How to remove homegroup Windows 10

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Microsoft introduced HomeGroup feature in Windows 7. It allow Windows PC users to easily share files and printers with other users in the same homegroup. It remained part of all the next Windows versions including Windows 8, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10.
This practically eliminates the need of having an external storage device to transfer files from one pc to another within the same network. However, if you don’t want to share anything with users on the same network, you need to remove HomeGroup from Windows 10 PC.

How to remove HomeGroup in Windows 10

If you want to remove HomeGroup from Windows, it is not as easy as deleting a file or a folder. Creating HomeGroup is simple but when it comes to removing this option, it becomes pretty irritating and complicated. Here, we are going to discuss few ways to remove HomeGroup from Windows 10. If you are having other issues with your Windows 10, visit TwentyNext.

Solution 1 – Disable HomeGroup Service

First solution involves leaving HomeGroup and disabling its service. Follow the instructions below to remove HomeGroup from Windows.

  1. Press Windows key and type in ‘homegroup’. Select the first option.
  2. From the next screen, select Leave the homegroup… under Other homegroup actions.
  3. You will see a prompt warning you of the consequences of leaving homegroup. Click Leave the homegroup option. Wait for the process to complete then move to next step.
  4. Press Windows + R key together to open Run dialog. Type in ‘services.msc’ and press Enter.
  5. This will open a new Services Window with all the services mentioned in it.
  6. Scroll down till you find HomeGroup Listener service. Double-click on it to open its properties.
  7. In the properties Window, change Startup type: from Manual to Disabled.
  8. Now click on the Stop button to stop the service.
  9. Click on Apply to apply the changes and then click OK to close the Window.

You won’t see Homegroup icon in Windows 10 anymore.

See Also: How to Fix “This App Can’t Open” Error on Windows 10

Solution 2 – Change HomeGroup Registry

  1. Press Windows + R key to open Run dialog and then type in ‘regedit’ and press
  2. Enter. This will open Registry Editor Window.
    Go to the following key in left pane of Registry Editor HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\CLSID\{B4FB3F98-C1EA-428d-A78A-D1F5659CBA93}.
  3. Once you select the key, you will see some options in the right pane. Double-click on the option named System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree.
  4. Change its value to 0. Close Registry Editor.

By now, Homegroup icon should be removed from the File Explorer on Windows 10.

Solution 3 – Change HomeGroup Settings

Another alternate way to remove HomeGroup option from Windows 10 is to change Homegroup advance settings. Follow the steps below to change the settings.

  1. Press Windows key and type in ‘homegroup’. Select the first option.
  2. From the Homegroup Window, select Change advance sharing settings…
  3. From the next Window, open the Private options. Change the settings as follows:
  4. Network discovery : select Turn Off network discovery.
  5. File and printer sharing : select Turn off file and printer sharing.
  6. HomeGroup connections : select Use user accounts and passwords to connect to other computers.
  7. Click on Save changes at the bottom right corner of the Window.
  8. You might want to restart your PC to apply these changes.

After these steps, you PC won’t connect to HomeGroup automatically and your Windows 10 PC will be removed from homegroup.

So there you have it – 3 easy and simple ways to remove HomeGroup from Windows 10. You will not see the Homegroup options in File Explorer or My Computer anymore.

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