Fix Windows Firewall That Will Not Turn On in Windows 8 (Historical)

If Windows Firewall will not turn on, first determine whether another security product or an administrator controls it. Then distinguish a stopped service from a policy problem. A firewall reset is a later option for a standalone PC, not a universal repair for every error.

1. Identify who manages the firewall

Open Control Panel > System and Security > Action Center and expand the security information. If another firewall product is identified, open that product and check its protection status. An antivirus product without a firewall is not a replacement for Windows Firewall.

If Windows Firewall is the intended provider, open its Control Panel page and try its normal turn-on option. Write down the exact message, error code and whether settings are greyed out. Note any recent security-software installation or removal. Do not repeatedly uninstall antivirus software or disable services to remove a warning.

If no firewall is protecting the machine, disconnect it from untrusted networks while arranging repair. Plan a trusted, controlled way to obtain any required repair files.

2. Collect service and profile status without changing it

Open Command Prompt as administrator. These queries display local state; they do not start, stop or reconfigure services:

sc.exe query BFE
sc.exe query MpsSvc
netsh advfirewall show allprofiles

BFE is Base Filtering Engine and MpsSvc is Windows Firewall. Record their state and any returned error. A running service alone does not establish that filtering is enabled for the network profile you are using. Conversely, a stopped service under another security product needs that product's context before you alter it.

3. Investigate service failures before resetting rules

Press Win + R and open services.msc. Inspect Windows Firewall and Base Filtering Engine, including any dependency information. If Windows Firewall is the intended provider and the computer is not managed, use the normal Start action for a stopped required service. If it fails, record the error and stop repeating the attempt.

In Event Viewer, examine Windows Logs > System around that time for Service Control Manager errors. Preserve the service name, event ID, time and full message. A dependency failure, damaged installation and permission denial are not interchangeable diagnoses.

When the evidence suggests damaged protected Windows files, save work and run:

sfc /scannow

Record its final result. If it repairs files, restart and repeat the same firewall check. If it cannot repair them, use repair guidance and legitimate installation media matching that Windows release, or seek support. A clean SFC result does not prove that third-party software or policy is correct.

4. Back up policy before considering a reset

For a standalone PC only, record required custom rules and export the existing policy first. This example writes a backup file in your profile folder; use a new filename if that file already exists:

netsh advfirewall export "%USERPROFILE%\firewall-before-reset.wfw"

Continue only if the export reports success and you can find the saved file. Preserve it separately from any later export. A saved policy is useful for rollback, but might also contain the configuration causing the problem.

If services work, simpler checks have failed, and you accept losing the custom rules, run this separately. It changes policy immediately without another confirmation prompt:

netsh advfirewall reset

If reset fails, retain its error and stop. Do not add permissions changes or service-disabling commands to force it through.

5. Confirm protection and required access

Reopen Windows Firewall and inspect the active profile. Repeat the status queries from step 2. Verify that the intended firewall provider reports protection enabled, then test the specific task that previously failed. Where practical, restart and check again to see whether policy or software reverses the change.

If protection is on but one application stops working, restore only its necessary, correctly scoped rule using trusted application guidance. Do not respond by disabling the firewall or allowing all inbound traffic.

If you need to return to the previous policy, an administrator can import the saved export below. Import restores saved policy settings and may reintroduce the original fault; review the reason for rollback first and check protection afterward:

netsh advfirewall import "%USERPROFILE%\firewall-before-reset.wfw"

If the failure returns or services remain broken, hand over the recorded errors, provider name, changes attempted and SFC result. Repeated resets without new evidence are unlikely to isolate the cause.

Documentation review: 7 October 2026. This workflow was checked against the primary sources below. It is not a claim of a hands-on recovery or repair; no disk or firewall configuration was changed for this review.

Microsoft references