1. Launch the Windows Settings app.
2. In the left sidebar, select «Network & internet.»
3. Then, Click «Advanced network settings» and choose «Windows Firewall.»
(external link removed by moderator)
4. Select «Advanced settings» from the center bottom.
5. Select «Outbound Rules» from the left sidebar.
6. Select «New Rule» from the right sidebar.
(external link removed by moderator)
7. Select «Program» and then click Next.
8. Browse to the program’s path and then click Next.
9. Choose the «Block the connection» option and then click Next.
(external link removed by moderator)
10. Regardless, select all three choices and then click Next.
11. Fill in the program’s name and description (optional), then click Finish.
Если вам нужно разрешить запуск определенного приложения в Windows, но запретить ему доступ в Интернет, проще всего создать запрещающее правило во встроенном брандмауэре (Windows Defender Firewall).
К примеру, я хочу ограничить доступ в интернет для приложения Acrobat Reader. Для создания блокирующего правила в файерволе Windows, нужно получить полный путь к исполняемому файлу программы (например, «
C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Acrobat Reader DC\Reader\AcroRd32.exe
«)
Откройте консоль управления Windows Firewall with Advanced Security, выполнив команду
wf.msc
.
Щелкните по секции Outbound Rule и выберите New Rule.
Создайте правило файервола со следующими настройками:
Новое правило появится в консоли Windows Defender. По умолчанию оно активно и будет блокировать сетевой доступ для выбранного приложения. При попытке открыть PDF файл из сетевой папки или Интернет-сайта, Acrobat Reader скажет, что указанный URL не доступен.
Если нужно заблокировать доступ для универсального UWP приложения Microsoft Store:
- Откройте свойства созданного ранее правила брандмауэра, перейдите на вкладку Programs and Services
- Выберите опцию All programs that meet the specified conditions
- Нажмите на кнопку Settings в разделе Application Packages и выберите в списке UWP приложение, которому нужно ограничить доступ в Интернет
Можно создать правило файервола, которое блокирует программе доступ в Интернет из консоли PowerShell. Это гораздо быстрее. Например, рассмотренное выше правило можно создать с помощью команды:
New-NetFirewallRule -Program "C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Acrobat Reader DC\Reader\AcroRd32.exe" -Action Block -Profile Domain, Private,Public -DisplayName "Block network access Acrobat ReaderDC (AcroRd32.exe)" -Description "Block Acrobat ReaderDC" -Direction Outbound
Включить правило:
Get-NetFirewallrule -DisplayName "Block network access Acrobat ReaderDC (AcroRd32.exe)"| Enable-NetFirewallRule
Если нужно запретить приложению доступ в Интернет, но разрешить обращаться к ресурсам в локальной сети (на IP адреса в подсети 192.168.2.0/24), можно оставить общее запрещающее правило и создать более узкое разрешающее правило для разрешенных IP адресов и/или подсетей:
$allowedIP = @("192.168.2.0/24")
New-NetFirewallRule -Program "C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Acrobat Reader DC\Reader\AcroRd32.exe" -Action Allow -Profile Domain, Private,Public -DisplayName "Allow LAN access Acrobat ReaderDC (AcroRd32.exe)” -Description “Allow LAN Acrobat ReaderDC" -Direction Outbound
Get-NetFirewallrule -DisplayName "Allow LAN access Acrobat ReaderDC (AcroRd32.exe)"| Get-NetFirewallAddressFilter | Set-NetFirewallAddressFilter -RemoteAddress $allowedIP
Теперь программа сможет получить доступ только к сетевым ресурсам в LAN, но не в Интернете.
Если нужно запретить доступ для всех программ, кроме разрешенных:
- Нужно перевести действие по-умолчанию для исходящего трафика в запрет (block):
netsh advfirewall set allprofiles firewallpolicy blockinbound,blockoutbound
- После этого нужно отключить все правила и создать разрешающее правила только для выбранных exe файлов.
If there is an application, software, program or game you wish to block from accessing the internet, you can block the app using Windows Firewall so that no traffic can go in or out of the program. This tutorial will show you how to block a program from connecting to the internet using Windows Defender Firewall in Windows 11.
Also see: How to Know Which App is Using The Internet in Windows 11
Block an app from using the internet with Windows 11 Firewall
To block an app from accessing the internet, we will use Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security to set up inbound and outbound rules to block incoming and outgoing connections for the app.
How does it work? – By blocking incoming connections for a program, connections from outside of your computer to that particular program cannot be initiated. Thus, traffic and data cannot flow inward by the program to your computer. In the contrary, by blocking outbound connections for a program, that particular program will not be able to initiate any connection going-out of your computer, thus, blocking the program from sending any traffic or data to the internet.
Follow the steps below to block both incoming and outgoing connections for a program (to completely block the program from connecting to the internet).
- On the Windows desktop screen, go to Start, then search for and open “Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security“.
- In the Advanced Security window, on the left pane, click on Inbound Rules.
- On the right pane, click on New Rule (in the “Actions” column).
- In the wizard window, select Program and then click Next.
- Next, under “This program path“, enter the path to the program, or click on Browse to browse to the program you want to block. Click Next to continue.
- On the next screen, select “Block the connection“.
- When prompted for “When does this rule apply”, select the network profile which when connected you want the program to be blocked. If you are not sure, select all three Domain, Private and Public to block the program when you are connected to any of these network profiles.
- Next, enter a name for this rule. It can be any name you like. The name and description is to make it easier for you to identify this rule among the list of all added rules.
- Click Finish to add the rule.
- Then, back to the Advanced Security window, on the left pane, click on Outbound Rules.
- In the “Actions” column, click on New Rule.
- Repeat step 4 to 9 to add an outbound rule to block outgoing connection for the program.
After adding both inbound and outbound rules to block connections to or from a program with Windows Defender Firewall, that program will no longer be able to access the internet.
Block only inbound or outbound connection for a program
Optionally, you can partially block a program by blocking only its inbound or outbound connections depending on what you want to achieve. You can set up only one rule on either of the inbound or outbound rules for a program to block only one way connection instead of both.
For example, if you block only the incoming connections for a program, the program will not be able to receive any traffic from the internet, but it can still send traffic out to the internet.
Windows Defender Firewall need to be turned on in order for this feature to work. In Windows 11, Windows Firewall is enabled by default and should always stay on to protect your PC from potential threats. To check if Windows Firewall is properly turned on on your PC, go to Start > search for and open “Windows Security” > Firewall & network protection. Make sure “Firewall is on” is displayed on all three network profiles.
Sign in to your MUO account
Firewalls play an integral part in keeping computers and networks safe, but you can also use them to control an application’s access to the internet. The Windows Defender Firewall is a powerful security utility pre-installed in Windows 11. You can easily block a program from accessing the internet using the Windows Defender Firewall.
Whatever your reasons might be for preventing an app from accessing the internet, we’ve got you covered. Read on as we detail how you can block apps from accessing the internet in just a few clicks.
How to Block an Apps Internet Access Using Windows Defender Firewall
Windows Defender Firewall is a nifty built-in firewall program that you can configure in a few clicks. Blocking a program’s access to the internet means you prevent it from sending or receiving any network traffic.
There can be many benefits of blocking an app from communicating on the internet, but it can also come with potential security risks.
To block an application from using the internet using Windows Defender Firewall:
- Launch the Start menu, search for Windows Defender Firewall and click the Best match.
-
In the Control Panel window that opens, click on Advanced settings from the left sidebar, and it will launch the Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security window.
- From the left side menu, click on Outbound rules and select New Rule from the Actions pane on the right side of the screen. A New Outbound Rule Wizard should now launch.
-
We want to create a rule to block a program from accessing the internet, so you need to select Program in the New Outbound Rule Wizard and then click on Next.
-
Since you only want to block a specific program, you need to specify the program path and select the program’s EXE file; this is usually located in the Program Files directory of your PC.
- Check the This program path radio button, click on Browse, select the executable file of the program, and click on Next.
- Select Block the connection and then click on Next.
- Check Domain, Private and Public, and click on Next.
- You can now give your rule a name and a description, and a descriptive name can help keep track of the firewall rules if something goes wrong, and finally click on Finish.
You have now successfully blocked the app from accessing the internet.
How to Disable the Windows Defender Firewall Rule
If you’ve set up an Outbound Rule in the past, but now wish to restore an app’s access to the internet, you will need to disable or delete the added rule. Let’s look at how you can disable or remove an Outbound Rule in Windows Defender Firewall.
- Launch the Start menu, search for Windows Defender Firewall and click the Best match.
-
In the Control Panel window that opens, click on Advanced settings from the left sidebar, and it will launch the Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security window.
- In the above section, we added a new rule named Adobe Internet Block, so we’re going to remove it now. Click on Outbound Rules from the left pane and search for your rule from the list. Once you’ve found your rule, select it.
- From the Actions pane on the right side, you can either completely delete the rule by clicking on Delete or temporarily disable it by selecting Disable Rule.
Your outbound rule will now either be deleted or disabled based on your selection, meaning the program can now access the internet freely.
Blocking Apps From the Internet in Windows 11
Thanks to Windows Defender Firewall, blocking an app from the internet takes only a few clicks. If you had the belief that configuring a firewall on your Windows PC is too technical for you, we hope this guide helped you prove otherwise.
Malicious apps and games can often make their way into our computers despite being taking all the precautions, such as having antivirus software installed.
More often than not, these suspicious programs are disguised as those reliable apps which we use for our day-to-day tasks.
Due to these growing security concerns, it is important that we take some steps to secure our personal files and data to protect ourselves from such apps.
Most of the time, you don’t need to install any third-party application to secure your data since Windows Firewall and Microsoft Defender have improved a lot over the years.
Microsoft is constantly adding new features to these programs with regular updates, so they can easily compete with any good antivirus in terms of protection. So even if you don’t have antivirus software installed, you can take some steps to secure your important data.
Also read: How to Install Windows 11 on VirtualBox
Today, we will show you how to block a program using the Windows Firewall feature.
If you feel a malicious application has infiltrated your PC, then the first thing to do is to block the application from accessing the internet to prevent any further damage to your system.
The inbound and outbound rules feature of Windows Firewall prevents any application installed on your computer from sending or receiving internet traffic.
Inbound rules can block any incoming internet data to the particular application preventing it from establishing any contact with connections outside of your computer.
Similarly, the outbound rules can block the particular application from sending any data or traffic to the internet.
You can block the inbound and outbound connections for an application to stop it from connecting to the internet.
To block an application using the Firewall on Windows 11, follow the step mentioned below:
1. Click on the Start button and search for Windows Defender Firewall in the search bar. A list of results will appear on your screen; open Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security.
2. Now, in Windows Firewall, click on the Inbound Rules option in the left pane of the window.
3. A list of inbound rules will appear on your screen. Click on the New Rule option in the actions column shown on the right pane.
4. A wizard window will now open, select the Program option and then click on the Next button.
5. Now, you need to select the “This program path” option to block the program in Firewall.
You can enter the path of the program manually or use the Browse option to locate the program you wish to block. After selecting the path, click on the Next button to proceed.
6. Select the “Block the connection” option in the next window and click on Next.
7. Windows will now ask you when it should apply this new rule.
You can select the network according to your choice, or you can select all the three options, Domain, Private and Public, if you are not quite sure. Doing this will block the program when it gets connected to any of these network profiles.
Now click on the Next button to continue.
8. Now, you need to enter a name for this rule. You can use any name you wish. Just try to select a relevant name and description so you can easily identify it in the future.
9. Click on the Finish button to add the rule to Windows Firewall.
10. Now, in the Windows Firewall menu, click on the Outbound Rules options in the left pane of the window.
11. Click on the New Rule option in the Outbound Rules column on the right side of the window.
12. Follow the same steps from step 4 to step 9 to add a new outbound rule for the program of your choice.
The program will no longer be able to access the internet after you add both the inbound and outbound rules to block its connection.
If you wish, you can also partially block the program by adding just an inbound or outbound rule to block its connection to the internet.
Adding just one rule will block either the inbound or outbound connections of the application instead of blocking both of them.
This can be helpful in specific scenarios where you want an application to receive data from the internet but don’t want it to send the data back to its servers. For example, if you block the outgoing connections in a cloud storage application, it will be able to download the files to your system but will not be able to upload your personal files back to its servers.
Do note that Windows Defender Firewall needs to be turned on in the settings for these features to work. Thankfully, Windows 11 enables the Windows Firewall by default, and it can secure your computer from any potential threats posed by malicious programs.
Also read: 6 Best Free Firewall Apps for Android
You can check if Windows Firewall is enabled on your computer by clicking on Start and then searching for Windows Security in the search bar. Now open Windows Security and select the Firewall & Network protection option. Ensure that the “Firewall is on” is displayed across all the network profile options.
Windows Defender Firewall is a pretty useful and nifty addition to the Windows suite of apps. However, not many people are aware of its potential and often ignore it just because of the old design and interface.
It can be quite handy if you wish to block the internet access of any application or game in case a malicious app gets installed on your computer. If you have any doubts or questions, feel free to ask them in the comment section below. We will try to help you out.
Was this article helpful?
YesNo