Recent Windows Operating systems do not reply to ping requests by default. The firewall policy was set to refuse ICMP Echo Requests by default. That means you will be getting ‘Request Timed Out’ from a Windows 10 or Windows 11 PC even though it is connected and set up properly on the network. This same basic network security rule was applied on earlier Operating Systems such as Windows 8.1 and 7 too. This guide shows how to enable ping reply and make your Windows 11/10 desktop or laptop computer respond to ICMP (ping) requests from other network devices.
If the Windows 11/10 computer is in a domain network, then the global domain policy that is related to ICMP echo requests will be applied automatically by your system administrator. In this example, we consider workgroup setup where the domain setup is not available; for example, a small office or your simple home network.
Also, this guide shows how to enable incoming FTP traffic in the Windows 11/10 firewall if you are planning to make your Windows PC an FTP server by using Microsoft IIS or other FTP server programs like FileZilla FTP server.
There is a pre-built firewall rule in Windows 11/10 to enable or disable ICMP echo requests. By default it was disabled. We can enable the rule to allow ping requests in Windows OS which can reply back to other network devices in the local or external network.
To open the rule, go to the control panel by right-clicking on the start button and selecting Control Panel.
In another way, you can search for ‘control’ in Windows 11 search bar.
Make sure to change the view to the ‘Large Icon’ in the control panel to access Windows Firewall (or Windows Defender Firewall in Windows 11) settings quickly and easily.
Click on Advanced Settings to get the ICMP rule (incoming and outbound connections) option.
Since we are going to allow incoming ping requests, we need to open the Inbound Rules area and look for the File and Printer Sharing Echo Request –ICMPv4 rule as shown below.
Once you enabled the Echo Request for ICMPv4 which is for IP v4, then your Windows 10 or Windows 11 computer will respond to ping requests.
You will see ‘Private’, ‘Public’ and ‘Domain’ network profiles in the advanced Firewall security settings while enabling or creating rules. Windows OS have each rule for every network profile. You have to enable the only profile which is related to your current connection.
For example, if you are at home or office local network, then the connection mostly will be in ‘Private’ or ‘Domain’ network profile. Therefore enable the Echo Request rule for these profiles only.
If you connect the same laptop to any public Internet network (like a coffee shop or airport Wi-Fi), Windows 11 will treat it as the public network profile. In this case, your computer will not respond to ping requests which come from the Internet to your computer, because the Echo Request rule is not enabled for the ‘Public’ network profile. Hence, it is essential to not enable unwanted firewall rules for public network profile.
Allow Ping Requests in Windows 11 by Command Prompt
You can also allow the Ping (ICMP Echo requests) by using the command prompt. It will modify the firewall rules. Using the command prompt will be handier to do the task quicker than the GUI. Also, it will be useful to execute these commands remotely when you are connected through a command prompt or on the Windows server core versions.
To enable ping requests for IPV4, execute the following command as administrator. Make sure to open the command prompt (CMD) as run as administrator.
netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="ICMP Allow incoming V4 echo request" protocol=icmpv4:8,any dir=in action=allowDisable Ping Reply in Windows 10/11:
Visit the same control panel settings and disable the rule (for private or domain network profile). Now the Windows computer will not respond to ping requests from the connected network devices.
Here is the command to disable the ping in the command prompt.
netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="ICMP Allow incoming V4 echo request" protocol=icmpv4:8,any dir=in action=blockEnable Incoming FTP Traffic in Windows 11/10/8.1 Firewall
Once you set up an FTP server on a Windows computer, then you must enable inbound FTP traffic in the firewall settings. You can follow the same methods below in Windows 11, even though screenshots are taken on Windows 10.
1) Open the control panel and Windows Firewall.
2) Click on ‘Allow an App or feature through Windows Firewall’. It may have a different option in Windows 8.1 or older versions, but you will find a similar option.
Assuming that you already installed IIS and enabled the FTP server, the firewall settings will automatically detect the FTP server application and list it out in the field.
Click on ‘Change Settings’ and choose ‘FTP Server’. Select the network profile currently the computer is connected, press OK to complete the steps.
3) Another Method: Manually Create The Policy and Allow
If you could not succeed with the above method or are not able to see the FTP server app in the programs list of firewall settings, you can manually create an inbound rule and allow particular FTP ports (20 and 21).
4) In the Control panel Firewall settings, click on Advanced settings.
5) We need to create a new inbound rule to allow FTP traffic. This can be done by allowing particular port numbers in incoming traffic. If you do not have any third party personal firewall programs, this step will ensure that incoming FTP traffic is enabled on the computer even though the Windows firewall is on.
To create a new inbound rule in Windows 10/11 computer, click on Inbound Rules and ‘New Rule’.
6) Select ‘Port’ as the rule type on the next screen.
7) You can leave ‘TCP’ selected and in ports number enter 20 and 21 (20,21). FTP (File Transfer Protocol) uses port numbers 20 and 21 for data transfer and command control, click here to view more information.
Select ‘Allow the connection’ which will accept the incoming traffic/packets on these port numbers.
9) Depending on the network connection you are connected to, select the connection type where the particular rule should be applied. You can select all three (Domain, Private and Public) if you are not sure which one to select.
10) Provide a name for the rule, for example, ‘FTP’. This rule name will show under incoming rules in firewall advanced settings. We can easily modify or disable it later by this name.
If you want to block incoming FTP traffic later, you can simply right-click on it and disable the rule.
Also, you can enable the FTP inbound traffic in Windows 10/11 firewall by command prompt with simple commands which are explained at the Microsoft site here.
With the steps outlined in this guide, you will be able to enable ping reply and FTP packets on your Windows 11/10 computer without completely disabling the Firewall.
Встроенный брандмауэр Windows в целях безопасности по умолчанию блокирует входящий ICMP трафик как в десктопных Windows 10/11, так и в Windows Server. Это означает, что вы не сможете удаленно проверить доступность компьютера с помощью стандартной команды
ping
, т.к. она будет отвечать о превышении интервала ожидания запроса (
Request timed out
) для ICMP Echo-Reply. Если вы хотите сделать возможной проверку доступности хостов Windows по протоколу ICMP из системы мониторинга или вручную из командной строки, можно разрешить ответы на ICMP эхо-запросы.
Чтобы разрешить отправку ответов на запросы по протоколу ICMP, нужно включить предустановленные правила в брандмауэре Windows.
- Откройте оснастку управления Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security, выполнив команду
wf.msc - Перейдите в раздел Inbound Rules
- Найдите правило Core Network Diagnostics – ICMP Echo Request (ICMPv4-In) и включите его.
- В моем случае есть два правила с этим именем. Одно для частного и общедоступного сетевого профиля Windows, и второе для доменного. Я включил их оба. Можно также включить правило, разрешающее ICMP ответы для IPv6 протокола (если используется).
Есть также другое правило File and Printer Sharing (Echo Request – ICMPv4-In), которое также разрешает компьютеру отвечать на эхо-запросы
ping
.
Попробуйте пропиговать ваш компьютер и убедитесь, что теперь он отвечает на ICMP запросы.
Можно включить правила Windows Firewall, разрешающие ответы на эхо-запросы ICMP с помощью такой команды PowerShell:
Set-NetFirewallRule -Name CoreNet-Diag-ICMP4-EchoRequest-In -enabled True
Если нужно ограничить список IP подсетей или хостов, которым разрешено отправлять ответы на ICMP запросы, выполните команду:
Set-NetFirewallRule -Name CoreNet-Diag-ICMP4-EchoRequest-In -enabled True -RemoteAddress 192.168.12.0,192.168.31.94
Откройте свойства правила в Windows Firewall и проверьте, что теперь правило разрешающие ICMP ответы будет работать только для указанных IP/подсетей.
Если в файрволе отсутствует (удалено) правило для входящих ICMP запросов, можно создать его из командной строки:
netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="Allow_ICMPv4_Echo" protocol=icmpv4:8,any dir=in action=allow
Другой пример PowerShell команды, которое создаст правило файервола, разрешающего ping для всех хостов в локальной сети:
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Allow_ICMPv4_Echo" -Direction Inbound -Protocol ICMPv4 -IcmpType 8 -RemoteAddress localsubnet -Action Allow
Если нужно заблокировать ответы на ICMP эхо-запрос независимо от того, какие правила включены, создайте запрещающее правило, которое будет иметь более высокий приоритет:
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Block_ICMPv4_Echo" -Direction Inbound -Protocol ICMPv4 -IcmpType 8 -RemoteAddress localsubnet -Action Block
Чтобы разрешить ответы на ICMP ping на всех компьютерах в сети, можно включить правило Windows Firewall с помощью доменной групповой политики .
- Откройте редактор доменных GPO (
gpmc.msc
), создайте или отредактируйте имеющуюся GPO и назначьте ее на целевую OU или корень домена. - Перейдите в раздел Computer Configuration -> Windows Settings -> Security Settings -> Windows Firewall with Advanced Security -> Inbound rules
- Создайте новое правило, выберите Predefined rule типа Core Networking Diagnostics
- Укажите какие правила ICMP Echo request нужно включить.
- На следующем шаге вы берите Allow the connection.
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Ping is the primary TCP/IP command for troubleshooting connectivity, reachability, and name resolution on Windows. It helps users verify IP-level connectivity to another TCP/IP computer by sending Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) echo Request messages.
However, users can encounter issues enabling ping on Windows 10 if the Windows Firewall blocks ping requests. Likewise, you may check our guide on what to do if you are getting a destination host unreachable error while trying to ping a host.
What causes ping not to work?
As said earlier, Ping verifies whether a particular IP address is available in the network. The ping request may not be able to send to the IP address or receive corresponding Echo Reply messages. Hence, it results in the request to return futile.
However, a couple of factors may be responsible for the problem. Some are:
- Windows Defender Firewall interference – You may experience issues with pinging if the Windows Defender Firewall is impeding the process. Ping does not work when Windows Firewall does not allow the File and Printer Sharing app to run. Also, ping may not work when Firewall blocks all incoming connections on your network path.
- Host or destination IP does not exist – If the IP address you want to verify for availability is not identified or does not exist, the ping request won’t work. So, you may encounter problems with ping if the host or target IP does not exist.
Other factors not highlighted above may also be responsible for ping not working. Hence, we’ll help you with steps to fix the issue and enable ping on your device.
How can I enable ping in Windows 10?
1. Use Windows Firewall with Advanced Security
- Press Windows + R key to open the Run dialog box, type firewall.cpl in the text field, and click OK to open Windows Defender Firewall.
- Click on Advanced settings from the right pane.
- Click on Inbound Rules, find and right-click on File and Printer Sharing (Echo Request – ICMPv4 – In) that has a Public Profile, then click on Enable Rule from the drop-down.
- To know if you have successfully enabled File and Printer Sharing (Echo Request – ICMPv4 – In), check the Enabled tab and confirm if it says Yes.
Enabling the File and Printer Sharing (Echo Request – ICMPv4 – In) option will allow your computer to ping and whether a particular IP address is available in the network or not.
Check our guide on Firewall disabled but still blocking apps on Windows 10 for more information.
2. Allow File and Printer Sharing through Windows Firewall
- Press Windows + R key to open the Run dialog box, type firewall.cpl in the text field, and click OK to open Windows Defender Firewall.
- Click on the Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall option.
- Click the Change settings button.
- Check the box for File and Printer Sharing, and click OK to save the changes.
Checking the box for File and Printer Sharing enables the ping functionality on your computer.
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3. Use PowerShell
- Left-click the Start button, type PowerShell, and click Run as administrator.
- Click Yes on the User Account Control prompt.
- Copy and paste the following lines of commands and press Enter:
netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="Allow ICMPv4" protocol=icmpv4:8,any dir=in action=allownetsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="Allow ICMPv6" protocol=icmpv6:8,any dir=in action=allow
The above commands will enable the ping functionality, allowing your Windows PC to respond to ping requests.
You can check our guide about PowerShell not showing the full output and some fixes to get it working if you experience it.
4. Use the Command Prompt
- Left-click the Start button, type Command Prompt, and click the Run as administrator option.
- Click Yes on the User Account Control (UAC) prompt.
- Type the following lines of commands and press Enter to run them:
netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="ICMP Allow incoming V4 echo request" protocol=icmpv4:8,any dir=in action=allow
- Close the Command Prompt and restart your PC.
The above commands will create two exceptions to allow traffic through the firewall and allow ping requests.
Read our guide on what to do if Command Prompt keeps crashing on your PC.
In addition, our readers may be interested in ways to fix Cannot Ping computers on the same Network on Windows 10.
If you have further questions or suggestions concerning enabling ping on Windows 10, kindly drop them in the comments section.
Henderson Jayden Harper
Windows Software Expert
Passionate about technology, Crypto, software, Windows, and everything computer-related, he spends most of his time developing new skills and learning more about the tech world.
He also enjoys gaming, writing, walking his dog, and reading and learning about new cultures. He also enjoys spending private time connecting with nature.
Content
Firewall settings
The easiest way to block or enable ping is to use «Windows Firewall with Advanced Security«.
To start it, press Win+R and enter the command wf.msc.
Go to the section of incoming rules («Rules for inbound connections«). Here we are interested in the predefined rule for IPV4 — ″File and Printer Sharing (echo request — incoming ICMPv4 traffic)″.
Note that there are three rules in the table having the same name. In fact, this is the same rule that is simply configured for different profiles: one for the domain profile, the second for the general and the private ones.
Disabling/enabling the rule
To turn the rule on/off, select it and click on «Disable Rule«/»Enable Rule» in the right panel.
If the rule is disabled, your server will not respond to ping requests and vice versa, and will respond if the rule is enabled.
This guide will show you how to enable/disable ICMP ping responses referred to as Echo Request in Windows Server 2022 (should work with any recent version–2008 R2, 2012 R2, 2016, 2019, 2022). Enabling ping will help you to monitor and troubleshoot network issues on your network. Prior to making any changes it would be a good idea to make sure you’re not violating any department policies, although I have never gotten my hand slapped by enabling ICMP echo requests, however it has been for…get this…having client drive redirection enabled on my remote desktop session to a non-critical Windows box. Jesus H. Christ, sorry but that still irks me.
Since the Server Core variant of Windows doesn’t have a GUI, here is the command you can run in order to allow responses to ICMP echo requests:
Enable IPv4 Ping (Allow responses to ingress/inbound ICMP echo requests):
netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="ICMP Allow incoming V4 echo request" protocol="icmpv4:8,any" dir=in action=allowEnable IPv6 Ping (Allow responses to ingress/inbound ICMP echo requests):
netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="ICMP Allow incoming V6 echo request" protocol="icmpv6:8,any" dir=in action=allowDisable IPv4 Ping (Deny responses to ingress/inbound ICMP echo requests):
netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="ICMP Allow incoming V4 echo request" protocol=icmpv4:8,any dir=in action=blockDisable IPv6 Ping (Deny responses to ingress/inbound ICMP echo requests):
netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="ICMP Allow incoming V6 echo request" protocol=icmpv6:8,any dir=in action=block
Allow ICMP Echo Requests in Windows Server – GUI
- Go to control panel and open
Windows Firewall. There are plenty of ways to reach control panel on a Windows server. - Click on
Advanced Settings.
Additionally, you can search for
Firewallin Windows search to reach the advanced Firewall settings as below.
- In the earlier Operating Systems, we need to create a firewall rule to allow ICMP echo packets. Luckily the rule is already there and we just need to enable it.To enable the inbound rule that allowing ICMP packets, select
Inbound Rules. Locate theFile and Printer Sharing (Echo Request –ICMPv4-In), right-click on it and selectEnable Rule.
That will allow inbound ICMP ping requests and respond to them without completely disabling Windows firewall service. If you rock IPv6 on your LAN, there’s a separate rule we need to enable called File and Printer Sharing (Echo Request –ICMPv6-In).
In a similar scenario, if a server is responding to ping/ICMP requests, but you need to stop it for tight security, you can simply disable the same rule.
Visit the Windows firewall advances settings and disable File and Printer Sharing (Echo Request –ICMPv4-In) rule.