- Disable the Windows 10 firewall by going to Windows Security > Firewall & network protection.
- Turn off the “Microsoft Defender Firewall” toggle switch to disable the firewall.
- Turn on the “Microsoft Defender Firewall” toggle switch to enable the firewall.
- Other methods include using the Control Panel and commands.
On Windows 10, the Microsoft Defender Firewall is a feature that checks incoming and outgoing network traffic to allow or block traffic depending on predefined rules to protect your device from unauthorized access.
Although it’s recommended to keep this feature enabled, there are many reasons to disable the firewall. For example, when you want to use another firewall solution or you have to test a network or app connection.
Whatever the reason, Windows 10 allows you to disable and enable the firewall using Windows Security, Control Panel, Command Prompt, and even PowerShell.
This guide will teach you the steps to enable (and disable) the built-in firewall on Windows 10.
- Disable firewall on Windows 10
- Disable firewall on Windows 10 from Control Panel
- Disable firewall on Windows 10 from Command Prompt
- Disable firewall on Windows 10 from PowerShell
Disable firewall on Windows 10
To disable the firewall on Windows 10, use these steps:
Open Start on Windows 10.
Search for Windows Security and click the top result to open the app.
Click on Firewall & network protection.
Choose the network to disable the firewall.
Turn off the “Microsoft Defender Firewall” toggle switch to disable the windows 10 firewall.
Once you complete the steps, the firewall will be disabled for the network profile you’re currently using. If you want to disable the firewall for all networks, make sure to turn off the security feature for all the profiles, including “Domain network,” “Private network,” and “Public network.”
Enable Windows 10 firewall
To enable the firewall on Windows 10, use these steps:
Open Start on Windows 10.
Search for Windows Security and click the top result to open the app.
Click on Firewall & network protection.
Click the “Turn on” button from the network profile to enable the Windows 10 firewall. (Or click the Restore settings button.)
After you complete the steps, the Windows 10 firewall will enable again on your device.
Disable firewall on Windows 10 from Control Panel
To disable Microsoft Defender Firewall on Windows 10 through Control Panel, use these steps:
Open Control Panel.
Click on System and Security.
Click the Windows Defender Firewall option.
Click the “Turn Windows Defender Firewall on or off” option from the left pane.
Under the “Private network settings” section, choose the “Turn off Microsoft Defender Firewall” option to disable the firewall for the private network.
Under the “Public network settings” section, choose the “Turn off Microsoft Defender Firewall” option to disable the firewall for the public network.
Click the OK button.
Once you complete the steps, the firewall will start to protect your computer from malicious connections.
Enable firewall from Control Panel
To enable the firewall with Control Panel, use these steps:
Open Control Panel.
Click on System and Security.
Click on Windows Defender Firewall.
Click the “Turn Windows Defender Firewall on or off” option from the left pane.
Quick tip: You can also click the Use recommended settings button to enable the firewall for all network profiles.
Under the “Private network settings” section, choose the “Turn on Microsoft Defender Firewall” option to enable the firewall for the private network.
Under the “Public network settings” section, choose the “Turn on Microsoft Defender Firewall” option to enable the firewall for the public network.
Click the OK button.
Alternatively, you can always click the Use the recommended settings button from the Microsoft Defender Firewall page.
Disable firewall on Windows 10 from Command Prompt
To disable the Windows 10 firewall with commands, use these steps:
Open Start.
Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.
Type the following command to enable the firewall for the current network profile and press Enter:
netsh advfirewall set currentprofile state off
(Optional) Type the following command to disable the firewall for all network profiles (domain, private, and public) on Windows 10 and press Enter:
netsh advfirewall set allprofiles state off
(Optional) Type the following command to disable the firewall for the domain network profile and press Enter:
netsh advfirewall set domainprofile state off
(Optional) Type the following command to disable the firewall for the private network profile and press Enter:
netsh advfirewall set privateprofile state off
(Optional) Type the following command to disable the firewall for the public network profile and press Enter:
netsh advfirewall set publicprofile state off
After you complete the steps, the Windows 10 firewall will be disabled for your specified network profiles.
Enable firewall from Command Prompt
To enable the Windows 10 firewall using Command Prompt, use these steps:
Open Start.
Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.
Type the following command to enable the firewall for the current network profile and press Enter:
netsh advfirewall set currentprofile state on
(Optional) Type the following command to enable the firewall for all network profiles (domain, private, and public) and press Enter:
netsh advfirewall set allprofiles state on
(Optional) Type the following command to enable the firewall for the domain network profile and press Enter:
netsh advfirewall set domainprofile state on
(Optional) Type the following command to enable the firewall for the private network profile and press Enter:
netsh advfirewall set privateprofile state on
(Optional) Type the following command to enable the firewall for the public network profile and press Enter:
netsh advfirewall set publicprofile state on
Once you complete the steps, the firewall will enable on the network profiles you specified.
Disable firewall on Windows 10 from PowerShell
To disable the firewall on Windows 10 using PowerShell commands, use these steps:
Open Start.
Search for PowerShell, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.
Type the following command to disable the firewall for the current network profile and press Enter:
Set-NetFirewallProfile -Profile Domain,Public,Private -Enabled False
Quick tip: If you only want to disable the firewall for a specific profile, you can remove the profile name (Domain, Public, or Private) from the command. For example,
Set-NetFirewallProfile -Profile Private -Enabled False
.
After you complete the steps, the Windows 10 firewall will be disabled on your device.
Enable firewall from PowerShell
To enable the Windows 10 firewall with PowerShell, use these steps:
Open Start.
Search for PowerShell, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.
Type the following command to enable the firewall for the current network profile and press Enter:
Set-NetFirewallProfile -Profile Domain,Public,Private -Enabled True
Quick tip: If you only want to enable the firewall for a specific profile, you can remove the profile name (Domain, Public, or Private) from the command. For example,
Set-NetFirewallProfile -Profile Private -Enabled True
.
Once you complete the steps, the firewall will allow or deny network access depending on the configured rules.