How to allow applications to access the Windows 11 firewall.

Microsoft Defender firewall is one of many security features available on Windows 11 to protect your computer and files from external threats, as well as internal threats attempting to infiltrate. While Microsoft Defender works quite well, sometimes you still need to manually allow or deny an application access. Below is a guide on how to allow applications to access the Windows 11 firewall.

 

How to allow applications to bypass the firewall through Windows Security

Step 1:

Type "Windows Security" into the search bar to open it. Then click on "Firewall & network protection" .

Step 2:

Next, on the new interface, the user selects the "Allow an app through firewall" option to make adjustments.

 

Step 3:

Users then select Change settings to modify the firewall settings. At this point, you can click Private if you want to use it at home or work, or Public to allow the application to be used in public places, such as cafes.

Tap Allow another app if the app is not in the list.

How to allow applications to access the firewall using PowerShell on Windows 11

Step 1:

Type "PowerShell" into the search bar , then select "Run as administrator" to run it with administrator privileges.

Step 2:

In this interface, enter the command below and then press Enter.

New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "RULE-NAME" -Direction Inbound -Program "C:PathToApp.exe" -Action Allow -Profile Domain,Private,Public

In the command, enter the application name, path, and executable file for the application, and select the firewall configuration to use.

Enter this custom command to test the new rule and press Enter.

Get-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "RULE-NAME"

Enter this custom command to delete the rule and press Enter.

 

Remove-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "RULE-NAME"

For example, we enter the command for the Zoom application as follows.

New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Zoom" -Direction Inbound -Program "C:UsersUserProfileAppDataRoamingZoombinZoom.exe" -Action Allow -Profile Private,Public

Get-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Zoom"

Remove-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Zoom"