You may need to open a port for programs that require inbound access, for example, for an HTTP server, for a bit-torrent client like uTorrent etc. If you are using the Windows Firewall, then this task is not so straightforward. You can open a port in the Windows Firewall using the steps shown below :
- Press the key combination Windows logo key + R to open the Run dialog.
- Type wf.msc in the Run dialog and press Enter. This would open the Windows Firewall with Advanced Secruity window.
- Click on the Inbound Rules in the left side menu in the Windows Firewall window as shown,
- Click on the New Rule… on the right side menu as shown,
- In the New Inbound Rule Wizard, select Port in Rule Type window and click Next,
- In the Protocols and Port window, select TCP or UDP ports. A webserver uses TCP port. Similarly, a bit-torrent client uses TCP port. We would be selecting TCP port in this example. Then click on Specific local ports. Then choose one port like 80, or a range of ports like 80-82 (all ports from 80 to 82). You can separate ports by a comma. The protocol type (TCP or UDP) and the number of port(s) depends on the program you are opening port for. Click Next to continue.
- In the Action window, select Allow the connection and click Next,
- In the Profile window, select all options and click Next,
- In the Name window, give a name to the new rule like Web server and click Finish,
