Changing Windows Server 2012 network type manually

Network Profiles were first introduced as part of Windows Firewall with Advanced Features in Vista/2008 to allow administrators to configure different firewall profiles based upon what network a user connects to. Administrators could change the profile by navigating to Network and Sharing Center in control panel and selecting the profile which suits their needs.

In Server 2012, Administrators can no longer change the network profile in Network and Sharing Center, they can view just not change.

The default profile in Windows Server 2012 is public. This changes automatically when you join the server to the domain however in the event your server is not to be joined to the domain, you need to change the profile manually yourself.

To change the network profile you must use the new PowerShell cmdlets introduced in PowerShell version 4 in Windows Server 2012.

Get-NetConnectionProfile | Set-NetConnectionProfile -NetworkCategory Private

After making this change, it will update in Network and Sharing Center.