• To enable Compact View, open File Explorer , open the “View” menu, and select the “Compact view” option.
  • Alternatively, open File Explorer , open the “See more” menu, and choose Options . In the View tab, check the “Decrease space between items (compact view)” option.

On Windows 11 , File Explorer has a new default layout to view content that adds extra padding between the visual elements to make the experience easier to use, especially on touch-enabled devices.

However, if you like the more traditional experience, Windows 11 also adds an option to roll back to the classic compact view.

In this guide , you will learn the steps to switch back to the classic layout of File Explorer on Windows 11.

  • Enable Compact view on File Explorer
  • Enable Compact view from Folder Options

Enable Compact view on File Explorer

To use the classic Compact view on File Explorer, use these steps:

  1. Open File Explorer on Windows 11.
  2. Click the View menu from the command bar.
  3. Check the “Compact view” option to enable File Explorer compact view on Windows 11.

Once you complete the steps, File Explorer will switch to the classic layout. In the same way, if you want to use the comfortable view with additional padding, follow the same instructions, and clear the “Compact view” option.

Enable Compact view from Folder Options

Alternatively, you can also enable the feature from the File Explorer Folder Options settings:

  1. Open File Explorer on Windows 11.
  2. Click the See more menu from the command bar and click on Options .
  3. Click the View tab.
  4. Check the “Decrease space between items (compact view)” option.
  5. Click the Apply button.
  6. Click the OK button.

After you complete the steps, File Explorer will switch to the legacy layout with less padding around the items on Windows 11.

  • To share printer on Windows 11, open Settings > Printers & scanners , choose the printer to share, click on “Printer properties,” open the “Sharing” tab, click “Change Sharing Options,” check “Share this printer,” and click “OK.”
  • You may also need to change the network profile type to “Private” from Settings > Network & internet > Ethernet or Wi-Fi to enable print sharing on Windows 11.

On Windows 11 , it’s possible to share a printer in the network when it doesn’t have a wired or wireless connection. You can complete this task using the Windows 11 print server feature that allows converting any local printer (such as those using a USB or DB-25 cable) into a network printer quickly.

In this guide , you will learn the steps to share a USB printer on Windows 11 over the network.

Share printer on Windows 11

To share a printer in the network on Windows 11 from Settings, use these steps:

  1. Open Settings on Windows 11.
  2. Click on Network & internet .
  3. Click the Ethernet or Wi-Fi tab. Quick note: If you have a wireless connection, you will need to click the network properties option to access the connection settings.
  4. Under the “Network profile type” section, select the Private option to enable print sharing on the computer.
  5. Click on Bluetooth & devices .
  6. Click the Printers & scanners tab.
  7. Select the USB printer to share over the network.
  8. Click the Printer properties tab.
  9. Open the Sharing tab.
  10. Click the Change Sharing Options button (if applicable).
  11. Check the Share this printer option.
  12. (Optional) Choose a new name for the printer.
  13. Click the Apply button.
  14. Click the OK button.

Once you complete the steps, the USB printer will now be available in the network for anyone to connect.

Connect to shared printer

The process of connecting a shared printer to a computer in the local network is easy, but it’s not the same as installing a wireless printer .

To install a shared printer on Windows 11, use these steps:

  1. Open Settings .
  2. Click on Bluetooth & devices .
  3. Click the Printers & scanners setting.
  4. Click the Add device button and wait a few moments.
  5. Click the Add manually option.
  6. Check the Select a shared printer by name option.
  7. Confirm the network path of the printer – for example, \10.1.4.120\HP Network Printer . Quick note: If the computer name doesn’t work, use the IP address for the computer sharing the printer.
  8. Click the Next button.
  9. Click Next to install the shared USB printer on Windows 11.
  10. Click the Finish button.

After you complete the steps, the print jobs will go through the network to the computer with the print server and to the USB printer. Users will only be able to print as long as the computer sharing the printer is turned on.

If you cannot connect to the printer because the system asks for a username and password, open Control Panel > Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center > Advanced sharing settings , and under the “Password protected sharing,” select the Turn off password protected sharing option and click the Save Changes button. If this doesn’t work, you may need to create a standard local account on the source computer, and use that account to connect to the printer from the destination computer.