How to open ports on Windows Firewall
Before answering this question, let’s know more about Firewall and ports.
- Port:
o In computer networking, the term port can refer to physical or virtual connection endpoint.
o We will focus on virtual ports that allow software applications to share hardware resources without interfering with each other.
- Firewall:
It is a network security system that controls the incoming and outgoing network traffic based on a set of rules. A firewall acts as a barrier between a trusted, secure internal network and another unsecure network (e.g., the Internet).
Any port can be closed by applying rules through the firewall. The firewall will filter incoming packets, allowing only the packets matching with the applied rules to pass through and dropping packets directed at a closed port.
If Windows Firewall is blocking a program and you want to allow that program to communicate through the firewall, you can open a port for that program.
How to open ports on Windows manually
1. Open Windows Firewall:
- Click the Start button, and then click Control Panel.
- In the search box, type firewall, and then click Windows Firewall.
2. In the left pane, click Advanced settings.
3. In the Windows Firewall with Advanced Security dialog box:
- In the left pane, click Inbound Rules, and then, in the right pane, click New Rule.
4. Follow the instructions in the New Inbound Rule wizard to open the required ports.
How using VPN can help you open ports on Windows
- A virtual private network (VPN) is a strategy that helps provide secure connectivity between private networks and enabling network access for remote users across a public network, such as the Internet.
o It enables a computer or Wi-Fi-enabled device to send and receive data across shared or public networks as if it were directly connected to the private network, while benefiting from the functionality, security and management policies of the private network.
By using a VPN service provider, all networking ports are available so that you can use all the web-enabled applications securely and safely.
To open ports on Windows using VPN, all you need to do is to download a VPN application from this link
After installing the application, you’ll notice that next to each server you’ll find the number of the port it opens.
These were two different methods to open ports on Windows
