How to turn on or turn off the Windows Firewall?

To turn on Windows Firewall:

• Click on the Start button and then click on Control Panel.
• In the Control Panel, click on Windows Security Center.
• Now click on Windows Firewall.
• In the next screen, make sure that the ON radio button (which is the recommended option) is selected. This option is located in the General Tab of the Windows Firewall window.
• You can also check the box which says “Don’t allow exceptions“, if you are connected to a public network or a less secure network.

If you wish to turn your Windows firewall OFF (which is NOT recommended) you only have to unselect the On radio button in the General Tab of the Windows firewall dialog box.

Let’s take a quick look at how exactly a Windows Firewall works:

When somebody tries to connect to your computer from a network or the internet without your permission, that attempt is known as an “unsolicited request“.

So, when your computer receives an unsolicited request, the firewall blocks it. But if you are running a program or a network game which requires information to be received from the network or the internet, Windows firewall asks you if you wish to block or allow that connection.