How To Block An App in Windows Firewall to Restrict Its Internet Access

Learn the steps to block any program or app in Windows Firewall to restrict it from accessing the internet.

By default, apps installed on your computer can access and communicate with the internet freely as long as they respect the Windows Firewall rules. While this is a good thing and allows apps to function as intended, there may be situations where you need to block a specific app from connecting to the internet. For example, maybe you want to block an app from auto-updating, stop sending telemetry data, or other similar actions.

Thankfully, on Windows, you can use the Windows Firewall to block any application, program, or app from accessing the internet. All you have to do is create outbound and inbound rules for that specific app in Windows Firewall.

In this quick and easy guide, I will show you how to block an app in Windows Firewall to restrict its internet access. Let’s get started.

Before You Start

• Administrative rights are required to create, modify, and delete Windows Firewall rules.
• The below steps are tested to work in Windows 11 and Windows 10.

Steps to Block an App in Windows Firewall (Restrict Internet Access)

To block an application or program and restrict its internet access using Windows Firewall, you need to create an outbound rule. Once you create it, the built-in firewall blocks all outgoing connections from the application, effectively locking it out of accessing the internet. Here’s how to do it.

1. Open the Start menu by pressing the “Windows key”.
2. Search for “Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security“.
3. Click the top result to open Windows Firewall.
4. Right-click on the “Outbound Rules” option on the sidebar.
5. Select the “New Rule” option.
6. Select “Program” and click “Next“.
7. Choose “This program path” and click “Browse“.
8. Select the exe file of the program you want to block and click “Open“.
9. Click “Next“.
10. Choose “Block the connection” and click “Next“.
11. Select the Domain, Private, & Public checkboxes and click “Next“.
12. Type a name in the “Name” field.
13. Click “Finish“.
14. With that, you’ve created a firewall rule to block the app from accessing the internet.
15. Close the firewall window.

Detailed Steps (With Screenshots)

To start off, open the Start menu by pressing the “Windows” key. Next, search for “Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security” and click the top result or “Open” on the right panel. This opens Windows Firewall with advanced view, where you can create, modify, and delete firewall rules.

Now we need to create a new outbound rule for the app we want to block. So, right-click the “Outbound Rules” option on the left sidebar and select “New Rule“.

The above action opens the rule creation wizard. In it, select the “Program” option and click “Next“.

Now, select the “This program path” option and then click the “Browse” button.

The above action opens the browse dialog. In it, find the exe file of the application you want to block using the firewall, select it, and click the “Open” button.

The above action will add the file path to the blank field in the rule creation wizard. Click “Next” to continue.

Choose the “Block the connection” option and click “Next“. This option is responsible for blocking the target application from accessing the internet.

Now, the firewall asks for which network profiles this rule should apply to. Select all three profiles. i.e., Domain, Private, and Public checkboxes, and click “Next“. Selecting all three profiles ensures the program is always blocked regardless of which network profile you are using.

Finally, type a name of your choice in the “Name” field. Optionally, you can also enter a description to further elaborate on what the rule does and why you’ve created it in the “Description” field. After that, click the “Finish” button.

That’s it. You can now see the newly created rule in the main firewall window, and you’ve blocked the app from accessing the internet.

Wrapping Up — Blocking an App From Accessing the Internet Using Windows Firewall

As you can see, by creating a simple outbound rule, you can block any app in Windows from accessing the internet. If you are wondering, generally, there is no need to create a separate inbound rule. However, if you want to be specific, right-click the “Inbound Rules” option on the Windows Firewall sidebar, select “New Rules,” and then follow the same steps as shown above.

If you want to allow the application to access the Internet, right-click the rule we just created and select “Disable Rule”.

That is all. It is that simple to block an app in Windows Firewall to restrict its internet access. If you have any questions or need help, comment below. I’ll be happy to assist.