How to Set Up Firefox Ports in Windows Firewall

How to Set Up Firefox Ports in Windows Firewall
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Introduction

If you’ve had a computer for a while, you may know and understand the importance of keeping your computer - and that of your information on it - from the prying eyes of those who would like to get at your documents and files. One way of protection is that of a firewall.

A firewall is essentially a barrier that allows or doesn’t allow certain programs access to the Internet. Think of a firewall as a bouncer at a nightclub - he has a list of people that get in and people that don’t. Like a bouncer, a firewall needs to know who is allowed to come and who doesn’t, but often times computer users don’t set up their firewalls to know who’s good and who’s not.

In this article, we’ll discuss setting up a Windows system with that of Mozilla Firefox and how to get Firefox ports set up within a Windows firewall.

Firefox Ports and Windows Firewall

If you are running a version of Microsoft Windows, you probably have the built in firewall that comes with it. This firewall blocks unknown

and unwanted traffic from the Internet, stopping malicious threats like spyware and viruses. Again, while having a firewall is extremely important, it also important to configure the firewall to know which things are allowed access to your computer.

Mozilla Firefox is a very popular web browser that allows for customization and themes, allowing for a personalized look for users. As Firefox is not a part of Windows - that is, it is not a standard that is shipped with the operating system or that of it’s products - the firewall may not know that this program is able to have access. Usually when Firefox is not set for the Windows firewall, that is Firefox is unable to connect to the Internet, the browser will state that a server has not been found, meaning it is unable to connect to the web service you were looking for.

In order to enable Firefox, you will need to go into Windows firewall options and allow Firefox to go through. This article will go over the steps for the three widely used versions of Windows - that of Windows XP, Windows Vista, and the new OS of Windows 7.

Windows Firewall - 7, Vista, & XP

Windows 7

Setting Up Firefox Ports: Windows Firewall Tips

  1. To configure Firefox for Windows 7, first go to the Control Panel. You can either do this by going to the MENU button and locating it in the list or by typing ‘control panel’ within the search bar.
  2. From the Control Panel, go to System & Security. Find the listing for Windows Firewall and click the main link.
  3. From Windows Firewall, choose ‘Allow a feature or program through’, which will take you to a listing of the current items that are allowed access through the firewall.
  4. Once the pop up appears, choose the option of ‘Add another program’, which will garner another pop up. Click the browse button and locate Firefox.exe through your C drive’s Program Files folder. Click “Add” to be returned to the first pop up and then “OK” to add Firefox.

Windows Vista

  • Follow the same steps from Windows 7 for Vista. The only difference may be the naming conventions and display.

Windows XP

  1. Go to the START menu and select Control Panel.
  2. Within the Control Panel, select Security Center.
  3. Find Windows Firewall. Make sure that ‘Don’t allow exceptions’ is unchecked. Click on the ‘Exceptions’ tab.
  4. Within ‘Exceptions’, click the ‘Add Program’ button. In the new windows, click ‘Browse.’
  5. Navigate to the Firefox.exe within Program Files and click OK when added.

Conclusion

Setting up Firefox ports with Windows Firewall is an easy process that will ensure you get access to your chosen browser.

Image content @ Mozilla Firefox; user via Windows 7