How to Allow an FTP Through Windows Firewall

The Windows Firewall, first introduced with Microsoft Windows XP, is a firewall, security and threat prevention application that automatically comes with Windows operating systems. The Windows Firewall prompts you to either "Keep Blocking" or "Unblock" whenever a service tries to access the Internet. Windows Firewall issues "Security Alerts" whenever a program or port that is unidentified tries to connect to the Internet. Ports are the channels that data travels through online. Typically, firewalls use ports 20 and 21, and so to allow an FTP through the Windows Firewall, you must first enable those ports and the FTP software in the Firewall.

Instructions

1. Click "Start," then type "wscui.wpl" (without quotation marks) and press "Enter" on your keyboard.

2. Click "Windows Firewall," then click the "Exceptions" tab.

3. Click "Add Program," then locate your FTP program that you use to connect to your FTP server. Locate it, select it and click "Add." Once you have added your program, you can add the ports.

4. Click "Add Port" and set the port number to 20, title it as "FTP" or similar, then repeat with port 21.

5. Click "OK" to save the changes to Windows Firewall.

References

• Microsoft Support: Windows Firewall May Block Some Programs from Communicating Over the Internet After You Install Windows XP Service Pack 2
• MaxSecure: How to Allow FTP Port in Windows Firewall?