Windows Firewall Control is a free Windows utility for managing the rules and filtering settings of the built-in Windows Firewall. Its system tray interface brings together policy selection, connection notifications and rule editing. Windows Firewall continues to filter network traffic; Windows Firewall Control supplies the controls for deciding which connections it should permit.
Filtering modes
The selected filtering mode determines what happens when an application tries to communicate. Windows Firewall Control offers four profiles with different treatment of incoming and outgoing connections:
| Mode | Connection behavior |
|---|---|
| High Filtering | Blocks all inbound and outbound connections. |
| Medium Filtering | Blocks outbound connections that do not match an allow rule. |
| Low Filtering | Allows outbound connections that do not match a rule, while explicit blocking rules still apply. |
| No Filtering | Turns Windows Firewall off. |
How Windows Firewall Control handles blocked connections
When a program’s outbound connection is blocked and no matching rule exists, Windows Firewall Control can show a notification. The dialog identifies the executable and displays connection details such as the remote address, ports and protocol, alongside digital signature information.
An allow or block decision creates a firewall rule. The rule can be customized before creation, including the destination address, ports, direction and network location, so permission can be narrower than unrestricted network access for the whole program. Leaving the connection blocked for now postpones the decision without granting access.
Temporary rules provide another option when access is needed for a limited period. Windows Firewall Control can remove such a rule when its time expires or when Windows Firewall Control restarts. Learning mode can instead create allow rules automatically for digitally signed programs, while unsigned programs still produce notifications. Automatic creation requires an elevated interface or Secure Access to be disabled; otherwise a notification is shown.
Rule editing, cleanup and protection
The rule tools let users create, modify and delete entries in Windows Firewall. A rule may cover outgoing requests, incoming requests or both directions; choosing both creates an inbound rule and an outbound rule. Rule creation can also start from the executable file’s right-click menu.
Windows Firewall Control helps maintain a rule set after applications change. It can display entries that point to programs no longer present, find duplicate rules and merge similar entries. Selected groups of rules can be exported and imported, allowing a subset to be retained or transferred without handling the entire rule collection.
Protection settings can prevent other programs from changing firewall rules and state. A separate lock restricts access to Windows Firewall Control and Windows Firewall settings, limiting who can alter the policy through those controls.
Connection log
The Connections Log brings Windows Firewall entries from the system’s Security event log into a table. It records past allowed and blocked connections, with columns for the program, process, connection direction, addresses, ports and protocol. These are historical events rather than a live display of currently active connections.
A recorded connection can also become the starting point for a rule. Its context menu offers allow, block and customized rule creation, connecting an observed network attempt with the settings needed to handle similar traffic.
