How To Disable Firewall On Windows?

Windows Firewall filters network traffic and protects your PC from unauthorized attacks through your network. Disabling the firewall on your computer makes it vulnerable to malicious viruses and unauthorized access.

Key Takeaways

• Windows Defender Firewall is a built-in firewall that protects the operating system and user data from network-based threats.
• You can use the Windows Security app and Windows Defender Firewall in Windows 11 to disable VPN.
• There are four ways to disable the firewall in Windows 10, Windows Security Settings, Windows Defender Firewall app, Command Prompt, and PowerShell commands.

What Happens When You Turn Off Firewall?

A firewall filters all data packets entering and leaving your network. It defends your computer from outsider attacks such as hackers and malware programs. Disabling the firewall leaves your network traffic unchecked, and malicious data can corrupt your operating system by entering through the network, putting user privacy and security at stake.

If you are on an organization’s network, disabling the firewall could mean exposing the system network, including all end devices, to danger from outsider attacks.

How To Disable Firewall On Windows

Below are some methods that can help you disable the firewall on Windows.

From Windows Security In Windows 10 And 11

You can disable or switch firewall settings for a certain app from Windows Security settings.

1. Go to the Start menu and open Windows Settings by clicking on “gear icon.”
2. Select “Update & Security” from the Settings menu.

   

3. In Update & Security settings, choose the “Windows Security” option.

   

4. You can also search for “Windows Security” in the Start menu search bar.
5. In Windows Security, you will see a menu of different protection areas for which you can tweak settings on your PC. Choose “Firewall & network protection.”

   

6. A new page will open for Firewall & network protection. Multiple network profiles, such as Domain Network, Public Network, and Private Network, are available on your PC.

   

7. Choose the network for which you want to disable the settings.

   

8. Under “Microsoft Defender Firewall”, toggle the switch to disable the firewall for that network connection.

   

Through Windows Defender Firewall In Windows 10

There is another way you can turn off the firewall on your computer. This is through the Windows Defender Firewall application on your Windows operating system that Microsoft has developed to offer an extra layer of protection.

You can access Windows Defender Firewall through the Control Panel.

1. Open “Control Panel” by searching for it in Windows Start Menu.

   

2. Go to “System and Security” from the options.

   

3. Select “Windows Defender Firewall” from the different menu options.

   

4. In Windows Defender Firewall, you will again be able to see different network profiles for which you can manage firewall settings. If you are using a Domain Computer, you will also see “Domain Networks” in Windows Defender Firewall.

   

5. Choose “Turn Windows Defender on or off” from the options on the left. This will open a “Customize Settings” page.

   

6. Select your network’s Turn off Windows Defender Firewall (not recommended) setting. 

   

If for some reason, you are unable to find the Windows Defender Firewall setting, you can launch it directly from the Run dialog box.

Search “Run” in the Start menu and type in command control firewall.cpl. This will open the Windows Defender Firewall app immediately, and you can follow the steps mentioned above to turn off the firewall for your network.

From PowerShell In Windows 10

If you are using Windows 10, you can use PowerShell commands to disable firewall settings.

1. Go to “Start Menu” from your desktop’s bottom-left.
2. Type “PowerShell” in the search bar and then right-click on the “Windows PowerShell” result. Select “Run as administrator” from the options.
3. Type the command “Set-NetFirewallProfile -Profile Domain,Public,Private -Enabled False” to disable the firewall for all networks on your PC.

   

4. Type this command “Set-NetFirewallProfile -Profile Public -Enabled False” to disable firewall for a specific network profile. Only mention the name of the profile you want to turn off the firewall for in this command.

   

Using Command Prompt In Windows 10

Another way to turn off the firewall for the current network profile on Windows 10 is by using the Command Prompt.

Follow these steps to disable the firewall with simple commands on Windows 10:

1. Go to “Start Menu” and search “Command Prompt.”
2. Right-click on the first result for Command Prompt and choose the “Run as administrator” option.

   

3. In the Command Prompt window, type command netsh advfirewall set currentprofile state off.

   

4. This will disable the firewall for your current network.
5. Press Enter to execute the command.
6. Enter this command netsh advfirewall set allprofiles state off to disable firewall settings for all networks.

   

You can enter the commands below in the Command Prompt window to individually turn off the firewall for domain, public and private network profiles.

Domain Network

• netsh advfirewall set domainprofile state off

Public Network

• netsh advfirewall set publicprofile state off

• Private Network

netsh advfirewall set privateprofile state off

Benefits Of Disabling Firewall In Windows

• Windows Firewall can interfere with certain applications by blocking them on your computer. This is because it thinks these applications may have malicious intent toward your data. Disabling the firewall removes the hassle of unblocking programs and apps on your computer.
• You do not have to tweak firewall settings for different apps on your PC as it is turned off.
• Disabling the firewall on your PC can lead to increased performance as it will not utilize RAM resources while running in the background.
• Turning off your firewall can help in honey pot testing to attract and identify how cyber threats work.

Drawbacks Of Disabling Firewall In Windows

• It makes your user data and operating system vulnerable to unauthorized access and viruses.
• You cannot implement an access control policy if you do not have a firewall. This allows attackers to get access to your system.
• Disabling the firewall leaks your DNS information and IP address to hackers, so there is no privacy on your system.
• Turning off the firewall on your operating system makes it vulnerable to Trojans and malware.

Conclusion

Please ensure you only disable Windows Firewall when you have to; otherwise, you expose your computer to network threats such as cyber-attacks. If you want to access an application restricted by the firewall, we recommend you disable the firewall only for that application instead of turning it off for your PC.