How to block a Windows program from accessing the internet

Today, in the series of guides for novice users of Windows 10, θα εξετάσουμε πώς να αποκλείσετε ένα πρόγραμμα των Windows από την πρόσβαση στο διαδίκτυο.

There are times when you do not want a Windows program to connect to the Internet. The reasons may be security issues or you may not want to do an automatic update etc. Of course you can disconnect from the internet by simply shutting down the router, but this will cut off the connection to other programs you do not want, such as the browser your.

The operating system of Windows has one Firewall (firewall), which you can use to block specific programs from the Internet. You do not need to install third-party software for this job. The Windows firewall will fully cover you.

Before we show you how to handle the firewall, let's take a closer look at why you may want to block certain programs from connecting to the Internet.

The main reason is your privacy. Some Windows programs may transfer statistics, hardware to your computer, other information, or even your own data and files to online servers.

Blocking internet access is also a good way to prevent some programs from automatic updates. You might want a program to remain in a specific version, e.g. you may want it uTorrent or Bandizip to stay on an old ad-free version.

Another reason may be that you do not want irrelevant programs to consume your connection online and restrict other applications to be able to use the full bandwidth.

Finally, some programs may show up news or ads, which are delivered by their own servers or by third party ad servers. If you have an application that does this, you may want to block them from the internet.

How to block a Windows program from accessing the Internet
Step 1: Open the Control Panel

Open the Windows Control Panel and click on "Windows Defender Firewall". If you have trouble locating the Control Panel, simply press Windows + Pause at the same time. In the window that opens, click the up arrow next to the address bar or the "Control Panel Home" link on the left.

In the "Windows Defender Firewall" window, select "Advanced Settings" to the left of the window.

Step 2: Creating rules

You will create a new firewall rule. And because you don't want a program to go out into the world, you have to select the "Outbond Rule" from the left panel.

Then, click "Create Rule ..." on the right side of the window.

A new Windows window titled "Outbound Rules Wizard" will appear. Click on it to the left on the "Program" option.

Logically, the “This program path” option will automatically be checked. If not, click on it and select it. Then press the "Search" button. A Windows File Explorer window will open, where you should find it from there physics path of the program you want to block from the internet.

Logically the program you are looking for is in the "C: \ Program Files \ program name" (you may have it as C: \ Application Files). Find the name of the folder that contains the program, enter it, and search for the executable (.EXE) of the program for which you want to block internet access. Select .EXE and click the "Open" button to add it to the firewall.

You will be returned to the Outbound Rules Wizard window. Click “Next”. Make sure you select the “Block connection” option and click on button Next.

Now you have to choose which one networks θα πρέπει να αποκλείονται, Τομέας, Ιδιωτικό και Δημόσιο (Domain, Private και Public). Εάν δεν είστε βέβαιοι, αφήστε τσεκαρισμένες και τις τρεις επιλογές και κάντε κλικ στο κουμπί “Επόμενο”.

Give the rule a name and optionally add a description (if desired). We recommend that you use the program name for the rule name to easily identify it later. Click the "Finish" button and you're done.

Note : The description section may remain blank. But better to note why you set this rule because after 6 months you will remember nothing !!!. You could type something like "I don't want to go online, or last known good version or play with Dimitris instructions from Secnews or something like that".

Repeat the process for any program that you want to block from accessing the internet.

This method should work on both Windows 7 and Windows 8.