2 Best Ways to Enable or Disable Windows 10 Firewall Notifications

The Windows Firewall feature protects your computer from the most common attacks. He works silently behind the scenes to give us that much needed peace of mind. I like this feature and what it does, but some users don’t like the pop-up notifications it shows. In this guide, you will learn how to permanently enable / disable Windows 10 Firewall notifications.

Windows Firewall will show you a pop-up notification whenever it detects an application or script trying to access your network connection in an attempt to access your computer. You can then choose to allow or deny this action based on your knowledge of the application in question. You can turn off firewall notifications if you’ve already set up all of your apps and don’t want to be disturbed anymore. This is much more convenient than spending a few seconds trying to determine if a firewall access finder application is legitimate or not.

Let’s start.

1. Windows 10 firewall notifications via Security Center

The Security Center is where Microsoft hosts all defense and security features and protocols, including the front end of Microsoft Defender.

Step 1: Find Windows Security in the Start menu and open it.

2nd step: Click Firewall and Network Connection. A green check mark next to each entry means everything is in order and no action on your part is required.

Step 3: Scroll down a bit and towards the end you will find the firewall notification settings.

Step 4: Click Manage Notifications.

Step 5: You can enable / disable Microsoft firewall notifications here. Enable the option “Notify me when Microsoft Defender firewall blocks a new application”.

Windows will still block apps that are not whitelisted, but you will no longer receive notifications with an option to enable it. Now, if there is any problem, you will have to go through the firewall settings first to find the blocked application. I suggest you leave it on unless you agree and understand what happens when you turn off Windows Firewall notifications.

You can also selectively disable firewall notifications just below by choosing between public, private, and domain firewalls.

2. Windows 10 firewall notifications via control panel

This is how users handled firewall settings in the old days before Windows 10 was released to the world. You can still use it if that’s what you prefer.

Step 1: Find and open Control Panel from the Start menu.

2nd step: Navigate to the folder structure below. Select Change notification settings in the left pane of the window.

Control PanelSystem and SecurityWindows Firewall

2nd step: Deselect “Warn me when Windows Firewall blocks a new application” for the type of network you are connected to and for which you want to stop notifications.

Allow or disallow apps through Windows Firewall

You will no longer receive notifications when the Windows operating system blocks an application through the firewall. So how do you whitelist or authorize an app right now? Simple enough.

Step 1: Go back to Control Panel and navigate to the same folder structure again.

Control PanelSystem and SecurityWindows Firewall

2nd step: This time, select the option “Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall” in the right pane.

Step 3: Here you will find a list of apps and services with public and private network options. First click on Change settings. This prevents you from making unnecessary changes as it may interrupt the functionality of the app / service and you don’t want to. Depending on the network you are on, you can now allow / disallow apps in a network. Just check / uncheck the services accordingly.

You can always go back and change the settings if you think you’ve allowed / denied something by mistake. I would advise not to mess around too much.

Fire in the hole

Windows Defender Firewall settings are the first line of defense between your computer and the outside world. There are all kinds of threats out there out there that try to exploit any mistakes you make. Don’t give them that chance. Keep the firewall feature enabled even if you feel like an obstacle. The same goes for Windows Defender, which is part of the Windows Security suite, an integrated host of a service-oriented system meant to protect your data and your PC.

I am using Windows security with Malwarebytes to protect my PC. One is free and comes pre-installed, while the other follows a freemium model. I would recommend the paid version, but the free is also good. Together, this setup will protect you from almost all kinds of external threats. Of course, no system is perfect, and even the world’s most secure servers have been hacked, but it’s an ongoing battle. All we can do is learn the practices and do our best to follow them to the best of our ability or the circumstances.