View Firewall Logs in Desktop Security for Windows

Note: The Windows Firewall Control feature is only available on Windows 10 and 11 devices.

Firewall logs are records of network activity that show which connections were allowed or blocked by the security system on your device. You can view the firewall logs by navigating to the Windows Firewall Control feature under the Tools section in your Desktop Security app. The Logs tab provides a list of all network traffic that has been allowed or blocked by your Windows Firewall, which can be filtered by the number of items displayed, allowed or blocked status, and inbound or outbound connection type. You can also find specific logged items, create rules for them directly from the Logs tab, and open their respective file locations for more information.

View Your Firewall Logs

You can open the Logs tab to view your firewall logs and get more information on the network traffic on your device. These logged items can also help troubleshoot issues and be shown to Support to help with any problems you may be experiencing.

To view your firewall logs:

1. Open the app.
2. Click the Toolsicon in the left side bar.
3. Click Windows Firewall Control.
4. Click on the Logs tab.
5. Click Refresh to view your logs.
6. In the pop-up, click Yes.

Create a Connection Rule from the Logs Tab

Once you have viewed your list of logged items, you can create a rule for them to control how your device handles specific inbound and outbound network connections.

To create a connection rule from the Logs tab:

1. Open the app.
2. Click the Toolsicon in the left side bar.
3. Click Windows Firewall Control.
4. Click on the Logs tab.
5. Click Refresh to view your logs.
6. In the pop-up, click Yes.
7. Find the traffic log that you want to create a rule for, then click on the vertical three dots.
8. Click Create custom rule.
9. The Create rule screen appears.
   Note: We do not recommend creating an Advanced rule. If you make changes and need help, contact Support.
10. Click Browse to search for the application you are creating a rule for, then click Open.
    Note: To create a rule that applies to all apps, select All programs in the Program dropdown.
11. In the Name field, enter your desired rule name.
12. In the Direction dropdown, choose Outbound or Inbound connection type.
13. Under Network, all three boxes are checked by default. We do not recommend unchecking any boxes unless you are familiar with firewall settings.
14. In the Action dropdown, choose to Allow or Block the app's connection from your device network.
15. When you are finished configuring the rule, click Confirm.
16. In the pop-up, click Yes.

For more information on creating connection rules, see Manage Firewall Connection Rules in Desktop Security for Windows.

View a File's Location

You can open the file location of any firewall log to better understand what apps or services are trying to connect. 

To view a file's location: 

1. Open the app.
2. Click the Toolsicon in the left side bar.
3. Click Windows Firewall Control.
4. Click on the Logs tab.
5. Click Refresh to view your logs.
6. In the pop-up, click Yes.
7. Find the traffic log that you want to view file location for, then click on the vertical three dots.
8. Click Open file location.