How Do I Allow Games & Apps Through My Firewall?

Microsoft 365 Life Hacks > >

November 18, 2022

When your computer’s connected to the internet without a firewall, it’s like you’re leaving your front door wide open—anyone can walk right in. Think of your firewall as “Jeeves”, a steadfast doorman who decides who’s allowed in and who’s not. But sometimes Jeeves oversteps his bounds and denies someone entry. You need to give him an updated list of preferred guests so he doesn’t turn away those who are invited. In this guide, we’ll teach you how to allow Minecraft through your firewall, as well as other apps like Spotify, Roblox, and other games or apps.

How Do I Allow Games & Apps Through My Firewall? – Microsoft 365 (1)

Why does my firewall block games and apps? Playing games online can be risky. From predators who lurk on servers with kids’ games to hackers trying to overload servers with DDoS attacks. It’s no wonder your firewall tries to block online access sometimes. While many games that are made by well-known developers don’t run into firewall issues, it’s not uncommon for games from small developers to have problems based on the code by which they operate or known server issues. For example, Minecraft’s Java Edition is flagged by firewalls because of known security issues with Java code. It’s not the game itself but the code in the game. Other games like Roblox that include small games from independent developers on their servers might run into problems with malicious software.

Let’s walk through how to update your firewall to allow Spotify, Minecraft, and other games or apps onto your computer.

How Do I Allow Games & Apps Through My Firewall? – Microsoft 365 (2)

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How to allow Minecraft through your firewall. There are a couple of ways that you can update your firewall setting to allow a game like Minecraft through your firewall. The first is the easiest because you’re simply responding to a prompt from your computer. It’s not unusual to get a notification from your security software that the firewall blocks a feature of an app. Take note when the notification pops up because it likely won’t include Minecraft in the name of the program. Rather, it’ll say that it’s blocking Java. If you have admin access, click “Allow access,” and you’ll be set to go.

If you bypassed the original notification because you thought it was for something else, you’ll need to take a few more steps to get into your antivirus software and update your settings. Update your firewall settings by accessing your system’s firewall in the security settings, which can be found in the Settings application. Once you’ve reached Settings, follow these steps:

Scroll down and click “Update & Security.”
Click “Windows Security” on the left-hand side of the window.
Under the “Protection areas” list, click “Firewall & network protection.” This should open a new window.
Below the main options that have icons, you’ll find a list of options that don’t have accompanying icons. Click “Allow an app through firewall.”
You’ll see a long list of applications that are allowed and disallowed through your firewall. Select “Private” (for your private network only) for Java, and Minecraft will be allowed past the firewall.
Click “Allow access” and input your admin password.

How Do I Allow Games & Apps Through My Firewall? – Microsoft 365 (4)

“Think of your firewall as “Jeeves”, a steadfast doorman who decides who’s allowed in and who’s not. But sometimes Jeeves oversteps his bounds.”

How to update your firewall to allow Spotify. Updating your firewall to allow Spotify requires a few more steps than for a video game, but you can still make the change and enjoy your music, podcasts, and audiobooks. Start by going into your firewall settings the same as you would for Minecraft, but you’ll want to specifically look for Spotify. Click “Allow access” and input your admin password to complete the process.

An alternate solution to allowing Spotify through your firewall is to change your proxy settings. Take the following steps:

Open your Spotify settings.
Click the Proxy type drop-down menu and select “No Proxy.”
Save your changes and restart Spotify. You’ll likely have to log in again.

Your firewall is an important piece to keeping your computer safe from malware, but it can also be somewhat of a hassle by periodically overstepping. You can always override your firewall to allow apps and games that you’d like to have access to the internet through. Should you override your firewall’s default settings, make sure that you’re being extra careful with servers you join to play games and links you click on in ads.