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Do I need to disable the Windows 10 firewall?

The Windows 10 Firewall, also known as Windows Firewall, is a kind of firewall that takes control of which applications access certain networks. Often, the Windows Firewall is the reason why some application cannot access the network or does not work properly. Because of this, many users are asking a reasonable question about disabling or configuring the firewall in Windows 10.

Note: All actions described in this article must be performed from an account with administrator rights. Otherwise, you will need a password for it.

How to disable the firewall via PowerShell or Command Line

Let's start with perhaps the simplest method, which will take you a minimum of time and effort. This method will allow you to disable the Windows 10 firewall using PowerShell or Command Prompt. If you want, you can use other methods described later in this article.

How to disable Windows 10 Firewall through Services

Windows Firewall is a separate service in the operating system. You can stop it from working in the Windows services settings section.


From this interface, you can activate the firewall as follows:

  1. Select Startup Type – Automatic, and then Apply.
  2. Click Launch. The firewall is activated.

Disable Windows 10 Firewall in Control Panel

An extremely simple way. Perhaps the most difficult thing will be to find the Control Panel, since Microsoft hid it quite far away with the Windows 10 Creators Update.


The firewall will return to its working state if you use the PowerShell / Command Line command in the article above, click on the security notification, or follow all the steps described above, only specify the firewall parameter in the firewall settings Enable Windows Firewall.

How to disable Windows 10 Firewall via Windows Defender Security Center

This is a very simple method, but it is only relevant for those devices that run Windows 10 Creators Update (1703) and higher.


Reactivating the firewall through Windows Defender Security Center works exactly the same way.

How to add a program to Windows 10 firewall exceptions

Disabling the firewall is sometimes too drastic a method. Sometimes all you need to do is register the application in the firewall rules and allow it to connect. By default, Windows will automatically ask you to allow network access. Usually this is enough, but it also happens that you make the wrong button or need to change a parameter. In this case, you will need to do the following:


A firewall or firewall is a program that is designed to protect a PC from hacker attacks via a local network or the Internet. It analyzes all incoming and outgoing traffic and, if necessary, blocks it. In general, disabling the firewall is not required. It works stably and does not disturb the user with pop-up notifications. However, if a firewall is blocking the installation, launch of a program, or a trusted site, it can be disabled in several ways.

Disable firewall in Windows 10 using the command line

You can turn off the firewall in several ways: through the cmd console, Control Panel, services. The simplest is the first method. If you are interested in how to disable the firewall in Windows 10 via the command line, you should do the following:

  • Press “Win+R” and enter “cmd”.
  • The console will open. Enter “netsh advfirewall set allprofiles state off”, click “Enter”.

  • The firewall or firewall is disabled.

To turn the defender back on, enter “netsh advfirewall set allprofiles state on” in the command line.

Disable the firewall through the Control Panel

Through the Control Panel, the user can enable or disable many components of Windows 10, including the firewall. To do this, just follow these steps:

  • Click “Start”, “Control Panel”, “System and Security”, in the left menu select “Turn Windows Firewall on or off” (or set the view mode to small icons and immediately select the desired section).

  • A new section will open. Marks "Disabled".

IMPORTANT! Before disabling the firewall, it is worth installing a third-party antivirus.

Stopping the firewall completely in Windows 10

If, after disabling the firewall via the Control Panel or the command line, the defender still continues to work, you should stop the service itself. It is she who is responsible for the operation of the firewall. To do this, follow the instructions:

  • Press “Win+R” and enter “services.msc”.

  • A new window will open. We are looking for the Windows Firewall service. Double click to open it.

  • In a small window we set “Disabled” (startup type) and “Stopped”.

  • After disabling the service, the firewall will be completely stopped.

Adding the file to the firewall exception

Any file can be added not only to the antivirus exception, but also to the standard firewall. To do this, we perform the following actions:

  • Click “Start”, “Control Panel”, select “Windows Firewall”. In the menu on the left, select “Allow interactions with applications...”.

  • A new window will open. Click on the “Allow another application” button. The window will appear again. Specify the path to the program. You can also specify what types of networks it is intended for.

  • The file or program is included in the firewall exceptions.

Disabling additional firewalls in Windows 10

If you are using a third-party firewall, such as Comodo Firewall, you can disable it in the following way:

  • Open the program window. Next to the “Comprehensive protection” item, set the “Disabled” checkbox.

  • Next, open the “Auto-Sandbox” and “HIPS” tools and also set the value to “Disabled”.

This method can temporarily disable protection. If you want to completely remove a third-party firewall, we recommend using the “Programs” section in the Control Panel.

To learn how to disable the standard firewall in Windows 10, watch the video:

This article will show you how to disable the firewall in Windows 10 using the command line and Control Panel, as well as how to add an application to exceptions so that the firewall does not filter traffic passing through it.

A firewall is a tool integrated into Windows to ensure system security by scanning incoming and outgoing packets and blocking them in accordance with specified rules and settings. By default, the application blocks connections that, according to its developers, pose a threat to the computer.

Disabling the Windows 10 firewall via the command line is the fastest method of deactivating the firewall built into the Ten. To do this, you need to open the command line with administrator privileges using the Win+X menu. In the window that opens, enter “netsh advfirewall set allprofiles state off” and confirm the execution of the command by pressing the “Enter” key.

Successful execution of the command will result in a pop-up window notifying you that the Windows firewall is disabled and prompting you to run the application. This can be done in a similar way by entering the command: “netsh advfirewall set allprofiles state on” into the CMD prompt running as a user with administrator rights.

Enter “services.msc” into the search bar and press “Enter”. In the window that opens, find the service called “Windows 10 Firewall”, call it “Properties” and select “Disabled” in the drop-down menu.

Deactivating the firewall through the control panel

The second way to opt out of the protection imposed by Microsoft is to use the control panel functionality.

1. Go to the control panel via Win+X or right-click on Start.

2. Switch the arrangement of window elements to “View” if “Categories” is enabled.

3. Call the applet called “Windows Firewall”. Steps 2-3 can be combined into one by entering the appropriate query in the search bar located at the top.

5. Set both parameters (for public and private networks) to the last position “Disable...”.

6. Apply the new settings by clicking “Ok”.

Working with the list of exceptions

In addition to disabling the firewall, its functionality allows you to add trusted applications to the exclusion list, after which the defender will not monitor the network traffic passing through such a program. This is also done in two ways.

Method No. 1

1. Go to the firewall settings through the control panel.

3. Click “Change settings”.

Administrator privileges are required to perform the action.

4. Set the path to the exception file using the “Browse” button.

If necessary, specify the types of networks using the corresponding button.

5. Click “Add”, then “Ok”.

Method No. 2

Let's look at how to disable the firewall in Windows 10 using the second method, which does not work in the home edition of Ten. It is more complex for a beginner, but allows you to exclude ports from being scanned by the firewall.

1. In the firewall settings window, click “Advanced settings”.

2. In the window that appears, click “Outgoing connections”, then create a new rule.

3. Follow the wizard’s instructions, specifying the target object (port or application).

All other rules are created in the same way and come into force immediately after clicking on the “Finish” button.

Where all the key points are discussed in detail.

However, we cannot ignore the modern “top ten”, which is successfully optimized not only for “classic” desktop PCs, but also for mobile devices.

Where can I find a firewall on Windows 10?

In order to find the firewall in Windows 10, you will need to follow these steps:

  • - go to the “Control Panel”;
  • - select “All control panel elements”;
  • - find the icon with the inscription: “Windows 10 Firewall”.

Also, to open the Windows 10 firewall, you can enter the search command in the “Run” window and select the appropriate line in the list that opens (the firewall will be in the top “position”).

Sometimes (due to operating system errors) the opening of the firewall is blocked through direct links, so you need to use the system command: firewall.cpl.

How to enable Windows 10 firewall?

To enable the firewall on Windows 10, follow these instructions:

  • - in the firewall window, find the link “Turn Windows Firewall on or off”;
  • - turn on the program using the “Enable” button;
  • - confirm the action with “OK”.

The private and public network firewall settings section is enabled by checking the appropriate boxes next to the phrase: “turn on Windows Firewall.”

Do you need a windows 10 firewall?

In general, Windows 10 is not much different from its predecessor, and accordingly, setting up firewall settings is similar, with the exception of some features. It is worth noting that correct configuration of the firewall is necessary for the correct operation of the operating system and the computer as a whole.

Setting up the Windows 10 firewall starts with defining the security settings for your computer. For example, if the user of your computer is a child, teenager or elderly person (i.e. not a particularly experienced “user”), then it makes sense to “tighten” the settings a little. On the other hand, if you are an experienced Internet user who is familiar with the “intricacies” of computer operation, then in most cases you yourself can identify obviously virus sites and leave them in time. Therefore, there is no point in tightening the control on the part of the firewall.

Do not forget that tightened control will lead to the fact that most sites and even search engines will be blocked.

How to configure the Windows 10 firewall?

In order to manually configure the firewall, you need to:

  • - open the firewall window;
  • - go to the page “Allow interactions with applications and components in the Windows Firewall”;
  • - allow or block certain applications.

It's worth noting that the main purpose of a firewall is to protect your computer (and your data) from intruders. In this regard, setting up the Windows 10 firewall must be approached “with all responsibility”: it is worth limiting free access to all possible ports.

Thus, the checkbox next to the sentence “Allow all local ports” practically blocks the operation of the firewall, since if an attempt is made to hack the system, it will not be able to “close” access to this port and cut off the attacker’s signal.

Also, when setting up a firewall, you need to specify Windows 10 firewall exceptions - i.e. programs that are allowed to run by default.

This list is formed as follows:

  • - go to the firewall;
  • - in the window that opens, click “Browse” and after selecting the appropriate application, click “Add”;
  • - the program will appear in the list of allowed programs.

Many people are scared by the very word “firewall”, and the question of how to set it up on Windows 10 completely confuses them. Therefore, we decided to prepare a large instruction, telling about what kind of tool it is and how to work with it.

The term is inextricably linked with the term firewall. But they are not synonymous, as other resources sometimes erroneously write on the Internet. Both tools are systems for protecting and securing your Windows computer and are responsible for connecting to the Internet.

Internet Connection Firewall allows you to set only parameters and security policies, while the firewall (via “e” is the second name of the tool) allows you to configure and control access of various software to the network. Including from third-party developers. For example, with its help you can stop the exchange of information and other programs.

What settings are available?

Before we go directly to the settings, let's look at what options there are:

  • Disable completely;
  • Set exceptions;
  • Set other parameters;

Let's look at each parameter separately.

How to disable the firewall in Windows 10

If you have installed or any other product that includes a more professional solution than the one built into the OS, then the desire to disable the built-in function is quite logical. This is the simplest thing you can do, and the whole process will take you no more than 1 minute. It is described in detail in the video:

You need to run the command. To do this, open the command line, read how to do this in or simply launch it from the Start panel. Next you will need to enter the command: netsh advfirewall set allprofiles state off. Don't make any changes, just copy, paste and press Enter. After all operations, the status “OK” will appear in the line, and at the bottom on the right side of the screen you will see a notification that the firewall is disabled.

If after some time you want to return everything as it was, then use the same command to turn it on. Just change OFF to ON.

Please note that if you do not have any protection installed, or even a free antivirus, then such disabling actions can lead to disastrous results. For example, your PC will be infected or your data will fall into the hands of attackers.

Setting up an exception

If you are generally satisfied with the work, but are having problems with specific software. For example, you downloaded it and the built-in defender does not allow it to work. This happens all the time, especially with keygens and other software not downloaded from the official website or unlicensed. In this case, if you trust the developer and are sure that the software will not actually harm your PC, you can add a specific utility to the exclusion list and it will no longer cause problems. It's simple.

The first thing you need to do is go to the control panel. This is also available from the start menu, but you need to right-click on it and then find the corresponding item:

A new window will open. It may have a different appearance than in our photo below. To get the same picture, you need to select the “Large icons” display. And on the screen find the Windows Firewall item.

You need to find the Allow interactions with apps or features setting. We click on it. A new window will open where you will see the entire list of programs installed on your PC. Sometimes it happens that the (problematic) utility you need is not available. For example, if it is not yet installed, but is only a downloaded .exe file.

To add or manage settings, you need to click on the “Change settings” button. After that, click on the button below “Allow another application”. Please note that you will definitely need to have administrator rights to perform all of these steps.

In the window that opens, you need to find, as in a regular Explorer, the software you need or just an exe file, select it and click OK. This will add the utility to the allowed list. This will be the exception.

If you no longer need a certain utility, or you want Defender to check it along with the others, then you need to select this software, for example, select it in the general list and click “Delete” below. Before doing this, we recommend that you select such a utility and click the “Details” button, so you will know what exactly you are enabling or disabling.