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

Historical support note: Windows 8 is no longer supported. The service names and commands here are retained for legacy troubleshooting.

If Windows Firewall will not turn on, do not solve the problem by permanently stopping security services. First determine whether a third-party security suite is managing the firewall.

1. Check for another firewall product

Some security suites manage firewall policy themselves. If one is installed, open that product and verify whether its firewall is active.

Do not run two independently configured host firewalls without understanding how the security product integrates with Windows.

2. Check required services

Open services.msc and verify that the Windows Firewall service and Base Filtering Engine (BFE) are available and running. Microsoft documents BFE and Windows Firewall among the services required for Windows Firewall with Advanced Security.

If a service refuses to start, note the exact error instead of repeatedly changing startup types or registry permissions.

3. Repair Windows system files

Open an elevated Command Prompt and run:

sfc /scannow

On Windows 8/8.1, DISM can also repair the Windows component store before you run SFC again.

4. Reset firewall policy only if appropriate

On a standalone PC where custom firewall rules are not required, you can restore the firewall policy to defaults:

netsh advfirewall reset

Warning: Microsoft documents that this deletes custom firewall and connection-security rules. On a managed or business PC, do not do this without administrator approval.

What changed from the original article

The old version recommended uninstalling and reinstalling antivirus software as a routine step. That is now a last resort, not a default. If a third-party security suite is causing the conflict, use its supported repair/uninstall procedure and ensure Windows protection is restored afterward.