How to Set Up a Mobile Hotspot

Starting with the Anniversary Update, Windows 10 users with mobile PCs and devices can quickly and easily enable mobile hotspot functionality, allowing you to share your Internet connection with up to 8 other devices.

Note: This article is an excerpt from the Windows 10 Field Guide. This book is now being updated for free with a ton of new content describing new Windows 10 features from the Anniversary update. –Paul

The shared network is a standard Wi-Fi network, and thus can be used by any device that has a Wi-Fi connection.

Note: You need Wi-Fi to share your connection, but the connection you’re sharing can be an Ethernet (wired), Wi-Fi, or cellular connection.

To share your Internet connection, navigate to Settings, Networking & Internet, Mobile hotspot.

Now, enable the “Share my Internet connection with others” option. (The “Share my Internet connection from” option is correctly set to Wi-Fi by default.)

By default, Windows 10 provides pretty terrible network name and password options. To edit these, select the Edit button and type in better, more easily remembered options.

Your shared network will now appear alongside other nearby Wi-Fi networks when you check for a connection on your other devices. Disable this feature when you’re done sharing.

Tip: You can toggle your shared Internet connection most easily with the Mobile Hotspot tile in Action Center. To do so, launch Action Center (WINKEY + A) and locate the Mobile Hotspot tile. (If it’s not visible, select the small “Expand” link above the group of tiles at the bottom of the pane.) Just select this tile to enable and, in turn, disable the hotspot.