• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

techzerg

Technology advice, how-tos, reviews & buying guides

  • Home
  • How to
    • Windows
    • Macs
    • iOS, iPhone & iPad
    • Android & Tablet
    • Chromebook
    • Software & Apps
      • Microsoft Office
    • Internet & Web
      • Social media & Instant messaging
      • Network
    • Streaming
      • Streaming TV, Movies, & Devices
      • Music, Podcasts, & Audio
    • Gaming
  • Reviews
  • Buying Guides
  • Best Phone
  • Best Laptop
  • Best TV
  • Best VPN
    • Best Netflix VPN
  • Best Camera
Home > How to > Windows > How to turn your PC into a Wi-Fi hotspot (Windows & Mac)

How to turn your PC into a Wi-Fi hotspot (Windows & Mac)

Turn your PC or Mac into a mobile hotspot by sharing your Internet connection with other devices over Wi-Fi.

By King Osaghae | December 31, 2020

We may earn a commission for purchases through links on our site. Learn more

SHARE ON:
Woman turns computer into wifi hotspot, share internet to tablet pc
It’s easy to use your computer as a Wi-Fi hotspot, as long as you enable the in-built internet sharing feature which is available for both Mac and Windows PC.

Sharing Internet connection from your computer to other devices is relatively easy thanks to the internet connection sharing feature in Windows and Mac. Also, free Wi-Fi hotspot apps like Connectify allows you to easily share your PC or Mac internet with your other devices. Here’s how the whole thing works.

Hotels and other locations like virtual offices usually provide a single wired Ethernet connection. To share that internet connection with your other computers or mobile devices, use the built-in mobile hotspot feature in Windows 10 or the internet connection sharing (ICS) feature in Windows 7 and 8.

How to set up a wifi hotspot on Windows 10

Follow these steps to turn your Windows 10 computer into a wireless hotspot or wired router for other devices:

  1. Click the Windows Start menu in the bottom-left corner.
  2. Select Settings to open the Settings window.
  3. In the Setting window that appears, click Network & Internet.
  4. On the Network & Internet page, select Mobile hotspot.
  5. At the top of the page under “Mobile hotspot,” Turn on the Share my Internet connection with other devices switch. If you want something other than the default network name and password, click the Edit button and enter a new network name and password,
  6. When you are finished, click Save. Your Windows 10 PC is now broadcasting as a mobile hotspot.

Connect your smartphone or devices

Now that you’ve set up your computer as a mobile hotspot, you can connect to it via your smartphone’s Wi-Fi menu:

  • From any other device, search for the wireless network you just established to verify the connection.
  • Android — Swipe down from the top of the screen, tap the Wi-Fi icon, tap the hosted hotspot you just established, enter the password, and tap Join or Connect.
  • iPhone — Open your iPhone’s Settings, tap Wi-Fi, tap the hosted hotspot you just established, enter the password, and tap Join.

How to set up a wifi hotspot on Windows 8 or 7

Follow these steps to set up a mobile hotspot from a Windows 7 or Windows 8 computer:

  1. Click the Windows Start menu in the bottom-left corner.
  2. Select Control Panel.
  3. Click Network & Internet.
  4. Click Network and Sharing Center.
  5. In the screen that opens, select Set Up a New Connection or Network under Change your Network Settings.
  6. Click the last option to “set up a wireless ad-hoc network.”
  7. The “Wireless Ad Hoc Network” will startup. Click Next.
  8. On the Set Up an Ad Hoc Network page, give your ad-hoc network a name, select your security type (WPA2-Personal recommended), and enter a security key.
  9. Check Save this network and then click Next to save your settings.

In just a few seconds, your ad-hoc network will be ready to use. Click the connection icon in the system tray, you’ll see the new network you just created “Waiting for users.”

  1. Go to Network and Sharing Center.
  2. Select Change Adapter Settings to open the Local Area Connection Properties.
  3. Under Advanced, Check Allow other network users to connect through this computer’s Internet connection and click OK.

Now you can use Your Windows 7 or 8 PC as a mobile hotspot. Just connect to it as you would to a Wi-Fi hotspot, and you’ll have internet access on your other devices in no time.

How to turn your Mac into a wifi hotspot

Your Mac can also function as a wireless hotspot, allowing you to connect several devices to it and share its Internet connection. This is most useful if your Mac is connected to a wired network interface via Ethernet. Many hotels and virtual offices only provide a single, wired Ethernet connection. If you have several devices that you need to get online with, you can connect them to your Mac and share the Internet connection as if your Mac were a wireless router. It works very similar to the built-in Internet Connection Sharing feature in Windows.

  1. Click on the Apple icon in the top menu bar and select System Preferences.
  2. Now choose Sharing.
  3. Click on Internet Sharing from the list on the left.
  4. Pick your internet source in the drop-down menu next to Share your connection from, such as “iPhone USB”, “Bluetooth PAN,” or “Ethernet” to share a wired connection.
  5. Below that, choose from the drop-down option how other devices will connect to your Mac.
  6. Now turn on Internet Sharing by clicking the checkmark next to Internet Sharing in the left pane.
  7. Click Start on the menu that pops up to start sharing your Mac’s internet connection.
  8. If you get any “warning” prompts, read through it and click OK if you agree to them.
Read Also:  How to take a screenshot on a Mac computer

Tips on sharing your internet connection on a Mac

  • To stop sharing your internet connection, remove the check in the box next to Internet Sharing at Step 6.
  • If your host Mac computer goes to sleep or shuts down, all connected devices will be disconnected until the computer is turned on again.
  • If you’re using AirPort, you can enable wireless encryption; click on the AirPort Options button and check the option to allow encryption. Although it only uses the inferior WEP encryption (choose 128-bit key length) protocol which is still better than nothing.

How to share internet connection with Connectify

If you can’t get the built-in Wi-Fi hotspot features in your PC or laptop working, you should try using Connectify hotspot instead — a free foolproof Wi-Fi hotspot program with tons of options and a nice interface. With Connectify, you can share your Ethernet and Wi-Fi connection over Wi-Fi.

Note: You can download Connectify for free, but there is a premium version available with extra features that allows you to customize different aspects of the connection to fit your needs. The free version has enough features and should suffice for most people.

Free wifi hotspot with Connectify

Follow these steps to turn your PC into mobile hotspot with Connectify:

  1. Download and install Connectify on your computer, then restart the computer to complete the installation.
  2. Open Connectify, click Try it Out.
  3. Select Get Started with Lite.
  4. Select the Wi-Fi Hotspot tab.
  5. Click the Internet to Share dropdown arrow and choose your Wi-Fi network.
  6. Click the Network Access dropdown arrow and select Routed.
  7. In the Hotspot Name text box, enter a new network name. With the free version of Connectify, your network name can only be added after “Connectify-.”
  8. Enter a secure password for the hotspot.
  9. Select or leave empty the Ad Blocker checkbox based on your preference.
  10. Click Start Hotspot. The Connectify icon on the taskbar will change from gray to blue indicating that you can now share the internet connection over Wi-Fi.

Any wireless devices can now connect to your personal hotspot.

Tips for using Connectify

  • To see which devices are connected to your hotspot, go to Clients, and then Connected to my Hotspot.
  • You can also right-click any device from the list of connected devices to disable its access to the internet.
  • If you want to stop sharing the internet connection, locate the Wi-Fi Hotspot tab, and select Stop Hotspot. You can easily start the hotspot again in the future when you need it, all you need to do is click Start Hotspot from the saved settings.
  • You can also use the Connectify Wi-Fi hotspot tool in the premium version to extend wireless internet connection in your house. Instead of buying another router or a Wi-Fi extender, put your PC or laptop close to the wireless connection and start the hotspot to increase the signal.

If you found this article helpful, you can support TechZerg by shopping on Amazon. You may also want to check out our how-to guides as well as more helpful articles below.

Sign up for our Newsletter to get the best tech deals, product advice, helpful tips, and more! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and reddit.


About King Osaghae

King Osaghae is a technology researcher and writer who’s been writing about tech-related topics and trends since 2018. He covers everything tech from computers to cameras to online business software. He is the managing editor at TechZerg, meaning that he oversees all the articles TechZerg produces.


Related posts:

How to take a screenshot on any Lenovo laptop, computer, or ...
How to find MAC address on a Mac computer
How to take a screenshot on an Acer laptop or computer in se...
How to change MAC address on Windows or Mac (and why)

More Articles:

  • How to use your smartphone as a mobile hotspot - turn your phone into a Wi-fi hotspot
  • How to find MAC address on Windows 10
  • How to change MAC address on Windows or Mac (and why)
  • How to find MAC address on a Mac computer
  • How to find MAC address on Xbox one
  • How to find MAC address on Xbox 360
  • WhatsApp Web: How to use WhatsApp on PC, Mac, iPad, and tablet
  • How to take a screenshot on Windows 10 in multiple different ways
  • How to find MAC address on Android

Reader Interactions

Leave Your Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Get instant access to tech deals, reviews, helpful tips and more!

  • Popular
  • Recent
Best phone 2021: The 3 best smartphones to buy right now
Best camera 2021: 3 best cameras to buy in 2021
The best VPN services for 2021: Top 3 VPN providers reviewed for privacy, speed, and safety
Best laptop 2021: 9 best laptops worth buying in 2021
Best TV 2021: 3 best awesome flatscreen TVs worth buying in 2021
How to use your smartphone as a mobile hotspot – turn your phone into a Wi-fi hotspot
The best VPN services for 2021: Top 3 VPN providers reviewed for privacy, speed, and safety
Best camera 2021: 3 best cameras to buy in 2021
Best TV 2021: 3 best awesome flatscreen TVs worth buying in 2021
Best phone 2021: The 3 best smartphones to buy right now
Best laptop 2021: 9 best laptops worth buying in 2021
How to use your smartphone as a mobile hotspot – turn your phone into a Wi-fi hotspot

follow us:

Footer

  • About us
  • Contact us
  • Privacy policy
  • Terms of use
  • Ads disclosure
  • Newsletters

© 2021 TechZerg. All Rights Reserved.