Adjust firewall settings to let Microsoft Store and Windows Update through while keeping Strict Filtering active.
Adjust firewall settings to let Microsoft Store and Windows Update through while keeping Strict Filtering active.
I'm testing Windows 11 Developer Preview on a separate SSD for my gaming PC. Since it's still in its early stages, I decided to explore some features. I came across Windows Firewall Control by Malwarebytes: https://www.binisoft.org/wfc. It lets the firewall block all outgoing traffic by default and prompts for permission. Right now, I don't need this on my gaming rig, but because I'm curious, I tried it. The main problems were: with strict filtering enabled, the Microsoft Store can't connect to the internet and no permission dialog appears. Similarly, Windows Updates seem restricted—on Thursday I didn't get the new Insider Build, and the update page just said "You're up to date" without any warning or option. Only when I turned off strict filtering did the updates work normally. Though I'm just a casual user, I'm interested in learning how to manage these settings properly. I often hear people ask about securing their PCs, and if someone ever wants a tighter firewall, I'd appreciate the knowledge now. I understand most of these tasks are managed by svchost.exe, but allowing everything freely doesn't seem ideal. Thanks for any guidance!