Manager, expand Network adapters and open your Wi Fi adapter properties.
  • Under the Advanced tab, find MIMO Power Save Mode and set it to No SMPS.
  • In the Power Management tab, uncheck the option that allows the computer to turn off the device to save power.
  • Restart both systems.

Fix Nearby Sharing File Transfer Speed Is Slow in Windows 11

Reset Wi Fi Direct and Nearby Sharing

Turn off Nearby Sharing in Settings under System. Open Device Manager, expand Network adapters, and uninstall all Microsoft Wi Fi Direct Virtual Adapter entries. Then navigate to the local app data folder and remove the NearbyShare folder if present. Restart both PCs and re enable Nearby Sharing.