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Minimal Firewall User Guide
The central feature of Minimal Firewall is Lockdown Mode, controlled by the padlock icon in the main window's bottom-left corner.
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Locked (Padlock is green): This is the secure, default-deny mode. When active, all outbound network connections are blocked unless you have explicitly created an "Allow" rule for that application. Any new connection attempt from an unknown application will be stopped and will require your approval.
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Unlocked (Padlock is white/black): In this state, the firewall returns to the default Windows behavior, which allows outbound connections. This is useful if you need to temporarily disable the block-by-default policy for troubleshooting.
The goal is to enable Lockdown Mode and build a list of trusted applications over time.
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Launch the application.
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Click the padlock icon to enable Lockdown Mode. The icon will turn green.
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Go about your normal computer use. When a program needs internet access for the first time, it will be blocked.
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Handle the alert on the Dashboard tab or via a pop-up to allow or block it.
When Lockdown Mode blocks a new connection, you will be notified in one of two ways, which can be configured in the Settings tab.
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Dashboard Alert (Default): The blocked application appears in a list on the Dashboard tab.
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Pop-up Notification: An immediate pop-up window appears, demanding action.
For each blocked application, you have several options:
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Allow: Creates a permanent rule to allow all future outbound connections for this program.
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Block: Creates a permanent rule to block all future outbound connections for this program.
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Ignore: Dismisses the alert for a few minutes. The connection remains blocked, and the application will not generate new alerts during this time.
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Allow Temporarily: By right-clicking an item (or using the drop-down in the pop-up), you can allow the connection for a set duration (e.g., 5 minutes, 1 hour). After the time expires, the temporary rule is automatically deleted.
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Create Wildcard Rule: This allows you to create a rule for an entire folder, which is ideal for programs that update frequently.
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Trust Publisher: If the application is digitally signed, you can choose to always trust the publisher. Any application signed by that same publisher will be automatically allowed in the future.
The main interface is organized into several tabs for managing and monitoring your rules.
This tab provides a comprehensive list of all firewall rules managed by the application. You can filter the view using the checkboxes at the top to show specific rule types like Programs, Services, UWP apps, or Wildcard rules.
Right-clicking a rule allows you to:
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Allow/Block: Change the rule's action for inbound or outbound connections.
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Edit Rule: Open the advanced rule editor to modify any aspect of the rule.
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Delete Rule(s): Permanently remove the selected rule(s).
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Open File Location: If the rule applies to a specific program, this opens its location in File Explorer.
Here you can manage rules that apply to entire folders. This is very useful for portable applications or programs like web browsers that frequently change their executable files upon updating. You can add, edit, or delete wildcard rules from this screen.
This tab lists all custom rule groups you have created. You can quickly enable or disable an entire group of related rules with a single click of the toggle switch.
This tab is your security watchdog. It displays a list of firewall rules that were created, modified, or deleted by external processes (i.e. not by Minimal Firewall). This is a powerful feature for monitoring if other software is silently changing your security settings.
For each detected change, you can:
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Accept: Acknowledges the rule and moves it under Minimal Firewall's management.
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Delete: Removes the foreign rule from the Windows Firewall.
This tab provides a real-time monitor of all active TCP network connections on your system. It displays the process name, local and remote IP addresses, and the connection state. Right-clicking a connection lets you:
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Kill Process: Immediately terminate the process responsible for the connection.
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Block Remote IP: Instantly create a new firewall rule to block all future connections to that specific remote IP address.
The Settings tab contains options to configure the application and perform maintenance tasks.
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Close to tray: When checked, closing the window minimizes the app to the system tray instead of exiting.
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Start with Windows: If checked, the application will run automatically when you log in.
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Dark Mode: Toggles the application between light and dark themes.
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Enable pop-up notifications: Triggers a pop-up window for blocked connections in addition to the dashboard alert.
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Enable Live Connections: Toggles the real-time traffic monitor on the Live Connections tab.
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Export Rules: Saves all of your current Minimal Firewall rules (including standard, advanced, and wildcard rules) to a single JSON backup file.
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Import & Add Rules: Adds rules from a backup file to your existing rule set.
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Import & Replace Rules: Deletes all current Minimal Firewall rules before importing the rules from a backup file.
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Clean Up Orphaned Rules: Scans for and deletes rules that point to applications that no longer exist on your system.
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Delete all Minimal Firewall rules: Permanently removes all rules created by this application.
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Revert Windows Firewall: Resets your entire Windows Firewall configuration to its default state, deleting all custom rules from any source.
Because Minimal Firewall is a portable application, there is no formal uninstallation process.
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To remove all rules created by the application, navigate to the Settings tab and click the "Delete all Minimal Firewall rules" button.
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Close the application and delete the executable file (
MinimalFirewall.exe) and any.jsonor.txtconfiguration files in the same folder.