How to open Windows Firewall using different methods

Windows Defender Firewall is a software firewall component of the Windows operating system. In this post, we will show you how to open Windows Firewall using different methods on your PC to access the application whether you want to turn it off or just to make sure it is running to protect your PC.

How to open Windows Firewall in Windows 11/10

The Windows Defender Firewall can be configured to allow or block programs on a computer from accessing network or Internet resources. It also allows or blocks connections to and from other computers on a network. Essentially, as part of its built-in security suite for the Windows OS, the application works to protect the operating system and user data on the computer from improper or unapproved access, use, and possible infection. PC users can access or open the Windows Defender Firewall using any of the following methods below.

1] Control Panel

To open Windows Firewall in Windows 11 or Windows 10:

Press Windows key + R to invoke the Run dialog.
In the Run dialog box, type control and hit Enter to open Control Panel.
From the top right corner of the window, set the View by option to Small icons or Large icons.
Select Windows Defender Firewall.

Read: How to test your Firewall software

2] Run Dialog

Press Windows + R key combination to open the Run dialog.
In the Run dialog box, type control firewall.cpl and hit Enter.

3] Windows Search

Click the Search icon or bar on the extreme left of the taskbar (Windows 10) OR press the Windows key on the keyboard.
Type in windows defender firewall.
Select Windows Defender Firewall from the result or click Open on the right pane.

Read: How to Restore or Reset Windows Firewall settings to defaults

4] Windows Terminal

Press the Windows key + X to open Power User Menu.
Tap A on the keyboard to launch Windows Terminal in admin/elevated mode.
In the PowerShell console or CMD prompt, type control firewall.cpl and hit Enter.

Read: Best Free Firewall software for Windows

5] Desktop Shortcut

You can also create a desktop shortcut for Windows Firewall and place it on your desktop or anywhere else you want it. When you make the shortcut, enter the text control firewall.cpl into the Type the location of the item field. Once you have successfully created the desktop shortcut, to open the Windows Defender Firewall applet, double-click the shortcut.

Read: Import, Export, Repair, Restore Default Firewall Policy in Windows

6] Keyboard Shortcut

To use a keyboard shortcut to open Windows Firewall, you will first have to create a desktop shortcut as shown above. Once you’ve done that, you can apply a hotkey to the Windows Firewall desktop shortcut by following these steps:

Right-click a Windows Defender Firewall shortcut you’ve added to the desktop and select Properties.
In the Shortcut key field, enter the Ctrl + Alt + F (where F is for firewall) hotkey.
Click Apply > OK to save the changes.

Now, to open Windows Defender Firewall, simply press the Ctrl + Alt + F key combo. You can always change that hotkey by pressing a different key for it within the Shortcut key field. If you delete the Windows Defender Firewall desktop shortcut, the hotkey assigned to it will also be erased.

Read: Windows Firewall with Advanced Security – Deploying IPsec Policies

7] Desktop Context Menu

You can modify the registry to add a Windows Firewall option to the desktop context menu which contains the following actions:

Windows Firewall – opens the user interface of the app
Windows Firewall with Advanced Security – opens Windows Firewall with Advanced Security
Configure Allowed Apps
Turn On Windows Firewall
Turn Off Windows Firewall
Reset Windows Firewall
Windows Defender Security Center

Since this is a registry operation, it is recommended that you back up the registry or create a system restore point as necessary precautionary measures. To add Windows Firewall to Context Menu in Windows 11/10, do the following:

Press Windows key + R to invoke the Run dialog.
In the Run dialog box, type notepad and hit Enter to open Notepad.
Copy and paste the code below into the text editor.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DesktopBackground\Shell\FirewallContextMenu]
"Icon"="FirewallControlPanel.dll,-1"
"MUIVerb"="Windows Firewall"
"Position"="Bottom"
"SubCommands"=""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DesktopBackground\Shell\FirewallContextMenu\Shell\Command001]
"Icon"="FirewallControlPanel.dll,-1"
"MUIVerb"="Windows Firewall"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DesktopBackground\Shell\FirewallContextMenu\Shell\Command001\Command]
@="RunDll32 shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL firewall.cpl"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DesktopBackground\Shell\FirewallContextMenu\Shell\Command002]
"HasLUAShield"=""
"MUIVerb"="Windows Firewall with Advanced Security"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DesktopBackground\Shell\FirewallContextMenu\Shell\Command002\Command]
@="mmc.exe /s wf.msc"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DesktopBackground\Shell\FirewallContextMenu\Shell\Command003]
"Icon"="FirewallControlPanel.dll,-1"
"MUIVerb"="Configure Allowed Apps"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DesktopBackground\Shell\FirewallContextMenu\Shell\Command003\Command]
@="explorer shell:::{4026492F-2F69-46B8-B9BF-5654FC07E423} -Microsoft.WindowsFirewall\\pageConfigureApps"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DesktopBackground\Shell\FirewallContextMenu\Shell\Command004]
"CommandFlags"=dword:00000020
"HasLUAShield"=""
"MUIVerb"="Turn On Windows Firewall"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DesktopBackground\Shell\FirewallContextMenu\Shell\Command004\Command]
@="powershell.exe -windowstyle hidden -command \"Start-Process cmd -ArgumentList '/s,/c,netsh advfirewall set allprofiles state on' -Verb runAs\""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DesktopBackground\Shell\FirewallContextMenu\Shell\Command005]
"HasLUAShield"=""
"MUIVerb"="Turn Off Windows Firewall"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DesktopBackground\Shell\FirewallContextMenu\Shell\Command005\Command]
@="powershell.exe -windowstyle hidden -command \"Start-Process cmd -ArgumentList '/s,/c,netsh advfirewall set allprofiles state off' -Verb runAs\""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DesktopBackground\Shell\FirewallContextMenu\Shell\Command006]
"HasLUAShield"=""
"MUIVerb"="Reset Windows Firewall"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DesktopBackground\Shell\FirewallContextMenu\Shell\Command006\Command]
@="powershell -windowstyle hidden -command \"Start-Process cmd -ArgumentList '/s,/c,netsh advfirewall reset' -Verb runAs\""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DesktopBackground\Shell\FirewallContextMenu\Shell\Command007]
"Icon"="%ProgramFiles%\\Windows Defender\\EppManifest.dll,-101"
"MUIVerb"="Windows Defender Security Center"
"CommandFlags"=dword:00000020

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DesktopBackground\Shell\FirewallContextMenu\Shell\Command007\Command]
@="explorer windowsdefender:"

Now, click the File option from the menu and select the Save As button.
Choose a location (preferably desktop) where you want to save the file.
Enter a name with a .reg extension (eg; AddWF-To-DCM.reg).
Choose All Files from the Save as type drop-down list.
Double-click the saved .reg file to merge it.
If prompted, click on Run > Yes (UAC) > Yes > OK to approve the merge.
You can now delete the .reg file if you like.

If you want to remove the option, repeat the steps above but this time use the code below:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DesktopBackground\Shell\FirewallContextMenu]

That’s it on how to open Windows Firewall using different methods!

Is there another way to get your firewall settings if so how?

You will find the native Firewall application for the Windows operating system in the System and Security section of the Control Panel app. Still, you can easily open or access the Windows Firewall’s settings by using any of the methods described in this post above. You can use the netsh command to verify the firewall settings. You will see information similar to the following: Profile = Domain. Exception mode = Enable. Multicast/broadcast response mode = Enable. Notification mode = Enable.

Read: Windows Defender Firewall is using settings that make device unsafe

How to open Windows Firewall ports command line?

Open the command prompt, type netstat –na, and hit Enter. Find port 445 under the Local Address from the output and check the State. If it says Listening, your port is open. To open the Remote Desktop port (port 3389) in Windows Firewall, go to Advanced settings on the left side and ensure that ‘Inbound Rules’ for Remote Desktop is ‘Enabled’.