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
Sadly the context menu doesn’t seem to work with shorcuts
Thank you Jonny
Well this 1.6 version brings it to a new level. The shift trick to easily add exe files or shortcuts to firewall rules is classy. Thank you for this feature! Now I can say FAB is a first class firewall tool.
Thanks for your comment Jonny
Even when I agree it lacks the option to enable pops-up for allowing or denying applications you launch. The whitelist function works great. I have to say thanks to the the author and people involved into it because it’s very light and cool since it uses windows firewall.
please xp sp3 versiyon added
vielen dank für ihre aufmerksamkeit. Wir werden es überprüfen.
Edit: we have found an EDGE outbound rule (Added by Microsoft) in Windows Firewall and deleted it , problem solved , please do the same
Trotz aktiviertem Whitelist-Modus der Firewall gelingt es dem Browser MS Edge weiterhin, normale Verbindungen ins Netz aufzubauen. Bei anderen Programmen funktioniert der Whitelist-Modus wie erwartet (z.B. Internet Explorer). Könntet Ihr das noch fixen?
(Although the whitelist mode of the firewall is enabled, the MS Edge browser continues to establish normal connections to the network. For other programs, Whitelist mode works as expected (e.g., Internet Explorer). Could you fix it?)
Uninstall Old version Context menu Addition (if you already used it). New version can detect All the old version additions but you can not import old version List , therefore you should use old version to import any exported list firs than use new version and export the list again.
I use this program already a long time and I’m extremely enthousiastic about this piece of software: the best there is.
Question: do I have to unstall v1.4 x86 first when I want to instal v1.5 x64.
Wat happens with my list of blocked files when I install v1.5 x64? Stays it active or do I have to import the list?
Hello.
Thanks for the free app. However, it would be ultimately useful, already mentioned in the comments, if the applications warns the user whenever an application or service tries to connect out; and by default, unless user grants permission, should block it.
Yes, there is no notifications when a software tries to connect to internet , We will consider your requests , thank you
@ hed0nist,
Thanks a lot for the info.
But I could not see any notifications / pop-up when a software tries to connect to internet (outbound).
1.) I’m requesting Author to add a feature that will notify user if applications tries to access the Internet in the background, without user knowledge.
a) Allow b) Allow once c) Deny d) Deny once d) create rule e) Edit rule etc…
2.) And in the same notification pop-up,
– Application name (Full application path) that is trying to connect to internet
– Whether Application is digitally signed or not
– Remote IP Address
– Port name and number
– Option to check reputation of remote IP address
– Option to check whois search of remote IP address
Thanks again
Thank you Aren and of course a special thanks to Martin Brinkmann from ghacks
Found this review on Firewall App Blocker 1.5
Web Link …
No such feature but you can create a shortcut and use it , we can add it next version , thanks
Thanks for this usefull nice piece of software …
@ Aren : filtering modes are basically already available in settings ( whitelist, disabled or full enabled firewall , … ). There is also an option to add a shell extension ( add to context menu )
@ authors : is there a way to keep FAB in systray ?