How to Enable File and Printer Sharing through the Windows Firewall with Advanced Security using Group Policy

Prerequisites

You will require the Group Policy Management Tools on Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Server 2008, Windows or Server 2012. These are part of the Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT) availabale form the Microsoft web site.

Instructions

To enable access to File and Printer Sharing on computers using the Windows Firewall with Advanced Security (Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2012) please follow these instuctions.

1. Edit an existing Group Policy object or create a new one using the Group Policy Management Tool.
2. Expand the Computer Configuration/Policies/Windows Settings/Security Settings/Windows Firewall with Advanced Security/Windows Firewall with Advanced Security/Inbound Rules node.
3. Check the Predefined: radio button and select File and Pinter Sharing from the drop down list. Click Next
4. Check the File and Pinter Sharing rules for the Domain Profile and click Next.
5. Check the Allow the Connection radio botton and click Finish to exit and save the new rule.
6. Make sure the Group Policy Object is applied to the relevant computers using the Group Policy Management Tool.