Despite taking all the necessary precautions, such as installing antivirus software, malicious apps and games can sometimes find their way into our computers. These suspicious programs often disguise themselves as trustworthy apps that we use daily.
Given these growing security concerns, it’s crucial to take steps to secure your personal files and data, protecting yourself from such apps & softwares.
Luckily, you don’t always need third-party software to secure your data. Windows Firewall and Microsoft Defender have greatly improved over the years, and with regular updates, they now offer protection that can rival many antivirus programs. Even without additional antivirus software, you can still take steps to secure your data.
In this guide, we will show you how to block a specific program from accessing the internet using the Windows Firewall feature.
How to block Software from accessing the internet in Windows 11
If you suspect that a malicious application has infiltrated your PC, the first step is to block the application from accessing the internet to prevent further damage.
Windows Firewall’s inbound and outbound rules feature allows you to control internet traffic for any application installed on your computer.
- Inbound rules block incoming internet data to the application, preventing it from establishing connections with external sources.
- Outbound rules block the application software from sending data or traffic to the internet.
By blocking both inbound and outbound connections, you can effectively prevent the application from connecting to the internet.
To block an application software using the Firewall on Windows 11, follow the steps below:
Step 1. Click on the Start button and search for Windows Defender Firewall in the search bar. A list of results will appear on your screen; open Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security.
Step 2. Now, in Windows Firewall, click on the Inbound Rules option in the left pane of the window.
Step 3. A list of inbound rules will appear on your screen. Click on the New Rule option in the actions column shown on the right pane.
Step 4. A wizard window will now open, select the Program option and then click on the Next button.
Step 5. Now, you need to select the “This program path” option to block the program in Firewall.
You can enter the path of the program manually or use the Browse option to locate the program you wish to block. After selecting the path, click on the Next button to proceed.
Step 6. Select the “Block the connection” option in the next window and click on Next.
Step 7. Windows will now ask you when it should apply this new rule.
You can select the network according to your choice, or you can select all the three options, Domain, Private and Public, if you are not quite sure. Doing this will block the program when it gets connected to any of these network profiles.
Now click on the Next button to continue.
Step 8. Now, you need to enter a name for this rule. You can use any name you wish. Just try to select a relevant name and description so you can easily identify it in the future.
Step 9. Click on the Finish button to add the rule to Windows Firewall.
Step 10. Now, in the Windows Firewall menu, click on the Outbound Rules options in the left pane of the window.
Step 11. Click on the New Rule option in the Outbound Rules column on the right side of the window.
Step 12. Follow the same steps from step 4 to step 9 to add a new outbound rule for the program of your choice.
Once you add both the inbound and outbound rules to block the program, it will no longer be able to access the internet.
If you prefer, you can also partially block the program by adding only one of the rules (either inbound or outbound) to restrict its connection.
Adding just one rule will block either incoming or outgoing connections, depending on your choice. This can be useful in scenarios where you want an application software to receive data from the internet but prevent it from sending data back to its servers.
For example, if you block the outgoing connections in a cloud storage application, the app will still be able to download files to your system but won’t be able to upload your personal files back to its servers.
Bottomline
Please note that for these features to work, Windows Defender Firewall must be turned on. Thankfully, Windows 11 enables the firewall by default, helping secure your computer from potential threats posed by malicious programs.
To check if Windows Firewall is enabled on your computer, follow these steps:
- Click on Start and search for Windows Security in the search bar.
- Open Windows Security and select Firewall & Network Protection.
- Ensure that the “Firewall is on” message appears for all network profile options.
Windows Defender Firewall is a highly useful tool, though many people are unaware of its full potential due to its older design and interface. It can be very handy if you need to block internet access for any application software or game, especially if a malicious app has been installed on your system.
If you have any doubts or questions, feel free to ask in the comment section below. We’ll be happy to assist you!
