In Windows, you can use Windows Firewall to block or unblock certain applications, but it doesn’t offer an easy-to-use interface for its advanced features. If you want to block an application from accessing the internet, you must go through the following steps:
1. Click the Windows Start Menu and open Control Panel
2. Select System & Security
3. Then in the Firewall section, you select “Allow a program through the Windows Firewall”
4. If the program you wish to block or unblock isn’t listed, you must click “Allow another program” to add it. Choose the application in the list and select “Add”. Else you must then browse the hard drive to find it, and so on. This seems complicated for the average user.
Firewall App Blocker makes the process very easy! Simply drag and drop the application you wish to block into the FAB window, or browse the hard disk to find it.That’s it!
What is new: (Wednesday, 28 September 2022)
[FIXED] – If you change GUI language, Enable WhiteList box disappears
[FIXED] – A minor bug in command prompt
[FIXED] – Entries can’t be sorted that the most recently added ones are at the top
[ADDED] – Partial language support for “File -> Netsh Commands”
If you want to allow it access again, just right clik on it and choose “Allow” or select it and press the Delete button also you can use Allow button.
In this version there are some extra features on the Firewall menu, including “White List Mode”, Block internet , Restrict Firewall Options etc.
What is WhiteList Mode: it will block everything except on the white listed items, to activate it tick the “Enable WhiteList” box on the right bottom corner , The whitelist mode denies access to all network interfaces, After enabling WhiteList Mode Drag and drop an Application/Applications on the “Firewall Application Blocker” interface to Allow it/them , It was the most wanted feature
Following command can be used to allow WhatsApp in whitelist. You can use this command with task scheduler or in a script.
fab_x64.exe /a /allow /in /out %ProgramFiles%\WindowsApps\*WhatsAppDesktop*
If you want to delete old whatsApp , you need to run below command , before the above add command
fab_x64.exe /d /in /out %ProgramFiles%\WindowsApps\*WhatsAppDesktop?*
Note: When you enable the WhiteList mode, some devices such as a printer on your local network may not work properly, to solve this Problem,you can allow devices on your local network by clicking File – Netsh Commands – Allow Local Subnet
To sort Entries that the most recently added ones are at the top , please click enabled or action column header first then “#” column will appear , click on header this column to sort the most recently added entries at the first place.
How to Block Ms EDGE internet connection Properly: To block Microsoft EDGE properly please use “Disable_EdgeRule.bat” Here and then use FAB (Firewall Application Blocker) Add Process button (second) to add Microsoft EDGE icons on the FAB interface.
To add an Outbound or Inbound Firewall Rules separately , use One of the Bottom left buttons , shown above are Firewall Application Blocker file and Options menus
By selecting Options –> Languages –> Translate, you can easily translate FAB into your language. By choosing “Add Process” feature you can Add any process to Outbound or Inbound list. To add more than one process, just hold down the ctrl key and select the Processes
When “Add to exe context menu” feature enabled from Options menu, you will be able to block/unblock a specific app right from Windows Explorer right-click context menu, this will allow you to right click any .exe file and easily add it to the Windows Firewall. This context menu entry can be altered to only display when you press the Shift key. To do this, select “Use Shift Key to Display”
FAB also offers CMD support. To use this, just make sure to use the correct parameter, as shown below:
Note: Firewall App Blocker doesn’t change Windows Firewall default Rules. If you use 3rd party security software or a 3rd party firewall (e.g. Avast), they can disable your Windows Firewall. If you do not want Ms Edge and similar microsoft programs to access the Internet in White List mode, you can manually disable their rules in the advanced windows firewall settings Firewall App Blocker runs properly only if your Windows Firewall is enabled.
Supported Operating Systems: Windows 11 , Windows 10 , Windows 8.1 , Windows 8 , Windows 7 , Windows Vista – (both x86 and x64)
Supported languages: English , Turkish , German , French , Brazilian portuguese , Greek , Italian , Polish , Persian , Russian , Dutch , Spanish , Korean , Simplified and Traditional Chinese , Indonesian , Japanese , Finnish , Hungarian , Ukrainian , Slovenian , Arabic , Vietnamese , Bosnian , Czech , Hebrew , Thai , Portuguese , Romanian , Swedish
File: Fab_x64.exe │ Virustotal
MD5: 970b29465d8118bf8038a42c92bf90df
SHA1: b22d955115f4142198a288550d3592927b1b9460
File: Fab.exe │ Virustotal
MD5: 5da9c7ba1250ae64f2ae50f1244dc5e9
SHA1: d11b74adf1ad35dd6df0f57004e287859f021a29
For folders Ex.: %aplication% no work, no add exe files in folder with "%"
With "FAB" you can only block incoming and outgoing connections, for advanced options please use Windows firewall.
Thanks for your great Fab app!
And I have a requirement to confirm.
How can I block an app to access the whole internet by Fab but only let this app can access some specific domains?
Thanks.
Hi, Under Firewall – Restrict Firewall Access option is not selected by default,You must have clicked by mistake.
You offer some really nice tools . Than you ! 😉
… though this one cause a little trouble.
I have started in once on a test system ( to get a first impression ), without realizing that ‘restrict firewall access’ is a default setting to this.
days later i needed a while to figure out, why i could not start the default firewall control panel anymore ( to enable all rules for ‘echo’ )
i might be a good idea that you give a better warning about this, or ask before activating this setting.
Please add an option to configure profiles
Can you please make it where you have popups of Programs going out in live time and please make it where you can have the Firewall minimize to the tray?
Regarding: "How to Block Ms EDGE internet connection Properly" above:
If you do not first use the .bat file provided, but, because you did not know that going through the motions of thinking one is effectively "blocking" Ms Edge without doing so first (in Windows 10 Pro build 1909), does FAB stop blocking it?
Or what specifically is meant by "Block Ms EDGE internet connection Properly"?
In other words, what about unintentionally "improperly" blocking it will not be "proper" before using the .bat file as instructed.
Question 2:
Once blocking was not done "properly" as in without implementing the .bat file first, what should be done to make sure that block will be "proper"? For example, Would it be necessary to uninstall FAB first? Please advise.
Once I understand the answers to these questions, I look forward to trying out FAB more extensively and reporting back!
Thanks very much
Requests: add processes and executables to both incoming and outgoing connections at once versus repeating twice. Fix drag and drop ordering of entries – causes a crash.
Requests: maintain sort group and order when going between Outbound and Inbound Rules tabs, provide a CTRL+F search option, make more efficient for bulk disabling.
Thanks for your both unique thinking and tools. Today I setup firewall app blocker in whitelist mode after that when I sync my outlook mail it can’t cause any error but when I sync my (POP3/IMAP) email from Microsoft mail, It say sync error. Sync code :0x8007271d. Can you suggest any process that I have to allow ?
Would you consider adding a "Find" functionality into this program? When there are many apps entered it may be a bit difficult to easily localize a given program. Searching for a particular string and highlighling it (or them) when found would be great. Writing your string directly into the activated program without additional windows would be the best option.
We have noted down your request , thank you
Note: The program is limited by the capabilities of the windows firewall
May I suggest that you add (apart from already existing "Allow" and "Block" actions) one more action – "Ask" (ask the user to decide). Such setting would inform the user which program is attempting an outbound connection, which may be very useful at times. Such setting is incorporated in the ESET Internet Security and it may come as very handy for those who do not use it or do not use that setting.
As a general suggestion, may I also suggest that you allow "sorting by update date", or sorting by "New" all your apps at your web site. One could easily see which apps are new or were newly updated.
You can select multiple items,only if they are in the same folder.Please add "Multiple items can be selected from different folders".I really need this function.THANKS
Fantastique, merci beaucoup !
Loved it very much. Thanks for developing this awesome app.
It would be nice if logs for denied connections can be viewed from the app.