Change Network Location in Windows Server 2012
There are times after configuring Windows Server 2012 that the network location seems to be stuck on Public instead of Private. This can cause some issues especially with remote access as the Windows Firewall rules are different based on the network location. This issue may not be so common for users in a domain environment because after joining the server to the domain the profile will switch to Domain. This article will describe how to manually change the network profile of Windows Server 2012 from Public to Private for non-domain joined servers.
1. After accessing the server, Open the Server Manager Console from either the pinned taskbar icon or from the Start Menu
2. In the top right hand corner, locate and select Tools > Local Security Policy
3. In the Local Security Policy MMC, Choose Network List Manager Policies on the left hand side
4. Right click (or double click) Network in the center window
5. In the Network Properties window, Navigate to the Network Location Tab
6. Change the radio button in the Location Type section to Private
7. Click OK and close all windows
The network location will now be marked as Private in the Network and Sharing Center.
You should not need to restart the server for these settings to become active, however if the location hasn’t changed in the Network and Sharing Center, give the server a restart to see if the changes are made.
