Applies ToMicrosoft Windows XP Home Edition Microsoft Windows XP Professional Windows Vista Business Windows Vista Enterprise Windows Vista Home Basic Windows Vista Home Premium Windows Vista Ultimate Windows 7 Enterprise Windows 7 Home Basic Windows 7 Home Premium Windows 7 Professional Windows 7 Ultimate
Symptoms
You receive a warning in the notification area of the task bar telling you that the Windows Firewall is turned off. The warning is displayed as a Windows security alert in Windows XP and in Windows Vista, and as an Action Center message in Windows 7.
|
Security alert in Windows XP |
Security alert in Windows Vista |
Action Center message in Windows 7 |
In Windows XP or in Windows Vista, you double-click the security alert to open the Windows Security Center. The Windows Security Center warns you that the Windows Firewall is turned off. In Windows 7, you click the Action Center message, and then click Open Action Center. The Action Center warns you that Windows Firewall is turned off.
Cause
This problem can occur if the Windows Firewall service is stopped.
Resolution
Diagnose and fix the problem automatically
To fix this problem automatically, click the Fix-It image below. If a security notification appears, click Run.
Microsoft Fix it 9810866
Let me fix it myself
To resolve this problem, manually turn on the Windows Firewall if the problem cause is that the Windows Firewall service is stopped.
Windows XP
-
In the Windows Security Center, click Recommendations in the Firewall section.
-
In the Recommendation dialog box, click Enable now.
Windows Vista
In the Windows Security Center, click Turn on now in the Firewall section.
If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password, or click Continue.
Windows 7
In Action Center, click Turn on now for Network firewall in the Security section.
If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password, or click Continue.
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Во все современные версии Windows встроен брандмауэр Windows Defender Firewall. Это встроенный программный межсетевой экран, который защищает Windows от несанкционированного внешнего доступа к компьютеру и запущенным на нем службам. По умолчанию брандмауэр Windows включен и защищает все сетевые интерфейсы компьютера. Брандмауэр блокирует все входящие подключения и разрешает все исходящие.
Содержание:
- Отключить/включить брандмауэр из панели управления Windows
- Отключить Windows Firewall через GPO
- Как отключить или включить брандмауэр Windows с помощью PowerShell?
В подавляющем большинстве случае Windows Firewall должен быть включен. Если вам нужно разрешить доступ к компьютеру для определенной службы или IP адреса, просто создайте разрешающее правило. Однако в некоторых ситуациях администратору нужно полностью отключить Windows Defender Firewall для проверки сетевых подключений. В этой статье мы покажем несколько способов, как отключить и включить встроенный брандмауэр Windows.
Отключить/включить брандмауэр из панели управления Windows
В современных версиях Windows 10 и 11 для управления брандмауэром используется панель Безопасность Windows (Windows Security).
Если панель Windows Security не открывается или повреждена, вы можете восстановить ее.
- Перейдите в меню Параметры (Settings -> Update & Security -> Windows Security) или выполните команду
windowsdefender://network/
; - Выберите раздел Firewall and network protection;
- По очереди щелкните по каждому из трех сетевых профилей (Domain, Private и Public) и отключите Microsoft Defender Firewall;
,
- Подтвердите отключение в окне User Account Control.
В Windows для каждого сетевого подключения используется один из трех сетевых профилей:
- Domain – применяется для компьютеров, которые добавлены в домен AD
- Private – для небольших офисных LAN, рабочих групп и домашней сети
- Public – для общественных сетей (кафе, аэропорты)
В зависимости от типа сети к сетевому интерфейсу применяются различные правила брандмауэра и настройки обнаружения Windows в сетевом окружении. Вы можете изменить профиль сети подключения как описано тут.
В предыдущих версиях Windows и в Windows Server 2012R2/2016/2019 можно отключить брандмауэр через классическую панель управления «Windows Firewall with Advanced Security«:
- Откройте консоль
firewall.cpl
; - Щелкните по Turn Windows Defender Firewall on or off;
- Отключите Windows Defender firewall для всех типов сетей.
Если на компьютере есть несколько сетевых интерфейсов, вы можете отключить файервол только для некоторых из них.
- Нажмите кнопку Advanced Settings -> Windows Defender Firewall properties;
- В настройках каждого сетевого профиля есть раздел Protected network connections. Нажмите кнопку Customize;
- Снимите галки с тех сетевых интерфейсов, для которых нужно отключить брандмауэр.
- Аналогичным образом отключите защиту сетевых интерфейсов брандмуэром в настройках других сетевых профилей.
Когда вы отключаете брандмауэр, в трее начнет отображаться соответствующее уведомление.
Чтобы скрыть это всплывающее уведомление, добавьте следующий параметр реестра:
reg add "HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows Defender Security Center\Notifications" /v "DisableNotifications" /t REG_DWORD /d "1" /f
Обратите внимание, что в Windows есть отдельная системная служба Windows Defender Firewall (
mpssvc
). Если вы отключите или приостановите эту службу, это не отключит брандмауэр до тех пор, пока вы сами не отключите защиту для сетевых профилей.
Однако через остановку служб вы можете отключить встроенный антивирус Защитник Windows.
Отключить Windows Firewall через GPO
Вы можете отключить Windows Firewall с помощью групповых политик.
На отдельном компьютере нужно использовать консоль редактора локальной групповой политики (
gpedit,msc
), а в доменной среде нужно создать новую GPO с помощью консоли управления GPMC.
- Откройте GPO и перейдите в раздел Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Network -> Network Connections -> Windows Firewall -> Domain Profile.
- Откройте параметр “Windows Firewall: Protect all network connections” и измените значение на Disabled;
- Аналогичным образом измените параметр в секции Standard Profile;
- Обновите настройки GPO на компьютере и проверьте, что брандмауэр для доменного профиля отключен;
- Если компьютер будет подключен к сети, отличной от доменной, Windows Firewall будет защищать такое подключение.
- Если вы хотите отключить брандмауэр для всех сетевых профилей, перейдите в раздел GPO Computer Configuration -> Windows Settings -> Security Settings -> Windows Firewall with Advanced Security. Отключите файервол на вкладках всех трех сетевых профилей.
После того, как вы отключили Windows Firewall через GPO, пользователь не сможет включить его вручную через панель управления.
Как отключить или включить брандмауэр Windows с помощью PowerShell?
Для управления Windows Firewall из командной строки можно использовать PowerShell.
Проверьте, что брандмауэр включен для всех трех сетевых профилей:
Get-NetFirewallProfile | Format-Table Name, Enabled
Можно отключить брандмауэр только для одного сетевого профиля:
Set-NetFirewallProfile -Profile Domain -Enabled False
Или отключить firewall сразу для всех сетевых профилей:
Set-NetFirewallProfile -Profile Domain, Public, Private -Enabled False
Чтобы включить Windows Defender, выполните команду:
Set-NetFirewallProfile -Profile Domain, Public, Private -Enabled True
Вы можете отключить защиту брандмауэра для конкретного сетевого подключения. Чтобы узнать имя сетевого подключения, выведите их список:
Get-NetAdapter
Теперь можно отключить файервол для выбранного интерфейса:
Set-NetFirewallProfile -Profile Domain, Public, Private -DisabledInterfaceAliases "My_Internal_NIC1"
Вывести список сетевых адаптеров, которые исключены из файервола:
Get-NetFirewallProfile | select Name,Enabled,DisabledInterfaceAliases
Очистить список исключений:
Set-NetFirewallProfile -Profile Domain,Public,Private -DisabledInterfaceAliases @()
Windows has a built-in firewall that manages all your network connections and protects your system from unauthorized incoming and outgoing connections. However, if Windows Firewall is interfering with the network connection and applications, you can disable it. In this tutorial, we’ll show you five easy methods to disable Windows Firewall. Let’s get started.
Note: The steps below are tested to work on Windows 8, 10, and 11.
Caution: Before proceeding, it is important to understand the risks. Disabling the firewall can expose your computer to unauthorized access and threats. So, it is only recommended when it’s an absolute necessity, such as for troubleshooting.
Method #1: From the Settings App
Open the Settings app by pressing the Windows key + I shortcut. In Settings, navigate to Privacy & Security > Windows Security and click the Open Windows Security button.
In the Windows Security app, select Firewall & Network Protection on the left sidebar. You will see three firewall profiles, Domain, Private, and Public, on the right panel with your active profile being marked (Active). Click on the active profile.
Next, turn the Microsoft Defender Firewall toggle to the OFF position. Go back, and do the same for both other profiles. In my case, they are Domain and Private profiles.
Once you do that for all three profiles, the firewall is turned off on Windows.
Method #2: From Group Policy
Start by opening the Run dialog box by pressing Windows key + R. Enter gpedit.msc in the dialog box and click OK to open Group Policy.
Once the Group Policy window opens, navigate to the Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Network > Network Connections > Windows Defender Firewall > Domain Profile folder.
Locate and double-click on the Windows Defender Firewall: Protect all network connections policy.
Select the Disabled radio option and click OK.
Next, navigate to the Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Network > Network Connections > Windows Defender Firewall > Standard Profile folder.
Locate and double-click on the Windows Defender Firewall: Protect all network connections policy.
Select the Disabled radio option and click OK.
Close the Group Policy window and restart your computer. After restarting, Windows Firewall is fully disabled.
Method #3: Using the Windows Firewall App
Windows 11, 10, and 8 users can disable the firewall from the firewall application itself. To start off, press Windows key + R to open the run dialog box. Next, enter firewall.cpl in it and click OK.
Once the firewall application opens, click the Turn Windows Defender Firewall On or Off option on the left sidebar.
Expand the Private Network Settings and Public Network Settings sections and select the Turn off Windows Defender Firewall option under both of them.
Finally, close the firewall settings window and you are done. The firewall is turned off.
Method #4: Using Command Prompt
If you are looking for a much simpler method, you can do it using Command Prompt. First, open Command Prompt as an admin. To do that, open the Start menu, search for Command Prompt, and select Run as Administrator.
In the Command Prompt window, enter the NetSh Advfirewall set allprofiles state off command and press Enter. After that, close the Command Prompt window and reboot your computer.
Once the system has been restarted, the Windows Firewall is disabled.
Method #5: PowerShell Command
If you prefer using PowerShell, follow the below steps:
Right-click on the Windows logo on the taskbar and choose Terminal (Admin). Windows 10 users can select Windows PowerShell (Admin). In the Terminal window, enter Set-NetFirewallProfile -Enabled False and press Enter on your keyboard. This command disables the firewall.
You can close the terminal window after executing the command.
Note: The terminal by default opens with the PowerShell tab active. If not, click the down arrow icon on the title bar and select Windows PowerShell.
And there you have it! These are the five methods you can use to turn off Windows Firewall. Whatever method you choose, the end result is the same. So, feel free to use the one you are comfortable with. If you like this article, check out how to backup Windows firewall settings.
It is the Windows Firewall that protects your device from all kinds of trojans, malware, ransomware, and other online threats. By default, this tool restricts all third-party apps from accessing the system resources. As a result of this, you might face trouble opening certain apps or drivers.
You may disable Firewall on Windows 11/10 temporarily to troubleshoot certain things, and when the issue resolves, turn it back On. In this post, we will learn different ways to either enable or disable Firewall in Windows.
Is it safe to disable Windows Firewall?
If you use some third-party antivirus program, you may consider turning off the Windows Firewall. However, if you are not using any other antivirus, disabling it will make your Windows PC vulnerable to online threats, malware, and other issues.
In case you are troubleshooting something, you may turn off the Firewall and as soon as the issue resolves, turn it back ON. By default, this security feature turns itself On when you restart your computer.
6 Ways to Disable Windows Defender Firewall in Windows 11
As stated earlier, you should disable Windows Firewall only when you are either troubleshooting some internal issues or you have installed a third-party app. Uninstalling or disabling it for any other reason will simply make your device vulnerable to malicious software, which can cause several new issues or error codes on your computer.
Follow the below steps on how to disable Firewall in Windows –
- Open the Settings menu by pressing Windows + I.
- Go to Privacy & Security, and select Windows Security.
- On the next screen, scroll down and click on the “Firewall & network protection” option.
- Windows Security will pop up next. You will now see an active network either under Domain, Private, or Public. When you find such a network, click on it.
- Under Microsoft Defender Firewall, you will find a toggle switch.
- Turn off this toggle switch as shown in the below snapshot.
- When the UAC window prompts, hit Yes to authorize bypassing the Firewall.
- That’s it, you have successfully disabled Windows Defender Firewall on your system.
How do I disable Windows Firewall for Specific Apps?
Sometimes you might face trouble opening certain apps on Windows PC. This happens mostly when Windows Firewall is restricting their usage. If you do trust those apps, you may disable the Firewall settings for all those apps. Here’s how to perform this task –
- Press Windows + I to launch Settings.
- Inside the Settings window, navigate to the below path –
Privacy & Security > Windows Security > Firewall & network protection
- Scroll down and click on the link – “Allow an app through firewall.”
- Click on the “Change settings” button on the next screen.
Note: In order to change firewall settings, you must have administrator access. If you are not an admin, make sure to log into the administrator account using the correct user id and password.
- On the next screen, tick the checkbox next to an app name. The chosen app will now have access to the internet to use as your default profile.
- Moreover, if you would like it to allow your “Private’ profile”, make sure to tick the box next to an app’s name right under the Private column.
- In case you are not seeing a particular application, you may hit Allow another app. You can then browse to the System32 folder and search for the .exe file of that app and add it to “Allowed apps and features“.
- Click OK and all your current changes will be saved immediately afterward.
How to Restore Windows 11 Firewall Settings to Default
If you ever want to restore the default settings of Windows Firewall, do the following –
- Press Windows + X, and select Settings.
- Go to “Privacy & Security” and select Windows Security from the right pane.
- Moving forward, click on the button that says Open Windows Security.
- Go to the Firewall & network protection section, and click on Restore firewalls to default.
- When the Restore defaults window appears, click the “Restore defaults” button, and your Firewall is now reset to its default settings.
How to access the Windows 11 Firewall settings
Every now and then, users need to access Windows Firewall settings on their devices. If you are also a regular to this setting on your computer, you may use these steps –
- Right-click on Start and select Settings from the menu list.
- Select Privacy & Security, and click Windows Security available on the right pane.
- Click the Open Windows Security button and when it does open, click on the “Firewall & network protection” tile.
That’s it, you are now inside the Windows Defender Firewall. Choose whatever you want to do with the firewall default settings.
Different Ways to Enable or Disable Firewall on Windows PC
One may use either of the following methods to either enable or disable Firewall settings inside Windows 10 –
- Through Control Panel
- Using Windows Settings
- Via Command Prompt
- Through Windows PowerShell
1] Turn On or Off Windows Firewall settings using Control Panel
- Open Control Panel.
- Locate and click on Windows Defender Firewall.
- On the next screen, click “Turn Windows Defender Firewall on or off” available on the left pane.
- Locate Private network settings in the Customize settings window next.
Depending on whether you want to enable or disable the firewall settings on your computer, tick the respective radio buttons, and hit OK.
For disabling the Firewall: Check the radio button left of “Turn off Windows Defender Firewall (not recommended)” under both Public and Private networks, and hit OK.
To re-enabling the Firewall: Tick the radio buttons – “Turn on Windows Defender Firewall” under both Private and Public networks, and hit OK. See the Snapshot below –
2] Using Windows Settings
Disabling Firewall:
- Press the Windows key on your keyboard and type Windows Security in the text field.
- Press Enter, and this will start Windows Defender.
- Locate Firewall & network protection and click on the same.
- Here you will see the following network profiles – Domain network, Private network, and Public network.
- Click on each of the three network profiles one after the other and disable the Firewall for all.
- When you click on Public Network, the following panel will become visible. Under the Windows Defender Firewall, turn off the encircled toggle switch.
- When the UAC window prompts, hit Yes.
- Now, repeat the above steps for Domain and Private Networks as well.
Enabling Windows Defender Firewall:
- Click on the Start button.
- Type Windows Security in the text field, and hit Enter.
- Locate Firewall & network protection, and turn on its toggle switch.
- When the UAC window appears, hit Yes to authorize enabling Windows Defender Firewall.
3] Enable or Disable Firewall using Command Prompt
- First of all, click on the Start button and type CMD.
- Right-click on the Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.
- Click Yes when the UAC prompts and this will launch CMD as administrator.
To disable the firewall settings on your computer, copy/paste the below command on the elevated console, and press Enter.
netsh advfirewall set allprofiles state off
To turn back on the firewall settings on your Windows PC, execute this command.
netsh advfirewall set allprofiles state on
I hope you know now how to disable or enable Windows Firewall using Command Prompt on your Windows PC.
4] Enable or Disable Firewall using PowerShell
- Press Windows + X, and choose Terminal (Admin). If you are on Windows 10, select Windows PowerShell (Admin) instead from the Power menu.
- On the elevated terminal or PowerShell, copy/paste the following and press Enter. This will disable Windows Defender Firewall on your Windows PC.
Set-NetFirewallProfile -Enabled False
To turn back on Windows Firewall settings on Windows, execute this command on the same prompt.
Set-NetFirewallProfile -Enabled True
That’s it, I hope you find this article useful, and now you know all possible methods to either enable or disable Windows Firewall on your Windows PC.
“Why would you disable or turn off the Windows Firewall?”
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There are many reasons one would disable the firewall in Windows. Not every reason is sound, of course, but there are legitimate ones.
In this article, you will learn the many ways to disable the Windows firewall. Whether you’re in a single-machine setup, home network, or a corporate environment, this article is for you.
You’re going to learn how to turn off the software firewall in Windows in just about every way possible!
- Using the Windows firewall management console
- The command-line (cmd.exe)
- PowerShell
- Group policy
- Even Azure Custom Script extension if you’re on an Azure virtual machines
Let’s dig in!
Prerequisites
Since this article is a how-to, there are some requirements that you need to follow along with the instructions. Some examples involve domain and non-domain environment.
For a Non-Domain Environment
- One or more computers that are running on Windows 10. You can do the examples here in just one computer, but some instructions are specific to remoting.
- And you must have administrator permissions on those Windows 10 computers.
For a Domain Environment
- A Windows 2019 server that is also a domain controller. A Windows 2016 server should also work.
- One or more Windows 10 computers in the same network and joined to the domain.
Using the GUI
Probably the quickest way to disable the firewall is using the included GUI tools in Windows. Using the GUI is probably the easiest way to turn off the Windows firewall for home users.
Using the Windows Security App
The first GUI tool to manage is the Windows Security App. The Windows Security app is available on Windows 10, version 1703, and later.
- Launch the Windows Security app by clicking on the Start button, and start typing Windows Security. The search result would show the Windows Security app, click on Open.
2. You will see different menu items in the Windows Security app home. Look for Firewall & network protection and click to open it.
3. On the Firewall & network protection page, you should see the different network profiles listed. These network profiles are Domain Network, Private Network, and Public Network. You can turn off the firewall for each of these network connection locations individually. In this example, you need to select the Private Network profile.
4. In this example, the Private Network profile is selected. Once inside the Private Network settings, click on the switch to turn off the Windows Defender Firewall.
Repeat the same steps for the other network profiles if you prefer.
Disable Windows Firewall Using the Windows Defender Firewall Control Panel
Another GUI tool is the Windows Defender Firewall Control Panel. As opposed to the Windows Security App which has the modern interface of a Windows 10 App, the Windows Defender Firewall Control Panel sports the same look of classic control panel items.
Below are several ways to launch the Windows Defender Firewall Control Panel
Method 1: Go to Control Panel —> System and Security —> Windows Defender Firewall.
Method 2: Open the Start menu and type windows defender firewall. Click on the Windows Defender Firewall link.
Method 3: Open the Run dialog box and type in the command control firewall.cpl and click OK.
In the Windows Defender Firewall Control Panel, you should see a familiar list of network profiles; Domain networks, Private networks, and Guest or public networks. On the left-hand side, click on the Turn Windows Defender on or off link.
On the Customize Settings page, you’ll have the option to disable the Windows firewall for each network profile. In the example below, the Windows Firewall is turned off on all network profiles.
Using the Command-Line
As you may already know, most, if not all, of the GUI operations in Windows, have a command-line counterpart. Using the command-line is at times quicker, as opposed to going to different windows location when using the GUI options.
Additionally, the command-line options enable users to script or automate the task.
Turning off the Windows Firewall with the NETSH Command
An old but useful handy utility called netsh s ready for use to manage network configurations on a computer, or in this case, to disable the Windows Firewall.
Using netsh advfirewall set c you can disable the Windows Firewall individually on each location or all network profiles.
netsh advfirewall set currentprofile state off– this command will disable the firewall for the current network profile that is active or connected. For example, suppose the currently active network profile is Domain network. In that case, this command will the Firewall for that network profile.netsh advfirewall set domainprofile state off– disables on the Domain network profile only.netsh advfirewall set privateprofile state off– disables on the Private network profile only.netsh advfirewall set publicprofile state off– this command will disable on the Public network profile only.netsh advfirewall set allprofiles state off– this command will disable on all network profiles at once.
The demonstration below shows each of the commands above in action.
Learn more about Netsh Command Syntax, Contexts, and Formatting
Using the Set-NetFirewallProfile PowerShell Cmdlet
The NetSecurity PowerShell module is built-in to Windows 10, as well as Windows Server 2012, and above. This NetSecurity PowerShell module contains cmdlets related to network and network security configuration. One of these cmdlets is the Set-NetFirewallProfile which can be used to disable Windows Firewall.
The Set-NetFirewallProfile syntax is shown below.
# Disable Windows Firewall for each specified network profile
Set-NetFirewallProfile -Profile <PROFILE NAME> -Enabled False
# Disable Windows Firewall for ALL network profiles
Set-NetFirewallProfile -All -Enabled False
The command below will turn off the firewall on the Public, Private, and Domain network profiles.
Set-NetFirewallProfile -Profile Domain,Private,Public -Enabled False
The demonstration below shows how the Set-NetFirewallProfile works to disable Windows Firewall using the command above.
Without specifying any profile names, the example below shows how to disable Windows Firewall on all network profiles by using the -All parameter switch.
Turning off the Windows Firewall Remotely Using PowerShell
When you need to disable the firewall on many computers, it would be inefficient to manually login to each computer and run the commands. Especially in a network environment, you could disable remotely using PowerShell.
Note: This procedure requires that WinRM is already enabled on the target computer. In most cases, WinRM is already set up for domain-joined computers for remote management purposes.
Learn more: How to enable Windows Remote Shell
If you plan to disable Windows Firewall on one remote computer at a time, you can use the Enter-PsSession cmdlet to issue the commands to the remote computer.
In the example below, the command will be issued from the server named dc, and the remote computer name is desktop1. The command that will be used is shown below.
Enter-PsSession -ComputerName desktop1
Set-NetFirewallProfile -All -Enabled FalseRunning the code above in PowerShell would result in a similar output, as the demo below.
The above process is good only if you are working on a few remote computers. But, if you have a bulk of computers where you need to disable it, you will need an approach that is more adapted to scripting. For that, you can use the Invoke-Command cmdlet.
$computers = @('desktop1')
$computers | ForEach-Object {
Invoke-Command -ComputerName $_ {
Set-NetFirewallProfile -All -Enabled False
}
}
As you can see from the above code, the name of the remote computers is stored in the $computers variable as an array. Then, PowerShell loops through each of the remote computers to run the Invoke-Command cmdlet and issue the Set-NetFirewallProfile -All -Enabled False command. Refer to the demo below for the expected result.
Using Group Policy
By deploying a GPO, systems admins can turn off the Windows Firewall for selected or all computers in the domain. Once deployed, disabling Windows Firewall will be automated as the configuration enforces it via policy on all computers that are in scope.
Creating the GPO
To create a GPO, you need to launch the Group Policy Management Console on the server. To do so, run gpmc.msc command in the Run dialog.
gpmc.msc command in the Run dialogIn the Group Policy Management console, expand the forest and then select the domain where you will create the GPO. In the image below, the GPO is created in the xyz.int domain. Right-click on the domain and click Create a GPO in this domain, and Link it here…
The New GPO dialog box will pop up. Type in Disable Windows Firewall in the Name box, then click on the OK button.
Next, right-click on the new GPO and click Edit. The GPO will open in the Group Policy Management Editor. Then, expand these folders Computer Configuration —> Policies —> Administrative Templates —> Network —> Network Connections —> Windows Defender —> Firewall —> Domain Profile.
In the settings list on the right pane, double-click on Windows Defender Firewall: Protect all network connections to open its properties.
Once the settings property is open, change the value by selecting Disabled, then click OK.
Repeat and apply the same option to the Standard Profile settings. Then, you can now exit the Group Policy Management Editor window.
Deploying the GPO to All Domain Computers
Now that you’ve created the GPO, you now need to deploy the GPO to the domain computers.
To apply the GPO, in the Group Policy Management, select the Disable Windows Firewall GPO. Then, in the Scope tab, click on Add button under the Security Filtering section.
In the Select User, Computer, or Group dialog box, search for Domain Computers and click OK. Doing so will ensure that the GPO is applied to all computers that are members of the Domain Computers group.
And that’s it! The next time that the client computers get the policy update, the firewall will be turned off on those computers.
Now that the GPO has been created and deployed, you can test whether the GPO is working by forcing a policy update. Run the gpupdate /force on the client computer to test the policy update.
As you can see from the result above, as soon as the policy was applied on the client computer. The configuration to disable Windows Firewall was applied. Additionally, there is an information box saying that the settings are managed by the system administrator.
Note: The automatic update interval for Group Policy is every 90 minutes for regular users and computers. Additionally, Group Policy is also updated when the computer is started, or a user logs in.
Using The Custom Script Extension to Disable Windows Firewall on Azure Virtual Machines
If you have an Azure VM that you suddenly cannot access anymore because the Windows Firewall is blocking traffic, including RDP. Maybe you made changes to the Windows Firewall and inadvertently locked yourself out!
If you’ve tried all the ways previously discussed in this article and still no luck, there’s still hope. You can disable Windows Firewall inside an Azure VM’s guest OS by utilizing the Azure Custom Script Extension. The Azure Custom Script Extension works executing a script hosted in Azure Storage or GitHub against your Azure VM’s guest OS.
The high-level steps involve:
- Create a PowerShell script (*.PS1) containing commands to disable Windows Firewall.
- Install the Custom Script Extension on your Azure VM using the Azure Portal.
- Upload the PowerShell script to Azure Storage.
- The script will run automatically on the Azure VM’s guest OS one time only.
In this example, the test VM is named devmachine1 with the Windows Firewall in an enabled state.
Note: Before you proceed, make sure that you have the proper Azure RBAC role in your account.
Creating the Disable-Windows-Firewall.ps1 Script
In the previous sections, you’ve learned which commands are available to disable Windows Firewall. In this example, the netsh utility will be used.
Using the code or text editor of your choice, create a new file with name Disable-Windows-Firewall.ps1. Edit the script and add this line of code: netsh advfirewall set allprofiles state off. Save the script when done. Below is how to quickly do it in PowerShell.
'netsh advfirewall set allprofiles state off' | Out-File .\\Disable-Windows-Firewall.ps1
Installing the Custom Script Extension and Uploading the PowerShell Script
Now that your script is ready, the next step is to install the Custom Script Extension and upload the script to an Azure Storage location. And once the extension is installed, the script will automatically run against the Azure VM.
- First, log in to the Azure Portal and locate the Azure VM resource and open it. In this example, the Azure VM name is devmachine1. Then, go to the Extensions blade and click the Add button.
- In the New Resource page, locate and click on Custom Script Extension. Then, click on Create. In the Install extension page, click the Browse button next to the Script file (required) box.
- Select the Storage Account from the list. In this example, the storage account name is storagexyz01. Then a list of containers will be shown; click on the container where the script file will be uploaded. In this example, the container name is cont1.
Note: If you do not have an Azure storage account or container yet and need to create one, visit Create an Azure Storage account to learn how.
- After selecting the container, click on Upload and browse for the disable-windows-firewall.ps1 file that you created on your computer. Once you’ve selected the file, click the Upload button.
- You should see that disable-windows-firewall.ps1 file is now available inside the container. Click on disable-windows-firewall.ps1 from the list and click on Select. You will be brought back to the Install extension page, and you must click on OK to finally begin installing the extension.
At this point, you only need to wait for the extension to be deployed, which will also automatically execute the script that you uploaded. Refer to the demonstration below to see the whole process in action.
Summary
In this article, you’ve learned how to disable Windows Firewall using the built-in, available GUI tools in Windows. You’re also learned how to use commands using netsh and PowerShell to disable Windows Firewall locally or remotely.
Also, you’ve learned how to create and deploy a Group Policy Object that would disable Windows Firewall for domain computers. Lastly, you’ve learned how to use the Azure Custom Script Extension to disable Windows Firewall in Azure VM’s guest OS.
There surely are many different ways to disable Windows Firewall. Some of those methods were covered in this article. However, there are still other methods that you could explore on your own, such as using PsExec to remotely disable it.
Further Reading
- How to Generate an Azure SAS Token to Access Storage Accounts
- How To Manage Files Between Local And Azure Storage With AZCopy
- Using the Azure custom script extension Windows