A firewall is an important tool that protects the device from any unwanted intrusion, malicious activity, or any external connection that tries to access your device without permission. Windows provides a built-in firewall app called Microsoft Defender Firewall, which protects your system fiercely. But there may be some instances in which a firewall can cause hindrance, and you might need to disable it. In this article, we will learn how to disable Windows 11 Firewall.
How to Disable Windows 11 Firewall
While a firewall is essential to protect your system from online threats, sometimes it can interrupt downloads and installations. In such circumstances, it becomes essential to disable the firewall. Here are some methods to disable Windows 11 Firewall.
Note: Turning Windows Firewall off may make your device vulnerable to various threats, and therefore, generally disabling Firewall is not recommended. User discretion is advised.
Method 1: Using Windows Security
One of the most straightforward methods to disable the Firewall on Windows 11 is by going to Windows Security options. You can follow the steps mentioned below to execute the method.
1. Go to the Search bar on the taskbar. Search for Windows Security. Click on Windows Security in the search results.
2. Click on the Firewall & network protection tab in the Navigation pane.
3. Select the active network option.
4. Turn off the Microsoft Defender Firewall toggle switch to disable the firewall.
The firewall will disable the active network profile.
Note: If you want to disable the firewall for all networks, turn off the security feature for all the profiles, including Domain network, Private network, and Public network.
Also Read: Allow or Block Apps through the Windows Firewall
Method 2: Using Control Panel
Another effective method to turn off Firewall is by going via Control Panel. You can follow these simple steps to disable Firewall from Control Panel.
1. Go to the Search bar on the taskbar. Search for Control Panel. Click on Control Panel in the search results.
2. Click on System and Security.
3. Click on Windows Defender Firewall.
4. Click Turn Windows Defender Firewall on and off on the left pane.
5. Select Turn off Windows Defender Firewall under the Private network settings section.
6. Select Turn off Windows Defender Firewall under the Public network settings section, and click OK.
Method 3: Using Command Prompt
You can also use the Command Prompt utility to disable Firewall on Windows 11 computers, follow these simple steps for the same.
1. Go to the Search bar on the taskbar. Search for Command Prompt. Right-click on Command Prompt in the search results, and on the side menu, click Run as administrator.
2. Type the following command to turn off the firewall for the current network profile and press Enter.
netsh advfirewall set currentprofile state off
3. Type in the following commands to turn off the firewall for a specific profile or all profiles and press Enter:
To disable the firewall for all network profiles:
netsh advfirewall set allprofiles state off
To disable the firewall for the domain network profile:
netsh advfirewall set domainprofile state off
To disable the firewall for the private network profile:
netsh advfirewall set privateprofile state off
To disable the firewall for the public network profile:
netsh advfirewall set publicprofile state off
After you complete the steps, the firewall will turn off in the network profiles you specified.
Also Read: How to Add Windows Firewall Rule
Method 4: Using PowerShell
Since Windows has replaced Command Prompt with PowerShell in newer updates, you can use this utility to turn Firewall off on your device. Follow these simple steps to do so.
1. Go to the Search and search for PowerShell.
2. Right-click on PowerShell, and click Run as administrator.
3. Type the following command to disable the current network profile and press Enter:
Set-NetFirewallProfile -Profile Domain,Public,Private -Enabled False
Note: If you want to disable the firewall for a specific profile, you can remove the other profile name from the command. For example:
Set-NetFirewallProfile -Profile Private -Enabled False.
Also Read: 18 Best Free Firewall for Windows
After reading the above methods, we hope that you now know how to disable Windows 11 firewall. Disabling a firewall is still very risky, so we suggest that you only do this when it is an absolute necessity. Let us know which method you prefer in the comment section. You can also ask any questions you might have in the comment section. For more tech-related tips, visit our site frequently.
