Introducing Firewall

NETworkManager introduces a new feature, the Firewall. You can now manage Windows Firewall rules created by NETworkManager directly from within the app — no more jumping between MMC snap-ins for day-to-day tasks.

This is especially useful if you frequently spin up local services (lab environments, dev boxes, game servers, small internal tools) and need a quick and repeatable way to open or block ports, restrict traffic to specific IP ranges, or scope rules to profiles like Domain, Private, or Public.

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Manage rules safely (and without touching your system rules)

The Firewall view intentionally focuses on rules managed by NETworkManager only.

Every rule created via NETworkManager is stored with a NETworkManager_ prefix in the Windows Firewall rule display name. This makes it easy to distinguish "your" rules from system-managed or third-party rules — and it allows NETworkManager to filter the list so you only see what it owns.

What you can do with the new Firewall feature

• View firewall rules created by NETworkManager
• Add new inbound or outbound rules
• Edit existing rules
• Enable or disable rules quickly
• Delete rules you no longer need
• Copy or export rule information
• Refresh the list with F5
• Open the native Windows Firewall console (WF.msc) via the Windows Firewall Settings button

Add / Edit rules — with the options you actually need

When creating or editing a rule, NETworkManager exposes the most common and important fields in a clear dialog:

• Name: Display name of the rule (the NETworkManager_ prefix is added automatically and hidden in the UI)
• Enabled: Whether the rule is active right after creation
• Description: Optional description of the rule
• Direction: Inbound / Outbound
• Action: Allow / Block
• Protocol: Any, TCP, UDP, ICMPv4, ICMPv6, GRE, L2TP
• Local / Remote ports: Available for TCP and UDP; multiple ports and ranges separated by ;
• Local / Remote addresses: Supports single IPs, ranges, subnets (CIDR and subnet masks), and keywords such as LocalSubnet or Internet
• Program: Limit the rule to a specific executable (optional)
• Interface type: Any, Wired, Wireless, RemoteAccess
• Network profiles: Domain / Private / Public (at least one must be selected)

You can find all details (including examples for port and address formats) in the official documentation.

Administrator privileges

Managing firewall rules requires elevated rights. If NETworkManager is not running as administrator, the Firewall view is read-only. Use the Restart as administrator button to relaunch NETworkManager with the required privileges.

Try it now

You can test this feature in the latest pre-release of NETworkManager.

If you find any issues or have suggestions for improvement, please open an issue on GitHub.