By Aurelie | Follow |Last Updated
You may try to enable UPnP to improve your game experience but do you know what it is and how to enable it on your device? This post on MiniTool Website will teach you how to enable UPnP step by step.
What Is UPnP?
UPnP is short for Universal Plug and Play and it is a protocol that allows applications and other devices on your network to open and close ports automatically to connect with each other. UPnP is so convenient because none of the devices on your network need configuring manually to discover a new device.
UPnP can be used in the following situations:
- Streaming content with a media server
- Streaming online games
- Remote home surveillance
- Digital home assistants
Although it has so many advantages, its shortcoming is pretty evident. UPnP can be used by a malicious application to influence the computer with malware because of the open nature of architecture. This will threaten the devices that are used on a public network while it is harmless on a home network.
After having a basic understanding of UPnP, let me walk you through how to enable it on different devices.
How to Enable UPnP on Router?
At first, you need to enable UPnP on the homepage of your router. Here’s how to enable it on different types of routers.
Tips:
If you cannot see your router brand below, don’t worry! All the instructions are similar on different devices. You can change them a bit to make them work for you.
TP-Link
Step 1. Log in as an administrator.
Step 2. Go to Advanced > NAT Forwarding >UPnP.
Step 3. Turn on UPnP.
Tips:
Some TP-Link routers don’t require you to go to the Advanced option, so you can skip this step.
D-Link
Step 1. Log in as an administrator.
Step 2. Hit ADVANCED NETWORK or UPNP SETTINGS from the left side.
Step 3. Tick Enable UPnP and hit Save Settings.
Tips:
You may also go to Tools > Misc > hit Enabled from UPnP Settings > Apply & OK.
ASUS
Step 1. Enter the router username and password.
Step 2. Go to Advanced Settings > Wan > Internet Connection > Tick Yes beside Enable UPnP > hit Apply.
Google Fiber
Step 1. Sign in to Fiber.
Step 2. Tap on Network > Advanced > Ports > toggle on Universal Plug and Play > hit Apply.
How to Enable UPnP on PC/PlayStation/Xbox?
After turning on UPnP on the router, you also need to enable it for Windows, Xbox or PlayStation. Here’s how to enable UPnP Windows 10/11/8/7, Xbox and PlayStation.
How to Enable UPnP Windows 11/10/8/7?
Step 1. Open your Control Panel and go to Network and Internet.
Step 2. Go to Network and Sharing Center > Change advanced sharing settings.
Step 3. Under Network discovery, tick Turn on network discovery and hit Save changes. Now, UPnP has been enabled on your device.
How to Enable UPnP on PlayStation?
Unlike any other console, PlayStation can automatically detect and apply the network configuration settings. Therefore, you only need to power cycle your console after configuring the router as indicated above.
How to Enable UPnP on Xbox?
UPnP will be automatically enabled on Xbox after you enable it from the router. If the NAT type is running in Open NAT, it means that UPnP is enabled.
Step 1. Go to Settings > Networks > Setup New Wireless Network.
Step 2. Under Troubleshooting, choose Test NAT type and it will automatically configure the device to run on an Open NAT. Then, UPnP will be enabled on your device.
You may be interested in: How to Fix UPnP Not Successful Xbox One Error [Quickest Fix]
About The Author
Position: Columnist
Aurelie is a passionate soul who always enjoys researching & writing articles and solutions to help others. Her posts mainly cover topics related to games, data backup & recovery, file sync and so on. Apart from writing, her primary interests include reading novels and poems, travelling and listening to country music.