For years now I have used homegroup to transfer and backup file on my five Windows laptops. With the new 2018 spring update (1803) Microsoft has terminated homegroup and replaced it with "Nearby sharing." As it turns out, that for me, this a bigger issue then you might expect.
Of the 5 laptops I have only 4 will work with "Nearby sharing", the fifth will not run it at all. Even with the 4 that do run it it is more awkward then homegroup.
Nearby sharing will only allow you to transfer files to another computer. And then they have to be accepted by the operator of the other computer. Let me give you and example:
My wife has an Excel file that she created and would like to share it with me. I know, there are a dozen different ways to do it. But with homegroup she simply puts it on her desktop and I click on homegroup and her computer, and transfer the file locally to my computer. As long as her computer is on, she doesn't even have to be there. As well if she is in the middle of something I don't have to interrupt her to transfer a file to her. We can be in different rooms as long are we are on the same network. Simple and Easy.
With "Nearby sharing" we go to the file we want to transfer right click on it and click share. You then see a list of computers that are close (it uses bluetooth to do the transfer) , select one then send. The other person has to immediately interrupt what they are doing and accept the file and then transfer it appropriate directory.
As I said, it onlyworks on 4 of my 5 laptops For the other one I have to go back to sneaker net (USB Drive) or transfer the file using a cloud drive. Inconvenient!
