Windows Firewall Won't Turn On! How To Fix? [SOLVED]

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When your computer doesn’t have any third-party malware or antivirus installed, the Windows firewall is a very good and reliable feature for you. But if you notice that your Windows firewall won’t turn on automatically, it can be the reason for your headache.

The firewall helps to block unauthorized access to your computer and keeps your computer safe from harmful applications. If you found that your Windows firewall service is not running, you can try several fixes in order to solve your problem.

We have shown a VIDEO walk through at the end of the post for easy solution.

How To Fix Windows Firewall Won’t Turn On?

Table of Contents

There are some fixes below to help you out from the above-mentioned error. For restarting Windows firewall service, follow the solutions carefully.

Solution 1: Ensure That Firewall Services Are Running

For Microsoft Windows 10 users, it is a common problem where the Windows firewall won’t turn on on their system. You might get this error if you haven’t started all the services or they are not running properly. So, before you start fixing, ensure that all the services are started and running properly.

To have a look at the services on your computer, do the same as below:

Press the Win + R key and type services.msc in the box.
Hit the Enter key and the Services window will appear.

Now scroll down and find the service names start with Windows Defender. There should be entries that are listed below:

- Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection Service
- Windows Defender Antivirus Network Inspection Service
- Windows Defender Antivirus Service
- Windows Defender Firewall
- Windows Defender Security Center

Check if the Startup type is set to Automatic for each of the Windows Defender services.

When you find everything fine, restart your computer and check whether the Windows Defender problem persists.

Solution 2: Restart The Firewall Services

You have already checked that the Windows Firewall services are running fine, then it is time to restart the services. If there are some minor problems or something hampered the process, it can be easily resolved by restarting Windows firewall service.

It can be done by following the below-provided steps:

Go to the Start icon and search the services app.
Now look for the Windows Defender Firewall service.
Perform right-click on the service and select the Restart option.

It will take a few seconds to restart. Again, click on the Windows Firewall and select the Properties option.
Set the Startup Type as automatic and click OK.

Solution 3: Run The Microsoft Windows Troubleshooter

The Microsoft Easy Fix tool fixes problems with Microsoft products or errors caused by third-party software. There is also a built-in Windows troubleshooter present in your system that may help you resolve issues. It is recommended to run the troubleshooter to diagnose the problem with your Windows Firewall Defender.

Follow the provided steps to diagnose the problem with troubleshooter:

You need to download the Microsoft Easy Fix troubleshooter here.

Now open the downloaded file and click on the Next button.

Allow some time for the troubleshooter to identify the problem. As the result appears, choose from the options that will fix the problem and click on it.

The troubleshooter will automatically repair the problem and will show you the result.

When everything looks fine and the troubleshooting completes, close the window.

You can view detailed information about the troubleshooting process. It will show you the report with all the potential issues the troubleshooter checked, fixed or could not fix.

Solution 4: Perform The Registry Fix

If the above methods didn’t work for you, then you should try to fix the issue by performing a registry tweak. To fix the registry, follow these steps below and do the same:

Click on the Start icon and type regedit in the search place.
Press the Enter key and it will open the Registry Editor.

Go to the following path:

Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\BFE

Right-click on the BFE from the left panel and select the Permissions option.

Now click on the Add button and type Everyone in the box.

Click on the OK button.

Select the Everyone option under Group or user names section.
Check the box beside of Full Control option under the Permissions section and click on the OK button to save.

Finally, restart your computer.

Now check if the problem with Windows Firewall Defender is resolved.

Solution 5: Reset The Windows Firewall Settings To Default

You may try changing the Windows Firewall settings to default if the problem continues with Windows Firewall. The Windows 10 firewall won’t turn on when the firewall configuration doesn’t match with your system. So, you need to remove the configuration and restore the default Windows Firewall settings. You may need to reconfigure the applications that need permission through the Firewall.

To reset the Windows Firewall settings to default, follow these steps carefully.

Click on the Start icon and search Control Panel app.
Select Control Panel from the search results and open it.

Now go to the System and Security option.

Click on the Windows Defender Firewall option.

You will find the Restore default option on the left pane. Click on it.

Click on the Restore Defaults button again.

Finally, click on Yes to confirm.

After you click the Yes button, the Windows Firewall defender will be restored to default and the problem should be fixed as well.

Solution 6: Remove Latest Security Updates

Windows 10 users get updates on their computers frequently. Most of the updates are related to security patches. It might happen that one or some of the recent updates affected Windows Firewall badly and occurred error.

To resolve the issue, you should check by uninstalling all recent security updates from your Windows 10. To do so, follow the same as below:

Press the Win + I key form the keyboard. It will open the Settings app.
Now click on the Update and Security option presented below.

Select the View Update history option.

Choose the Uninstall updates from the next window appeared.

Here you will find a list of the recent updates on your computer. Select the security updates you intend to uninstall.

After you uninstall all security updates, your problem should be solved.

Conclusion

Now, you know what are the reasons behind your Windows firewall won’t turn on and also know how to turn on Windows defender firewall on your PC if the error occurs. If you find this article helpful, let us know by commenting below. If you still have queries regarding Windows Firewall Doesn’t work properly, feel free to ask here.