Turn Your Windows PC into a Wi-Fi Router & Fix File Explorer’s Broken Dark Mode (For Real)

Ever been stuck in a hotel room or during a power outage with nothing but your Ethernet-connected PC

and a phone desperately searching for Wi-Fi? Or maybe you've enabled Windows' “Dark Mode” expecting visual relief, only to open File Explorer and be hit with a searing white screen?

If you've nodded yes to either, this article is your rescue mission. We're diving into two incredibly useful, often overlooked tweaks in Windows:

1. How to turn your Windows PC into a wireless hotspot—no third-party apps required.
2. How to fully enable File Explorer’s real Dark Mode, even when Microsoft forgets to do it for you.

Let’s dig in.

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Part 1: Turn Your Windows PC into a Wi-Fi Router

Windows has a built-in feature that can turn your PC into a Wi-Fi hotspot. It’s not well advertised, but it’s reliable when configured correctly. Here’s how you can activate it and share your internet connection instantly.

Step 1: Check If Your PC Supports Hosted Networks

Before you begin, you’ll need to ensure your wireless card supports hosted networking. Here's how:

1. Press Windows + X, choose Command Prompt (Admin) or Windows Terminal (Admin).
2. Type the following command and press Enter: netsh wlan show drivers
3. Look for the line that reads Hosted network supported. If it says Yes, you're ready to roll. If it says No, unfortunately, your Wi-Fi adapter doesn't support this feature.

Step 2: Create Your Hotspot

With support confirmed, it’s time to set up your network.

In the same Command Prompt window, type:

netsh wlan set hostednetwork mode=allow ssid=MySecretWiFi key=1234abcd

• ssid=MySecretWiFi → This is the name of your hotspot. You can rename it to whatever you want.
• key=1234abcd → This is the password. Change it to something secure before sharing the connection.

Step 3: Share Your Internet Connection

Most guides stop here—but without this next part, your hotspot won’t have internet.

1. Open the Control Panel.
2. Navigate to: Network and Sharing Center > Change adapter settings.
3. Right-click your main internet connection (likely Ethernet), and click Properties.
4. Go to the Sharing tab.
5. Check the box that says: “Allow other network users to connect through this computer’s internet connection”.
6. Select your new hosted network from the dropdown if prompted.

Step 4: Launch Your Hotspot

Back in Command Prompt, start your hotspot by running:

netsh wlan start hostednetwork

Connect your mobile device to the new Wi-Fi network you just created. If everything’s set up right, you

should have full access to the internet.

Pro tip: If your device doesn’t connect or the internet doesn’t work, double-check the network sharing

settings or restart your PC.

Part 2: Fix Dark Mode in File Explorer (Properly)

Microsoft’s “Dark Mode” has been around for a while, but many users discover that File Explorer stubbornly remains in bright white mode—even after enabling Dark Mode in settings. Luckily, there's a hidden registry tweak that enforces true dark mode.

⚠ Note: Modifying the Windows Registry can be risky. Follow these steps precisely and back up your registry beforehand.

Step 1: Open Registry Editor

1. Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog.
2. Type regedit and press Enter.
3. Navigate to the following path:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Themes\Personalize

You can copy-paste the path into the address bar at the top of Registry Editor to jump straight to it.

Step 2: Add the Hidden Dark Mode Key

Inside the Personalize folder:

1. Right-click in the right-hand pane and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
2. Name the new entry exactly: AppsUseLightTheme
3. Double-click it and set its Value Data to 0.

This setting tells Windows to not use the light theme for apps like File Explorer—effectively forcing Dark Mode.

Step 3: Restart File Explorer

For changes that do not take effect immediately:

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
2. Locate Windows Explorer, right-click it, and select Restart or simply End task and it’ll automatically restart itself.

Your desktop will flash briefly, and File Explorer should now open in full dark mode. If it doesn’t, reboot your system.

Final Thoughts

With just a few commands and one registry edit, you've now:

• Transformed your Windows PC into a fully functional Wi-Fi hotspot.
• Activated a complete Dark Mode experience inside File Explorer.

These are simple yet powerful tweaks that Microsoft doesn’t always make obvious—but they’re game changers for power users, travelers, and night owls alike.

If this helped you out, consider bookmarking this post or sharing it with a fellow Windows user who could use a hand.

Got stuck or want more advanced tweaks? Drop your question in the comments—Happy tweaking!