PowerShell Lab: Toggle the Windows 11 Firewall

Step 1: Open PowerShell as Administrator:

• Right-click the Start button (or press Win + X).
• Select Terminal (Admin) or Windows PowerShell (Admin).
• Click Yes on the UAC prompt.

Step 2: Check the current execution policy:

Get-ExecutionPolicy

The default is typically Restricted, which blocks all scripts.

Step 3: View all execution policy scopes:

Get-ExecutionPolicy -List

        Scope ExecutionPolicy
        ----- ---------------
MachinePolicy       Undefined
   UserPolicy       Undefined
      Process       Undefined
  CurrentUser       Undefined
 LocalMachine       Restricted

Step 4: Set the policy to allow unsigned local scripts:

Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser

RemoteSigned allows local scripts to run without a signature but requires downloaded scripts to be signed. -Scope CurrentUser applies only to your account.

Step 5: Confirm the change:

Get-ExecutionPolicy

Should now show RemoteSigned.

Step 1: View firewall profiles:

Get-NetFirewallProfile | Format-Table Name, Enabled

Name    Enabled
----    -------
Domain     True
Private    True
Public     True

Windows has three firewall profiles: Domain, Private, and Public. All should show True (enabled).

Step 2: View detailed firewall settings:

Get-NetFirewallProfile | Select-Object Name, Enabled, DefaultInboundAction, DefaultOutboundAction

Shows whether inbound and outbound traffic is blocked or allowed by default for each profile.

Step 1: Create a new script file:

notepad $HOME\Desktop\Toggle-Firewall.ps1

This opens Notepad to create a new file on your Desktop. Paste the script below and save.

Step 2: Enter the following script:

# Toggle-Firewall.ps1
# Toggles the Windows Firewall on or off for all profiles.
# Must be run as Administrator.

# Check if running as Administrator
$isAdmin = ([Security.Principal.WindowsPrincipal] [Security.Principal.WindowsIdentity]::GetCurrent()).IsInRole(
    [Security.Principal.WindowsBuiltInRole]::Administrator
)

if (-not $isAdmin) {
    Write-Host "ERROR: This script must be run as Administrator." -ForegroundColor Red
    Write-Host "Right-click PowerShell and select 'Run as Administrator'." -ForegroundColor Yellow
    exit 1
}

# Get current state of the Domain profile (all profiles share the same toggle in this script)
$currentState = (Get-NetFirewallProfile -Name Domain).Enabled

Write-Host ""
Write-Host "=== Windows Firewall Toggle ===" -ForegroundColor Cyan
Write-Host ""

if ($currentState) {
    Write-Host "Current status: ENABLED" -ForegroundColor Green
    Write-Host "Action: Disabling firewall for all profiles..." -ForegroundColor Yellow
    Set-NetFirewallProfile -Profile Domain,Private,Public -Enabled False
    Write-Host "Firewall has been DISABLED." -ForegroundColor Red
} else {
    Write-Host "Current status: DISABLED" -ForegroundColor Red
    Write-Host "Action: Enabling firewall for all profiles..." -ForegroundColor Yellow
    Set-NetFirewallProfile -Profile Domain,Private,Public -Enabled True
    Write-Host "Firewall has been ENABLED." -ForegroundColor Green
}

Write-Host ""
Write-Host "=== Updated Status ===" -ForegroundColor Cyan
Get-NetFirewallProfile | Format-Table Name, Enabled -AutoSize

Step 3: Save the file in Notepad (Ctrl+S) and close it.

Step 1: Run the script to disable the firewall:

& $HOME\Desktop\Toggle-Firewall.ps1

=== Windows Firewall Toggle ===

Current status: ENABLED
Action: Disabling firewall for all profiles...
Firewall has been DISABLED.

=== Updated Status ===
Name    Enabled
----    -------
Domain    False
Private   False
Public    False

Step 2: Verify with Get-NetFirewallProfile:

Get-NetFirewallProfile | Format-Table Name, Enabled

All three profiles should show False.

Step 3: Run the script again to re-enable the firewall:

& $HOME\Desktop\Toggle-Firewall.ps1

=== Windows Firewall Toggle ===

Current status: DISABLED
Action: Enabling firewall for all profiles...
Firewall has been ENABLED.

=== Updated Status ===
Name    Enabled
----    -------
Domain     True
Private    True
Public     True

Step 4: Try running without Administrator (to see the error):

Open a regular (non-admin) PowerShell window and run:

& $HOME\Desktop\Toggle-Firewall.ps1

ERROR: This script must be run as Administrator.
Right-click PowerShell and select 'Run as Administrator'.