There are different ways you can send and share files and documents, such as music, movies, PDF, ebooks, Office documents, photos, from one device or computer to another in your local network. For example, you can use the Public folder, which is a special setup that allows to share files over the local network without configuring permissions; you can share files over the network using File Sharing, Windows SMB server or Homegroup. For web masters who make use of IIS to create, develop and manage websites on local PC, you can simply create a specific folder to store all these files we need to share so other devices connected to the same network can easily access them from web browsers. In this quick guide, we will outline the steps that you need to take to accomplish it.
Enable IIS on Windows PC
First of all, you need to turn on IIS on Windows PC from the Control Panel. It is a built-in feature with the OS which is however disabled by default. You just need to turn it on from the Control panel. No extra app or installation required.
Once you have enabled IIS in Windows, you can access access your local website by visiting http://localhost/ in your web browser.
Create a folder in your local site and copy your files
The site root is usually C:\inetpub\wwwroot. Browse to this location in File Explorer and create a new folder and copy the files you want to share to this folder. Now go to copy over the files you want to share from their original location to this newly created directory in your local website.
Enable directory browsing
Directory Browsing is disabled by default. You can turn it on so people can download files directly from the IIS website. You can manage the local websites using the IIS Manager. Search ‘iis’ in the search box at the bottom left of the Windows task bar to quickly access IIS manager. Once the IIS console opens, navigate to the site from the left panel. The first website is called the ‘Default Web Site‘. You can create extra sites if like. Click the site name, you will then find Directory Browsing in the middle column.
Click on Directory Browsing, then click Enable on the right panel. After that when you browse to the site in a web browser, you will see a list of all files you want to share in the folder you have created.
Access IIS site from local network to download files
Open a web browser on other devices or computers that are connected to the same Wi-Fi network. Enter the IIS server address, also the local IP address of your Windows computer in the local network, append the folder to the IP address in the browser address bar and visit. This URL address is usually something like 192.168.0.xx/foldername/. If your PC address is 192.168.0.100 and the folder stores those files to share is ‘files’, then the full address is http://192.168.0.100/files/. Note that your network may differ. You can follow these steps to find out your IP address in Windows. A list of all files and documents will be displayed. You can then tap to view a file directly, save it to your device, open it with an app on your current device, share it with other people, etc.
