How to turn off the Windows firewall

The purpose of a firewall is to protect your computer. The Windows operating system comes with its own built-in firewall that offers protection against attacks and unwanted access. If an unauthorized third party tries to access your computer, the software will automatically block the attempt, thus protecting your system and your data.

The Windows firewall is a key cyber security solution. It acts as a filter between your system and the Internet, checking (without your input) whether programs installed on your PC are allowed to connect to the Internet, and whether online applications or third-party devices are permitted to access your PC. If the firewall detects unauthorized traffic, it will block the access attempt and notify you.

It is possible to disable the Windows firewall, but you should only do so temporarily. One situation where you might need to turn off the firewall is to install software that would otherwise be blocked. We’ve put together a step-by-step guide to show you how to turn off the firewall.

First introduced in Windows XP, the Windows firewall is now a standard component of all Microsoft operating systems. It was originally called the “Internet Connection Firewall” and could only filter incoming connections, but it has since been developed and optimized, and is now one of the most secure security solutions on the market. When Windows 10 was launched, Microsoft renamed the firewall “Windows Defender Firewall” to underline the fact that the firewall is the central component of its Windows Defender security suite.

The steps below explain how to disable the firewall in the latest version of the operating system (Windows 10) as well as in Windows 8, and Windows 7.

1. Click on the “Search” icon or the search box in the taskbar and enter “Windows firewall”.
2. Click on “Windows Defender Firewall” in the search results.
3. In the menu pane, select “Turn Windows Defender Firewall on or off”.
4. Select “Turn off Windows Defender Firewall” for both networks (private and public).

In Windows 8 and 8.1, the procedure for disabling the firewall is more or less the same as in Windows 10:

1. Open the Search function (in Windows 8, you need to go into the Start menu to search).
2. Enter “Windows firewall” or “firewall” in the search box.
3. Click on the appropriate result to open the firewall menu.
4. In the menu on the left, select “Turn Windows Firewall on or off”.
5. For both network types (private and public), select “Turn off Windows firewall (not recommended)”.
6. Click on “OK” to confirm.

Users of Windows 7 can follow the same steps to turn off the firewall in their system:

1. Open the Start menu.
2. Enter “firewall” or “Windows firewall” in the search box.
3. Click on the corresponding search result.
4. In the list of options on the left, select “Turn Windows Firewall on or off”.
5. Select “Turn off Windows firewall (not recommended)” for both network types (private and public).
6. Confirm the changes by clicking on the “OK” button.