Avast
Skip to main content
  • For home For home Products for PC and mobile phone protection
  • For business For business Protect your business with Avast
  • For partners For partners Partner with Avast and boost your business
  • About us About us Careers, investors, media, contact
  • Blogs Academy, Blog, Decoded, Forum
  • Malaysia (English)
For home
  • Security
    • Free Antivirus
      Basic protection for all your devices
      Free Antivirus
      Basic protection for all your devices
      Free Antivirus
      Basic protection for all your devices
      Free Antivirus
      Basic protection for all your devices
    • Premium Security
      Complete protection against all internet threats
    • Ultimate
      Our best security, privacy, and performance apps in one package

    Looking for a product for your device? Free Antivirus for PC, Free Security for Android, Free Security for Mac, Free Security for iPhone/iPad

    Looking for a product for your device? Free Antivirus for PC Free Security for Mac Free Security for Android Free Security for iPhone/iPad

  • Privacy
    • SecureLine VPN
      Encrypt your connection to stay safe on public networks
    • AntiTrack
      Disguise your digital fingerprint to avoid personalized ads
    • Secure Browser
      Secure, private, and easy to use web browser
    • Secure Browser PRO
      Unlock the full potential of Avast Secure Browser and fully encrypt your online activity
    • Online Security & Privacy
      Privacy and security browser extension from Avast
  • Performance
    • Cleanup Premium
      Boost your computer’s speed and performance
      Cleanup Premium
      Boost your computer’s speed and performance
      Cleanup Premium
      Boost your computer’s speed and performance
      Cleanup Premium
      Boost your computer’s speed and performance
    • Driver Updater
      Automatically update drivers with a single click
  • Store
  • Home
  • Support
  • Store
  • Account
For business
  • Products
    • Home office
      1-10 seats
      Protect up to 10 devices, including laptops, mobile, computers, and tablets with Small Office Protection.
    • Small Businesses
      11-100 seats
      Essential, Premium, or Ultimate Business Security managed from integrated, cloud-based Business Hub platform.
    • Speciality products
      • Patch Management
      • Cloud Backup
      • Premium Remote Control
      • Antivirus for Linux
      • CCleaner

    Not sure which solution is right for your business?

    Help me choose
  • Business partners
    • Partnership opportunities
      • MSPs
      • Resellers
      • Distributors
      • Affiliates
    • Solutions for MSPs
      • Business Hub Security Platform
      • Cloud Network Security
      Shop by vertical
      • Education
    Become a partner
    Partner locator
  • Resources
  • Trials
  • Store
  • Home
  • Contact sales
  • Support
  • Store
  • Account
    • Business Hub
    • CloudCare
    • Reseller portal
For partners
  • Smart Life
  • Mobile Security
  • VPN
  • Threat Intelligence
  • Knowledge Center
About us
  • About Avast
      • About Avast
      • Company FAQs
  • Careers
  • Privacy
      • Privacy
      • Expert guides
      • Privacy blogs
  • Digital trust
  • Press center
      • Press releases
      • Events
      • In the news
      • Media materials
      • PR contacts
  • Investors
    • Our story
      • At a glance
      • Strategy
      • Technology expertise
      • Leadership
      • History
    • Investors
      • Overview
      • Growth & competitive advantage
      • IPO information
      • Regulatory news
      • Share price & tools
      • Corporate governance
      • Investor contacts
      • Financial calendar
      • Results, reports & presentations
      • Analyst consensus
      • Shareholder information
      • Contact us
  • Awards
  • Diversity & Inclusion
      • Diversity & Inclusion
      • Accessibility
  • Contact us
  • Blogs
  • Avast Blog Read about recent news from the security world
  • Avast Academy Expert tips and guides about digital security and privacy
  • Avast Decoded In-depth technical articles regarding security threats
  • Avast Forum Discuss with the community
  • Avast Research Lab Explore more about AI in cybersecurity

List of available regions

Main regions
  • Worldwide (English)
  • Europe (English)
  • América Latina (español)
AMERICAS
  • Argentina
  • Brasil
  • Canada (English)
  • Canada (français)
  • Chile
  • Colombia
  • EE.UU. (español)
  • México
  • USA (English)
  • América Latina (español)
EUROPE, MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA
  • België (Nederlands)
  • Belgique (français)
  • Česká republika
  • Danmark
  • Deutschland
  • España
  • France
  • Italia
  • Magyarország
  • Nederland
  • Norge
  • Polska
  • Portugal
  • Schweiz (Deutsch)
  • Slovensko (česky)
  • South Africa
  • Suisse (français)
  • Suomi
  • Sverige
  • Türkiye
  • United Arab Emirates
  • United Kingdom
  • Ελλάδα
  • ישראל
  • Казахстан
  • România
  • Россия
  • Україна (українська)
  • Украина (русский)
  • المملكة العربية السعودية
  • الدول العربية
  • Europe (English)
ASIA & PACIFIC
  • Australia
  • India
  • इंडिया (हिंदी)
  • Indonesia (English)
  • Indonesia (Bahasa Indonesia)
  • Malaysia (English)
  • Malaysia (Bahasa Melayu)
  • New Zealand
  • Philippines (English)
  • Pilipinas (Filipino)
  • Singapore
  • Việt Nam
  • 日本語
  • 대한민국
  • 简体中文
  • 繁體中文
  • ประเทศไทย
  • Worldwide (English)

Avast Firewall - Getting Started

The Firewall feature in Avast Antivirus monitors all network traffic between your PC and the outside world to protect you from unauthorized communication and intrusions. This feature is designed to require minimal input from you. To ensure you are protected, all you need to do is keep Firewall enabled.

Manage apps

Firewall controls when the apps on your PC can connect to the internet or to other networks. Firewall creates default rules for an app when it starts for the first time.

To manually specify how Firewall handles connection attempts from individual apps:

  1. Open Avast Antivirus and go to Protection ▸ Firewall.
  2. Ensure the Apps tab is selected.

The following options are available on the Apps screen:

  1. Click Block next to an app to ensure that Firewall always stops this app from connecting to the internet or to other networks.
  2. Hover your cursor over the app panel, and click ⋮ Show more (three dots) to choose from the following:
    • Turn on Ask Me Mode: Ensure that Firewall prompts you to manually allow or deny each connection attempt for this app.
    • Show app details: View basic information about this app.
    • Show app rules: Open the advanced Application rules for this app.
  3. By default, the Apps screen lists only the apps that are currently using your internet connection. To see all apps that are installed on your PC, click Show inactive apps.

Unblock apps

When you block an app, it appears on your list of Blocked apps at the bottom of the Apps screen. To unblock an app:

  1. Click the down arrow in the Blocked apps panel to open a list of your blocked apps.
  2. Click Unblock next to the relevant app.

This app can now connect to the internet and to other networks.

Add trusted and untrusted networks

Every time you connect to a new network, Firewall detects if the network is private or public, and automatically applies the relevant settings below:

  • Private networks (such as your home or work network) require a lower level of security, and are automatically marked as trusted. Each time you connect to a trusted network, Firewall permits all communication within the network and applies a lower level of security to enable better connectivity.
  • Public networks (such as in a cafe or airport) present a greater security risk, and are automatically marked as untrusted. Each time you connect to an untrusted network, Firewall blocks all incoming communication and applies a higher level of security to ensure your privacy and safety.

If necessary, you can manually specify that an individual network is either trusted or untrusted by following the steps below:

  1. Open Avast Antivirus and go to Protection ▸ Firewall.
  2. Select the Networks tab.
  3. Click Show settings next to the relevant network, then choose one of the following options:
    • I trust this network: The recommended option for a private network. When you select this option, the network is marked as a Trusted network.
    • I don't trust this network: The recommended option for a public network. When you select this option, the network is marked as an Untrusted network.

Each time you connect to this network, Firewall applies the appropriate settings according to your preferences.

View Firewall logs

To view your recent Firewall activity:

  1. Open Avast Antivirus and go to Protection ▸ Firewall.
  2. Select the Logs tab.
  3. Use the drop-down menu at the top of the screen to specify which activity type you want to see. The following options are available:
    • Blocked apps
    • Blocked devices
    • Applied rules
    You can also specify a time period (for example, Apps blocked in the past month).

The list automatically updates to show your chosen data.

You can view additional technical information about a blocked connection attempt by clicking the down arrow on the relevant app panel.

Access premium features

The following premium Firewall features are available in Avast Premium Security:

  • Leak Protection: Increases your security on public networks by preventing your PC from leaking potentially sensitive information to the network, including your login credentials, computer name, and email address.
  • Port Scan Alerts: Alerts you if hackers or malware attempt to scan your PC for open ports.
  • ARP Spoofing Alerts: Alerts you if an attacker attempts to intercept your network traffic via an ARP spoofing attack. ARP spoofing is when an attacker exploits the Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) to trick the devices on a network into communicating with an external device that is controlled by the attacker.

To manage the premium Firewall features:

  1. Open Avast Antivirus and go to Protection ▸ Firewall.
  2. Select the Premium tab.
  3. Select your preferred option:
    • Enable a premium feature: Click the red (OFF) slider so that it changes to green (ON).
    • Disable a premium feature: Click the green (ON) slider so that it changes to red (OFF).
Even when Port Scan Alerts and ARP Spoofing Alerts are enabled, they are never active when you are connected to a trusted network. This is because many home security solutions may need to scan for open ports or use ARP Spoofing for legitimate reasons.

When these features are enabled, they activate automatically whenever you connect to an untrusted network. This ensures your protection, while avoiding frequent and potentially intrusive false-positive alerts.

For more information about the premium Firewall features, refer to the following article:

  • Avast Firewall - Frequently Asked Questions

Advanced settings

The Firewall Rule list contains a list of advanced rules that you can customize to more precisely control Firewall behavior.

We do not recommend configuring advanced Firewall rules unless you have advanced knowledge of firewall concepts. Firewall is already configured to provide the appropriate protection in most cases.

To access advanced Firewall rules:

  1. Open Avast Antivirus and go to Protection ▸ Firewall.
  2. Click Settings (the gear icon) in the top-right corner of the screen.
  3. Click View Firewall rules.
  4. Select the relevant tab:
    • Basic rules (previously known as System rules): Are a range of Firewall rules that control network traffic for the most common connection types.
    • Network rules (previously known as Packet rules): Control whether network traffic is allowed or blocked according to the information contained in network packets.
    • Application rules: Determine how Firewall behaves toward each application or process when it connects to the internet or to another network.

For detailed information about the options available on each screen, refer to the relevant article below:

  • Basic rules | Network rules | Application rules

Enable or disable Firewall

To ensure your full security, Firewall is enabled by default. We recommend keeping Firewall enabled at all times, unless you need to disable it temporarily for troubleshooting purposes.

To disable Firewall temporarily:

  1. Open Avast Antivirus and go to Protection ▸ Firewall.
  2. Click the green (ON) slider, then select a time duration.
  3. Click Ok, stop to confirm.

Firewall is temporarily disabled. To enable Firewall, follow step 1 above, then click the slider so that it changes from red (OFF) to green (ON).

Further recommendations

To learn more about the Firewall feature in Avast Antivirus, refer to the following article:

  • Avast Firewall - Frequently Asked Questions

The Firewall feature in Avast One monitors all network traffic between your PC and the outside world to protect you from unauthorized communication and intrusions. This feature is designed to require minimal input from you. To ensure you are protected, all you need to do is keep Firewall enabled and, when prompted, specify whether each network that you connect to is trusted or untrusted.

Add trusted and untrusted networks

Each time you connect to a new network, Firewall prompts you to specify if you trust or don't trust the network. Don't trust is the default option if you do not manually select one.

To manually specify at any time whether an individual network is trusted or untrusted, follow the steps below:

  1. Open Avast One and go to Explore ▸ Firewall.
  2. Click Open Firewall.
  3. In the Connected to box, click the down arrow, then choose one of the following options:
    • Trust this network: The recommended option for a private network, such as your home or work network. When you select this option, the network is marked as a Trusted network. Each time you connect to a trusted network, Firewall permits all communication within the network and applies a lower level of security to enable better connectivity.
    • Don't trust this network: The recommended option for a public network, such as in an airport or cafe. When you select this option, the network is marked as an Untrusted network. Each time you connect to an untrusted network, Firewall blocks all incoming communication and applies a higher level of security to ensure your privacy and safety.

Each time you connect to this network, Firewall applies the appropriate settings according to your preferences.

Manage apps

Firewall controls when the apps on your PC can connect to the internet or to other networks. Firewall creates default rules for an app when it starts for the first time.

To manually specify how Firewall handles connection attempts from individual apps:

  1. Open Avast One and go to Explore ▸ Firewall.
  2. Click Open Firewall.
  3. Ensure the Apps tab is selected, then select one of the following sub-tabs:
    • Active apps: View the apps that are currently using your internet connection.
    • Inactive apps: View the apps that are not currently using your internet connection.
    • All apps: View all apps that are installed on your PC.
  4. The following options are available for each app:
    1. Click Block next to an app to ensure that Firewall always stops this app from connecting to the internet or to other networks.
    2. Click the arrow icon to view basic information about this app such as download and upload amounts and speeds.

Unblock apps

When you block an app, it appears on your list of blocked apps at the bottom of the Firewall screen. To unblock an app:

  1. Click the down arrow in the blocked apps section to open a list of your blocked apps.
  2. Click Unblock next to the relevant app.

This app can now connect to the internet and to other networks.

Enable or disable Firewall

To ensure your full security, Firewall is enabled by default. We recommend keeping Firewall enabled at all times, unless you need to disable it temporarily for troubleshooting purposes.

To disable Firewall temporarily:

  1. Open Avast One and go to Explore ▸ Firewall.
  2. Click Open Firewall.
  3. Click the green (ON) slider, then specify for how long Firewall will remain disabled.
    We do not recommend selecting the Stop indefinitely option to permanently stop Firewall.
  4. Click OK, stop to confirm.

Firewall is temporarily disabled. To manually enable it, click the red (OFF) slider so that it changes to green (ON).

Further recommendations

To learn more about the Firewall feature in Avast One, refer to the following article:

  • Avast Firewall - Frequently Asked Questions
  • Avast Premium Security 22.x for Windows
  • Avast Free Antivirus 22.x for Windows
  • Avast One 22.x for Windows
  • Microsoft Windows 11 Home / Pro / Enterprise / Education
  • Microsoft Windows 10 Home / Pro / Enterprise / Education - 32 / 64-bit
  • Microsoft Windows 8.1 / Pro / Enterprise - 32 / 64-bit
  • Microsoft Windows 8 / Pro / Enterprise - 32 / 64-bit
  • Microsoft Windows 7 Home Basic / Home Premium / Professional / Enterprise / Ultimate - Service Pack 1 with Convenient Rollup Update, 32 / 64-bit


Updated on: 02/06/2022

Was this article helpful?

Need additional help?

Contact us
Avast logo
Malaysia (English)
For home
  • Support
  • Security
  • Privacy
  • Performance
  • Blog
  • Forum
For business
  • Business support
  • Business products
  • Business partners
  • Business blog
  • Affiliates
For partners
  • Mobile Carriers
Company
  • Contact Us
  • Investors
  • Careers
  • Press Center
  • Diversity & Inclusion
  • Digital trust
  • Technology
  • Research Participation
1988-2023 Copyright Avast Software s.r.o.
Privacy policy Products policy Legal Report vulnerability Contact security Modern Slavery Statement Do not sell my info Subscription details