Regarding the characteristics of the program we have:
- It is free and open source.
- A simple graphical interface in which there are no pop-up windows present.
- Rules editor with which we can create our own.
- It has an internal block list to block Windows spying and telemetry.
- It has a record of lost packages.
- Support for Windows services and your store.
- Compatible with IPv6 and location support.
Regarding the installation of rules, we can choose from two types. Some are permanent ones that work until you manually deactivate them. The others are the temporary ones that disappear after restarting. Regarding whether internet connections are blocked when simplewall is not running, the answer is yes. That means that, after having created our rules, we have to have the tool open.
Minimum requirements and installation of the tool
As for the minimum requirements to be able to install this program, it is to have Windows 7, 8, 8.1 or 10 installed on our computer. Regarding the space required on the hard disk, it is very little, we must bear in mind that its installer occupies less than 1 MB . In our case, the installation required 1.6 MB. The version that we are going to use to make this simplewall tutorial is 3.43 but if there is a more recent version it is advisable to use the most modern one. The first thing we have to do is go to the website of the author Henry ++ by clicking on the following link.
Then we go down to the section Download and we download the most modern version of the program that ends in setup.exe.
Once the installer is downloaded we will execute it and a welcome screen like this will appear where we will press the button Next:
Then we accept the license agreement by activating the corresponding box and clicking on the button with the red arrow.
Next, we choose the installation directory, unless there is a special reason we will leave the one that comes by default.
Here we leave you with the options that you mark, so that we can create a shortcut on the desktop and in the Windows start menu.
As soon as the simplewall installation completes successfully, we will see a screen like this.
If we click on the button as it comes by default Finish to finish the installation, the program will be run for the first time.
Get started with simplewall to configure the firewall
The first time the tool is started we will see a screen like this:
Since simplewall comes in English and can be put in Spanish, this is where we are going to start. For this we go to File and inside we select Settings. In the general section in Language we select Spanish and we give it to close. Also an interesting option that is used a lot in «General Settings» is Charge at system startup so that it runs when Windows starts.
Now we have everything in Spanish and we are going to see the main menu of this tool that you have indicated with a red box.
Here we have these options:
- File: we can access the options settings and work with files.
- Edit– To purge unused apps, search and update list.
- Watch: used to choose display options and font.
- Rules: to configure how the rules work, it is convenient to leave it as it comes by default.
- Block list: it is used to configure how the block lists work and should be left as is.
- Help: to go to the author’s website to obtain information, check for updates and see what version we have installed.
Just below we have a button panel that simply what it does is offer us direct access to the most important options of the main menu or the creation of rules. For example, if we press the button «Setting»We will go directly to the place where the language and many other parameters are changed. Then later we will go deeper with some more button.
How to create a rule, activate filters and more
Now it’s time to start working with simplewall. Below the button panel you have a series of tabs marked with a box with which you will have to operate. Each of them has a well differentiated function.
As we want to work with applications, Windows services, block list and more, we will have to select the appropriate tab. By default, it comes in the Apps section that refers to programs and that is what we are going to work with. One very important thing to keep in mind is that, in any of the tabs, as can be seen in the place indicated by the green arrow below, the filters are deactivated. Therefore, if you want them to be applied, you must click on the button Activate filters.
Then at that moment simplewall has blocked the connection of Microsoft’s OneDrive application. Like the one I use and I need it, I have given Let so that I believe the rule. Just after we have done the same with the Google Drive.
Then, after several requests that it will make us, it will classify the programs as allowed, blocked and silently blocked. Also activating the box of a program will pass to allowed.
In addition, when granting access with our rules, the button Let supports the creation of temporary rules by clicking on the inverted black triangle icon.
On the other hand, if we click on the button with a + indicated with the black arrow we can create our personal rules. In this case for Apps but we could also do them in other sections.
On general you put the name to the rule, then the protocol and the optional family. Then we establish the direction, either incoming, outgoing or whatever, and an action that will be to allow or block. In the tab Rule we can work with local and remote IPs together with their port if necessary.
On the other hand, in the section Apps we can assign that rule to apply to a specific program. If nothing is selected it applies to all applications. And when we finish we give Keep.
Finally, if we want to see the rule that we have created we will go to the tab User rules. There we can delete it, edit it and see if it is active or not.
As you have seen, SimpleWall will allow us to manage the Windows firewall in a very easy, advanced way and its operation is really intuitive. If you don’t use Windows Defender’s own firewall, you can use this SimpleWall because it will greatly facilitate the task of allowing or denying connections on your Windows PC.
