In an increasingly connected world, an indispensable component for all computers is the Firewall, which is the tool that filters incoming and outgoing connections, blocking unauthorized access to malicious programs and intruders . Not knowing how to adjust the firewall will inevitably lead to an intrusion or a heavy infection on the PC, perhaps because it has always confirmed itself on Yes without checking what we were giving access to. In order to understand well the functioning of this very important security tool, in this guide we will show you how to activate, control and manage the Windows Firewall in a simple way ; if we are already more experienced users, we will also show you how to access the advanced firewall control panel and how to reactivate Windows Firewall in case of blockages or problems. All the steps described have been made for the Windows 10 firewall, which is the most popular operating system: many commands and screens, however, can also be found on old operating systems, that is, Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 .
How to activate and control the Windows Firewall
If we are novice users and / or do not know anything about how a firewall works, click on the Start menu at the bottom left and click on the gear-shaped button, so as to open the settings of Window 10. From here we go in the path Update and security -> Windows security -> Firewall and network protection . We will find ourselves in the simplified firewall management screen integrated in Windows.
To verify that the firewall is active, click on the currently active network (indicated as active among the three available items), then make sure that there is a check mark Activated in the Windows Defender Firewall section. For greater security, make sure that the same item is also active in the types of network that you currently do not use (usually Domain network and Public network ).
If we want to check if an app has had permissions to access the Internet or if we want to block any connection, simply click on the Allow app via firewall item .
In the new window we click on Change settings at the top right, then scroll down the list until you find the app that's right for you. To authorize access to the computer, we will have to put the check mark on the Private and Public columns (or even just one of them, to prevent some app from working under hotspots), or remove any check mark, so as to block the application (which will no longer be able to access the Internet).
If the app or program is not present in the list, just search for its executable by clicking below on Allow another app, to add it to this list.
Note : many apps signed and recognized by Microsoft configure themselves automatically, without user intervention (they apply the necessary permissions to navigate correctly by themselves. If instead we run an unknown or unsigned app we will be shown a warning window of Windows Firewall, where we can choose whether to authorize access on private networks and / or public networks (according to our needs), by placing a check mark on the items Private networks or Public networks and clicking below on Allow access .
To block Internet access from this screen, simply remove both check marks from the warning window and click Cancel .
If a sudden attack or infection threatens the PC, we can immediately block every connection by going to the Settings menu and in the path Update and security -> Windows security -> Firewall and network protection, clicking on the type of network marked as active and checking the Block all incoming connections box , including those in the list of allowed apps .
In this way a "gate" will be lowered onto our computer and no program will be able to access the Internet, even authorized ones.
How to configure Windows Firewall in advanced mode
If we are already Windows users but do not know how to configure the firewall as a real network administrator, here we will show you how.First we open the Start menu at the bottom left and search for Windows Firewall, taking care to select Windows Defender Firewall with advanced security .
From this screen we will be able to check the authorized incoming and outgoing connections, by clicking on the respective items Incoming connection rules and Outgoing connection rules, as well as checking the security rules for individual connections, by clicking on Connection security rules .
To get a summary of what is authorized or not for the type of connection in use, click on Monitoring, then on the item Display active firewall rules .
Once we have identified a suspicious process or program to be blocked, we right-click on its rule (present in Incoming connection rules and Outgoing connection rules ), select Properties and, in the Operation section, choose how to behave among Allow the connection, Allow the connection only if protected and Block the connection .
We click Apply and OK to confirm the change. Remember that each type of network has its own rules: to make the change specific for only one type of network (or for all), we right-click on the modified rule, go to the Advanced tab and remove (or remove) the check mark at one of the environments available between Domain, Private and Public .
To add a new rule for a program, right-click on Incoming connection rules or Outgoing connection rules, then click New rule . In the window that will open we choose the type of rule to insert, insert the program path, the type of operation to be set (whether or not to allow access), on what type of network to apply it and finally the name of the rule. When finished, click Finish to add our personal rule.
How to reactivate Windows Firewall
When the PC or some program cannot connect to the internet there may be a firewall configuration problem.To quickly solve all the problems (by canceling the changes and additions of rules made up to that moment), we can restore the Windows Firewall by clicking on the Start menu at the bottom left, looking for Windows Firewall and selecting the Windows Defender Firewall item with confidence advanced . From the window that will open, make sure that the item Windows Defender Firewall with advanced security is selected at the top left, then click on the item Restore default policy, this time on the right side. A warning window will appear, on which to confirm the edit by clicking Yes .
In a few seconds Windows Firewall will be returned to the original configuration, as just installed.
If for some reason (perhaps a virus) the firewall management window does not open and you are unable to reactivate or restore it, click on the bottom left of the Start menu, look for the Command Prompt, right click on of it, select Run as administrator and, in the dark window that will appear, enter the following command.
netsh advfirewall reset
Conclusions
Configuring the firewall correctly will allow you to protect our operating system and our data from external attacks and viruses, especially if we grant access permissions with the right attention.
If we are looking for good alternatives to the firewall integrated in Windows, we advise you to read our guide to the Best Free Firewalls for Windows PC, where we can find the third-party firewall suitable to increase our security.
We use a Mac "> How to activate the firewall on Mac.
