According to Microsoft, the firewall is an important part of filtering unauthorized networks to flow in and out of your Windows device. Generally speaking, it is not recommended that turn it off since your PC would be facing security issues.
But if you are going to visit a network that asks for no firewall after confirming it is indeed safe, or you need to install a third-party firewall, you can follow the steps below to temporarily disable your firewall on Windows 11.
Turning off Firewall for Network
Step 1: Press Windows + I to launch the Settings app, and navigate to Privacy & security in the left-side menu.
Step 2: Select Windows Security.
Step 3: Find and click the Firewall & network protection on the right side.
Step 4: After this window pops up, choose the network you want to disable the firewall by clicking on it. Below I’ll take the Public network as an example.
Step 5: Now you are in the operation interface of the Public network. Click on the toggle to turn the firewall off.
Now you’ve successfully disabled the firewall for a network. If you want to make the firewall keep working but need to launch certain apps without being blocked, check out the coming section.
Turning off Firewall for a Specific App (Allow It under Firewall)
Turning off the firewall for a specific app means that you will allow this app to run without being blocked, in other words, you will authorize this app to your firewall’s white list. Do remember to make sure the app is safe to use before you start this process.
Step 1: Press Windows + I and navigate to the Privacy & security in the left-side menu.
Step 2: Enter Windows Security by clicking on it.
Step 3: Find and click the Firewall & network protection on the right side.
Step 4: Click Allow an app through firewall under the main option items on the right side of the pane.
Step 5: This window will pop up and click Allow another app at the right bottom corner.
Step 6: This “Add an app” window pops up, click on the Browse button to continue.
Step 7: Scroll down and double-click on the app you want to add and click on the Open button.
Step 8: Now you can see the app is newly added, then click Add.
Step 9: Now the app is added to the allowed app list. Confirm by clicking on the OK button.
Done. The app you added will not be filtered by the firewall anymore.
So, there you have it – a step-by-step guide on how to turn off firewall on Windows 11. I hope you find this tutorial helpful. As always, feel free to drop a comment below if you have any questions during the process.
