Top 28 Windows Firewall Management Commands You Need To Know

Windows Firewall (also known as Windows Defender Firewall) is an essential security feature in Windows operating systems that helps protect your computer by filtering network traffic. Managing Windows Firewall effectively requires knowledge of key commands that allow you to configure, monitor, and troubleshoot firewall settings.

Below are the top 28 Windows Firewall management commands you need to know.

1. Retrieves the configuration details of the Windows Firewall service:

sc qc MpsSvc

2. Checks the current status of the Windows Firewall service:

sc query MpsSvc

3. Stops the Windows Firewall service:

sc stop MpsSvc

4. Starts the Windows Firewall service:

sc start MpsSvc

5. Opens the Windows Firewall settings in the command-line interface:

netsh advfirewall firewall

6. Displays the help menu for Windows Firewall advanced settings:

netsh advfirewall /?

7. Shows available options for displaying firewall settings:

netsh advfirewall show /?

8. Displays the current firewall profile:

netsh advfirewall show currentprofile

9. Shows the firewall settings for the public profile:

netsh advfirewall show publicprofile

10. Shows the firewall settings for the private profile:

netsh advfirewall show privateprofile

11. Displays settings for all firewall profiles:

netsh advfirewall show allprofiles

12. Disables the Windows Firewall:

netsh firewall set opmode disable

13. Enables the Windows Firewall:

netsh firewall set opmode enable

14. Turns off the firewall for all profiles:

netsh advfirewall set allprofiles state off

15. Turns on the firewall for all profiles:

netsh advfirewall set allprofiles state on

16. Displays help for firewall rule commands:

netsh advfirewall firewall /?

17. Dumps the current firewall configuration:

netsh advfirewall firewall dump

18. Opens TCP port 23 for Telnet Server:

netsh firewall add portopening tcp 23 "Telnet Server"

19. Displays the current state of the firewall:

netsh firewall show state

20. Adds a rule to allow inbound FTP client connections:

netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="Permit FTP Client" dir=in action=allow enable=yes profile=any program=%SystemRoot%\System32\ftp.exe

21. Displays details of the “Permit FTP Client” rule:

netsh advfirewall firewall show rule name="Permit FTP Client"

22. Allows inbound RDP traffic on port 3389:

netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="RDP" dir=in action=allow enable=yes profile=any protocol=TCP localport=3389

23. Deletes the “RDP” rule:

netsh advfirewall firewall delete rule name="RDP" dir=in

24. Modifies the “HTTP 80” rule to allow traffic on additional ports (80, 81, 82, 83):

netsh advfirewall firewall set rule name="HTTP 80" new localport=80,81,82,83 action=allow

25. Lists all firewall rules:

get-netfirewallrule -all

26. Lists all firewall rules from the configurable service store:

get-netfirewallrule -policystore configurableservicestore -all

27. Checks the status of Windows Defender:

sc query windefend

28. Retrieves the configuration details of Windows Defender:

sc qc windefend

Mastering these Windows Firewall commands can help you configure security settings efficiently. Whether you need to allow or block network access for applications, enable logging, or troubleshoot network issues, these commands will make managing Windows Firewall much easier.

Keep this guide handy for quick reference!