Windows 10: Can't Start Windows Defender Firewall or Change Settings

I got a notification at the bottom of the screen on my desktop computer saying Firewall had been turned off click here to fix. It opened up Windows Defender Firewall under Control Panel. But I can't get anything to work. Click on "use recommended settings", nothing happens. Also clicked on "change notifications" and "Turn Defender On" and nothing happens.

So I tried to open services.msc to restart it, and I see that all my services have abbreviated names and under description say "failed to read description error code 2". I don't know which one is Firewall because it doesn't say Firewall. The only one I see in the list with a recognizable name is "WinDefend" but when I right-click, start, stop, etc are all grayed out.

I

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windows defender firewall

Hi Faye,

Third-party antivirus programs usually have their own uninstallers provided by the software developer. We suggest checking the developer's website or contacting their support team for assistance with uninstalling their program. After fully uninstalling the
third-party antivirus software, you may turn on Windows Defender by following these steps:

• Click Start.
• Type Windows Defender Security Center and press Enter.
• Click Firewall and network protection.
• Click Private (discoverable) network and click On.
• Click Public (non-discoverable) network and click On.

Let us know if you have any other concerns about Windows Defender.

 

Windows Defender Firewall showing On and Off at the same time

Hi Jerry,



Thank you for writing to Microsoft Community Forums.



I understand that the Windows Firewall shows as switched off even after turning it on. For better understanding of the issue, please answer the questions below.

1. Which build version of Windows are you using currently?
   
2. Are you aware of any changes being made to the PC?
   
3. Do you have any security software/firewall installed?
   

Meanwhile, I would suggest you to follow the steps mentioned below and check if that helps.



Method 1:



I would suggest you to run the troubleshooter for Windows Firewall and check if that helps. Refer the article

Automatically diagnose and fix problems with Windows Firewall



If the above method doesn’t t work, please follow the next method.



Method 2:



I would suggest you to try enabling the services responsible for Windows Firewall and check if that helps.

1. Press Windows key + R. This will open
   Run. Alternatively, you can go to Start and search for ‘Run’.
   
2. In Run dialog box, type services.msc and hit enter.
   
3. Now look for the services: Security Center,
   Windows Defender Antivirus Service, Windows Defender Firewall Service,
   Windows Defender Advanced Thread Protection Service,
   and Windows Defender Antivirus Network Inspection Service.
   
4. Right click on each service and click on Start.
   

If the above method doesn’t work, please try the next method.



Method 3:



I would suggest you to check if any conflicting registry entries are present which are blocking Windows Defender Firewall to turn on.



Note: Important this section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow
these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs.



Refer the article on
How to back up and restore the registry in Windows

1. Press Windows key + R. This will open
   Run. Alternatively, you can go to Start and search for ‘Run’.
   
2. In Run dialog box, type regedit and hit enter.
   
3. Now navigate to the location: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options
   
4. Look if there are any registry keys named: MSASCui.exe, MpCmdRun.exe or MsMpEng.exe.
   
5. If there are any such entries, then delete them by right clicking and selecting Delete.
   
6. Click on Yes.
   
7. Restart the PC.
   

If the issue persists, please get back to us with the results of troubleshooting steps to assist you further.



Regards,

Prakhar Khare

Microsoft Community – Moderator

 

Windows Defender Firewall failed to started after Windows Update

Hi,

Windows 10 Pro 64 bit 1909.

An update took place today. After reboot, Windows Defender Firewall failed to start

Control Panel -> Firewall

Windows Defender Firewall is not using the recommended setting to protect your computer. There is a button "Use recommended settings" but it leads to error

Windows Defender Firewall can't' change some of your settings

Error code 0x800706d9

Service control shows Windows Defender Firewall not running. I tried to start and it pops a warning and it's stuck in "Starting"

SFC and DISM return with no problem found.

No third-party antivirus installed.

I think this is must due to the update. Here are the list of installation today

KB4530384 Update for Microsoft Windows -- uninstallation failed

KB4538674 Security Update for Microsoft Windows -- uninstall option not available

KB4532693 Update for Microsoft Windows -- unistalled

KB4537759 Security Update for Microsoft Windows -- unistalled

KB4534132 Update for Microsoft Windows -- unistalled

However, the problem remained after these.

What can I do?

Thanks