How to Block Games exe in Firewall on Windows 10/11

If you want to prevent a specific game from connecting to the Internet, your best choice is to block games exe in Windows Defender Firewall.

It is simple and fast to block game executables with Windows Firewall, and the process is the same in Windows 10 and 11.

Here is how to do it:

1. Enter Windows Defender Firewall on Windows Search and click on it.
2. On Windows Defender Firewall, click on Advanced Settings on the left sidebar:
   
3. Select Outbound Rules in the left sidebar.
4. In the right sidebar, click on New Rule:
   
5. On “What type of rule you want to create,” select Program.
   
6. On This program path, click on Browse and find the .exe file of the game you want to block.
   
7. Select Block Connection, then click on Next.
   
8. On “When does this rule apply,” tick the Domain, Private and Public checkboxes and click Next.
   
9. Name your new rule, then click on Finish.

You can use this same process for any other executable files or apps.

(If you get the 0xc0000428 error message when trying to launch Fortnite or other games, check my article on how to fix Fortnite Bad Image 0xc0000428 error.)

If you want to allow the blocked executable in the Firewall, you need to browse through the existing outbound rules to find the rule you created, right-click on it, then click on Delete.

How to Block Games Exe from Connecting to the Internet with Firewall App Blocker

The program Firewall App Blocker is a great alternative if you are not comfortable with changing Windows Firewall Rules or if you want an even simpler and faster way to block games and applications exe from accessing the internet.

Firewall App Blocker is a light and portable app, so it doesn’t require you to install anything on your PC.

Here is how to block games Exe with Firewall App Blocker:

1. Download Firewall App Blocker and extract the folder inside:
   
2. Open the fab folder and run Fab_X64:
   
3. Click on the Add Application (the green cross icon):
   
4. Select the game exe you want to block and click Open.
5. You can see the blocked game executable on Firewall App Blocker:
   
6. This will prevent the game executable from accessing the Internet. If you want to undo this process, open Firewall App Blocker, right-click on the application rule and click Disable.

Conclusion

To block games or any program executable from accessing the Internet, you need to go to Windows Defender Firewall > Advanced Settings and create a new Outbound Rule to block the connection for the exe you want.

Another alternative is to use the program Firewall App Blocker which is easier to use and doesn’t change Windows Firewall rules.

If the methods above do not work, you likely have third-party antivirus installed on your PC. A third-party antivirus might interfere with Windows Firewall when it is not properly configured.

To learn how to quickly free more disk space to install more games, read our articles on how to uninstall multiple programs at once and how to find large files and folders on Windows.