Sometimes, for security reasons or other reasons, you need to block a program through the Windows Firewall. When you block a program on Firewall, it is not allowed to access the Internet or your local network.
Defender Firewall in Windows 10 helps protect your device by letting you specify which programs or services can communicate with the network or the Internet. Blocking a program in Windows Firewall is a useful practice, in cases where you do not want a specific program to be automatically updated or used by other users.
In this tutorial you will find detailed instructions on how to prevent a program from communicating with the Internet by blocking it in Windows Firewall.
How to Block a Program through Windows 10 Firewall.
To prevent Internet access of a specific application on Windows 10:
1. Navigate to Control Panel change the 'View by' to "Small icons' and open the Windows Defender Firewall.
2. At Windows Defender Firewall control panel, click Advanced settings.
3. Select Outbound Rules and click New Rule.
4. At 'Rule Type', select Program and click Next.
5a. At 'Program' screen, click Browse.
5b. Choose the application [.exe] that you want to block in Windows Firewall and click Open to select it.
5c. Then click Next.
6. At 'Action' options, select Block the connection and click Next.
7. At 'Profile' options, leave checked all the checkboxes [Domain, Private, Public], and click Next.
8. Finally, type a name for the new rule and click Finish.
9. Close "Windows Defender Firewall" settings and check if the new rule is working.
That's it! Let me know if this guide has helped you by leaving your comment about your experience. Please like and share this guide to help others.
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Windows firewall, or most firewalls for that matter, comes with extensive security measures. These measures are not to make your life difficult but to ensure your internet security is not jeopardized in any away. They, therefore, provide high-level protection from intrusion and other malware. There are, however, certain situations when you might want to configure your firewall to prevent programs considered safe by the firewall from accessing your network. In such scenarios, it becomes necessary to learn how to block program in firewall to ensure it doesn’t interfere with your online activities.
For example, some programs rely heavily on the internet and download massive data in the background without your knowledge. When using a limited data plan, you might want to limit such apps from accessing the internet. In such a scenario, you'll have to block it in firewall provided that blocking it won't interfere with the overall functionality of your device.
Another example would be when you want your child to play a game on the computer but do not want them having access to other online features that you do not have control over. To that end, here is a simple step by step guide on how to block program in firewall for Windows 10. If you have other versions of Windows 10, the procedure is more or less the same.
How to Block Program in Firewall?
1. Go to Control Panel. On the control panel, select system security and then the Windows Firewall. Click on the Advanced Settings link. A new window will pop up known as Windows Firewall with Advanced Settings.
2. Select Outbound rules on the left side of the pane.
3. Once the new Outbound Rules pane opens, select New Rule on the right side.
4. Ensure that the Program option is selected in the Outbound Rules Wizard and click Next.
5. On the program screen, type the path of the program you want to block. If you decide to browse the program path, Windows will by default use environmental variables which are enclosed by percentage signs. Replace those with the actual path. E.g.
Instead of %userprofile%, you should replace it with C:\Users\John\ [or whatever the name of the user account of the computer.
6. Once you’ve selected the program and its path, click Next.
7. On the next page, select only the "Block the Connection" option.
8. You will then be asked to select when the rule applies to the next page. [Domain, public, or private.] If you're in doubt about which type of network to block the connection, select all of them.
9. You then have to name your rule. You can name it describing the program you’ve blocked for easier retrieval in the future when you want to unblock it. The rule will now appear in the Outbound Rules. You can then go ahead to test the rule and see whether the program has been blocked from accessing the internet.
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