You can use Windows Firewall, also called Windows Defender Firewall, to filter and block potentially dangerous programs and ports on your PC. Occasionally, various factors, including misconfigurations, accidental modifications, or malware attacks, may cause your firewall settings to become compromised or perform poorly. To ensure a fresh start and restore the firewall’s intended functionality in such circumstances, it becomes essential to set the firewall settings back to their default values. The users can also resolve network connectivity problems or possible malware attacks by following the directions in this post to reset the Windows Firewall to its default settings.
How To Reset Windows Firewall to Its Default Settings
Given below are four methods to help you reset Windows Firewall to its default settings:
- Firewall With Advanced Security Tool
- Reset via Windows Security App
- Reset via Control Panel
- Reset via Windows Terminal
You will need admin permission to execute these suggestions.
1] Reset Firewall With Advanced Security Tool
The “Windows Firewall with Advanced Security” tool lets you set up several advanced settings, as its name implies. Thus, if you want to adjust different firewall settings later, you can use it.
Let us look at how this tool can assist you in resetting the firewall settings for the time being:
- Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialogue box.
- Copy and paste the following command into the text box and press the Enter key to open the Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security window:
wf.msc
- Right-click the Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security on Local Computer option on the upper-left corner of the screen and choose the Restore Default Policy option from the context menu.
2] Reset Firewall via Windows Security App
You can use the Windows Security app to find and repair system bugs. Remarkably, this tool also can reset firewall settings. So, let us move on to how to reset Windows Firewall via the Windows Security app:
- Open Settings.
- Click the Privacy & security option on the left pane and click the Windows security option on the right.
- Click the Firewall & network protection option from the next page.
- In the Windows Security window, click the Restore firewalls to default option given below. Click the Restore defaults button when prompted.
3] Reset Firewall via the Control Panel
You can use the Windows inbuilt tool, the Control Panel, to troubleshoot system problems or adjust PC settings. Let us now examine how you can reset the firewall settings with the help of this tool:
- Open Control Panel. Next, click the Category drop-down box next to the View by: and select either the Large icons or the Small icons option.
- Select the Windows Defender Firewall option from the list on the next page.
- Click the Restore defaults option on the left pane from the next page. Follow the on-screen instructions to reset the Windows Firewall to its default settings.
4] Reset Firewall via Windows Terminal
The inbuilt tool on Windows called the Windows Terminal is a fantastic tool that enables you to access different apps, adjust system settings, and resolve PC problems. As long as you type the correct commands, this tool is capable of performing a lot of tasks.
Let us now examine how to use the Windows Terminal to reset the firewall settings:
- Open Windows Terminal as an administrator.
- Copy and paste the command given below into the Windows Terminal window and press the Enter key.
netsh advfirewall reset
Now, wait for the process to get over. After that, restart your PC to save the changes.
Conclusion
In Windows, restoring the firewall to its original state and fixing network connectivity problems can be accomplished by resetting the firewall settings to default. It is essential to understand that restarting the firewall will erase any customized preferences and rules you have established, so proceed with caution.
If you have any custom firewall rules or configurations, it is advised that you backup your data before resetting the firewall. By doing this, you can restore them later.
