Windows firewall by default will block incoming traffic on most ports. To open specific ports and port ranges in the firewall, you can follow these steps:
- Open the firewall interface (Press the Windows key, then type 'Windows Defender Firewall' to find it quickly).
- Click Inbound Rules, if you are configuring an outbound rule you can go there instead, as the steps for making a rule are the same. Then click New Rule:
- Check 'Port', then click 'Next':
- Choose either TCP or UDP, then enter the port, or port range. In this example we are choosing TCP and ports 6000-8000:
- Check 'Allow the connection', then click 'Next':
- Tick the zones you would like this rule to apply to. If you want your ports to be accessible from the public internet, make sure you check 'Public' at the minimum. Click 'Next >' again.
- Name the rule and press 'Finish':
- The rule should now be visible within your Windows Defender Firewall:
You have now finished the steps required to open ports in your Windows Firewall!