To turn off Windows Firewall
You might not want the Windows Firewall to run on every profile in your Windows computer. You can choose to log into each profile and turn off firewall, but more efficiently, you can use the Group Policy Editor for disabling the firewall for anyone using the computer in future or now.
Windows help instructions to use the Group Policy Editor
- In the Group Policy Editor, to create group policy objects, log in to the computer with appropriate permissions. This will be a user who is part of the administrator group.
- Open the Active Directory Users and Computers application. You can find this by clicking the Start menu at lower left corner if you are at the server. You will see another folder on the right side of the menu labeled “Administrative Tools”. You will find Active Directory Users and Computers application inside that folder.
- Open the Run dialog box. Click on the Start menu to open this and click on the option “Run”.
- Open the Microsoft Management Console. In the space provided in the Run dialog box, type “mmc” and then click on the button labeled “OK“.
- Open the Add/Remove Snap-ins dialog. At the top of the dialog box, click on the menu option “File“. Select the option for “Add/Remove Snap-in” In the drop-down list.
To turn off Windows Firewall
- Add the snap-in for Group Policy. You will see a button at the bottom of the dialog labeled “Add”, click on it. You will be shown a snap-ins list. Search for one labeled “Group Policy” and click the “Add” button.
- Close the Add/Remove Snap-ins dialog. Click “Close” and then “OK” in the next window.
- Expand the computer configuration folder. In the left pane, click on the “+” sign shown next to the computer configuration icon.
- Expand the administrative templates folder below computer configuration folder.
- Go to Windows Firewall Folder. Expand folder “Network”, then “Network Services” and finally “Windows Firewall”.
- Select profile named “Standard Profile”. Once you click on it, you will be shown several options.
- Double click on the “Windows Firewall: Protect all network connections” option.
- Disable firewall by clicking the radio button given for it.
- Then click “Ok”.
That’s all that Windows help team instructs you in order to use Group Policy Editor for disabling Windows Firewall. Ciao!
