How to Open, Close, and Check Open Ports in Windows 10 and Windows 11

What Are Open Ports in Windows?

A network port is a numbered communication endpoint used by an application or Windows service. For example, a web server usually listens on port 80 for HTTP or port 443 for HTTPS. Remote Desktop commonly uses TCP port 3389, while DNS usually uses port 53.

When people say that a port is “open” in Windows, they can mean two different things:

Before You Open a Port in Windows 10 or Windows 11

Opening ports can be necessary for game servers, local web servers, database access, remote administration tools, file sharing, development environments, and some peer-to-peer applications. However, every open inbound port can also increase the attack surface of your PC.

• Know the exact port number you need to allow, for example 25565 for a Minecraft server or 3389 for Remote Desktop.
• Know the protocol: TCP, UDP, or both. TCP is used for reliable connections; UDP is common for games, DNS, streaming, and real-time traffic.
• Choose the correct network profile: Domain, Private, or Public. For home networks, use Private whenever possible. Avoid allowing ports on Public networks unless absolutely necessary.
• Prefer program-based rules when possible. Allowing a specific application is often safer than opening a raw port for every program.
• Confirm router settings if the service must be reachable from the internet. Windows firewall rules and router port forwarding are separate settings.

How to Open a Port in Windows Defender Firewall

The graphical firewall console is the safest method for most users because it clearly shows the rule type, protocol, port number, network profile, and rule name.

1. Press Win + R, type wf.msc, and press Enter.
2. In the left panel, click Inbound Rules.
3. In the right panel, click New Rule....
4. Select Port and click Next.
5. Choose TCP or UDP.
6. Select Specific local ports and enter the port number, for example 8080. You can also enter a range such as 5000-5010.
7. Select Allow the connection.
8. Choose the profiles where the rule should apply: Domain, Private, and/or Public.
9. Enter a clear rule name, for example Allow TCP 8080 - Local Web Server.
10. Click Finish.

How to Open a Port in Windows Using PowerShell

PowerShell is faster for administrators and useful when you need to create the same firewall rule on multiple computers.

1. Right-click Start.
2. Select Terminal (Admin), Windows PowerShell (Admin), or Windows Terminal (Admin).
3. Run the command below, replacing the port number and rule name if needed.

New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Allow TCP 8080" -Direction Inbound -Protocol TCP -LocalPort 8080 -Action Allow -Profile Private

This example opens inbound TCP port 8080 only on the Private network profile.

Open a UDP Port with PowerShell

New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Allow UDP 27015" -Direction Inbound -Protocol UDP -LocalPort 27015 -Action Allow -Profile Private

Open a Port on All Network Profiles

New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Allow TCP 8080 All Profiles" -Direction Inbound -Protocol TCP -LocalPort 8080 -Action Allow -Profile Any

How to Open a Port in Windows Using Command Prompt

You can also open ports with netsh, which works in both Windows 10 and Windows 11 and is useful in batch files.

1. Open Command Prompt as administrator.
2. Run one of the commands below.

Open TCP Port 8080

netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="Allow TCP 8080" dir=in action=allow protocol=TCP localport=8080 profile=private

Open UDP Port 27015

netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="Allow UDP 27015" dir=in action=allow protocol=UDP localport=27015 profile=private

Open a Range of Ports

netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="Allow TCP 5000-5010" dir=in action=allow protocol=TCP localport=5000-5010 profile=private

How to Close a Port in Windows 10 and Windows 11

To close a port, you usually need to do one of two things: remove or disable the firewall rule that allows the port, and stop the application that is listening on the port. If a service continues to run, the port may still appear as LISTENING locally, even if the firewall blocks inbound traffic.

Close a Port Using Windows Defender Firewall

1. Press Win + R, type wf.msc, and press Enter.
2. Open Inbound Rules.
3. Find the rule that allows the port.
4. Right-click the rule and choose Disable Rule if you may need it later.
5. Choose Delete if you want to remove it permanently.

Close a Port with PowerShell

Remove-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Allow TCP 8080"

To disable the rule instead of deleting it:

Disable-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Allow TCP 8080"

Close a Port with Command Prompt

netsh advfirewall firewall delete rule name="Allow TCP 8080" protocol=TCP localport=8080

How to See Open Ports in Windows

Windows includes several built-in tools for viewing open ports and active connections. The most useful ones are netstat, PowerShell, Resource Monitor, and Windows Defender Firewall logs.

netstat -ano | findstr LISTENING

Get-NetTCPConnection -State Listen

resmon

View Listening Ports with netstat

netstat -ano | findstr LISTENING

The output shows the protocol, local address, port, connection state, and PID. For example:

TCP    0.0.0.0:8080     0.0.0.0:0     LISTENING     1234

In this example, port 8080 is listening, and the process ID is 1234.

Show All Active Connections and Listening Ports

netstat -ano

View Listening TCP Ports with PowerShell

Get-NetTCPConnection -State Listen | Sort-Object LocalPort | Select-Object LocalAddress,LocalPort,OwningProcess

View UDP Endpoints with PowerShell

Get-NetUDPEndpoint | Sort-Object LocalPort | Select-Object LocalAddress,LocalPort,OwningProcess

View Open Ports in Resource Monitor

1. Press Win + R, type resmon, and press Enter.
2. Open the Network tab.
3. Expand Listening Ports.
4. Check the Image, PID, Address, Port, Protocol, and Firewall Status columns.

How to Find Which Program Is Using a Port in Windows

If a port is already in use, another program may fail to start. You can identify the process by matching the port number to a PID and then matching the PID to an application.

Step 1: Find the PID for a Port

netstat -ano | findstr :8080

Look at the last number in the line. That is the process ID.

Step 2: Find the Program Name by PID

tasklist /fi "PID eq 1234"

Replace 1234 with the PID from the previous command.

PowerShell Alternative

Get-Process -Id 1234

Stop the Process if Necessary

taskkill /PID 1234 /F

How to Test Whether a Port Is Open or Blocked

After creating a firewall rule, you should verify whether the port is actually reachable. A successful test requires three things: a service listening on the port, a firewall rule that allows traffic, and correct network routing.

Test a TCP Port with PowerShell

Test-NetConnection 192.168.1.10 -Port 8080

If the output shows TcpTestSucceeded : True, the TCP port is reachable from that computer.

Test Local Listening Status

netstat -ano | findstr :8080

Check Firewall Rules for a Port

Get-NetFirewallPortFilter | Where-Object {$_.LocalPort -eq "8080"}

Common Windows Ports You May See

These are common ports you may encounter while checking open ports on a Windows computer. Do not open them publicly unless you understand exactly why they are needed.

Why a Port Is Still Closed After You Open It

If an online port checker or another computer still cannot connect, use this checklist.

Frequently Asked Questions About Open Ports in Windows

Best Way to Manage Ports in Windows

For most users, the best way to open a port is through Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security using wf.msc. It provides a clear interface and reduces the chance of creating an overly broad rule. For administrators, PowerShell is faster and easier to automate.