Enable Ping Windows 10: How to Set Up Firewall to Allow It

Ping is the primary TCP/IP command for troubleshooting connectivity, reachability, and name resolution on Windows. It helps users verify IP-level connectivity to another TCP/IP computer by sending Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) echo Request messages.

However, users can encounter issues enabling ping on Windows 10 if the Windows Firewall blocks ping requests. Likewise, you may check our guide on what to do if you are getting a destination host unreachable error while trying to ping a host.

What causes ping not to work?

As said earlier, Ping verifies whether a particular IP address is available in the network. The ping request may not be able to send to the IP address or receive corresponding Echo Reply messages. Hence, it results in the request to return futile.

However, a couple of factors may be responsible for the problem. Some are:

• Windows Defender Firewall interference – You may experience issues with pinging if the Windows Defender Firewall is impeding the process. Ping does not work when Windows Firewall does not allow the File and Printer Sharing app to run. Also, ping may not work when Firewall blocks all incoming connections on your network path.
• Host or destination IP does not exist – If the IP address you want to verify for availability is not identified or does not exist, the ping request won’t work. So, you may encounter problems with ping if the host or target IP does not exist.

Other factors not highlighted above may also be responsible for ping not working. Hence, we’ll help you with steps to fix the issue and enable ping on your device.

How can I enable ping in Windows 10?

1. Use Windows Firewall with Advanced Security

1. Press Windows + R key to open the Run dialog box, type firewall.cpl in the text field, and click OK to open Windows Defender Firewall.
2. Click on Advanced settings from the right pane.
3. Click on Inbound Rules, find and right-click on File and Printer Sharing (Echo Request – ICMPv4 – In) that has a Public Profile, then click on Enable Rule from the drop-down.
4. To know if you have successfully enabled File and Printer Sharing (Echo Request – ICMPv4 – In), check the Enabled tab and confirm if it says Yes.

Enabling the File and Printer Sharing (Echo Request – ICMPv4 – In) option will allow your computer to ping and whether a particular IP address is available in the network or not.

Check our guide on Firewall disabled but still blocking apps on Windows 10 for more information.

2. Allow File and Printer Sharing through Windows Firewall

1. Press Windows + R key to open the Run dialog box, type firewall.cpl in the text field, and click OK to open Windows Defender Firewall.
2. Click on the Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall option.
3. Click the Change settings button.
4. Check the box for File and Printer Sharing, and click OK to save the changes.

Checking the box for File and Printer Sharing enables the ping functionality on your computer.

3. Use PowerShell

1. Left-click the Start button, type PowerShell, and click Run as administrator.
2. Click Yes on the User Account Control prompt.
3. Copy and paste the following lines of commands and press Enter:  netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="Allow ICMPv4" protocol=icmpv4:8,any dir=in action=allow   netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="Allow ICMPv6" protocol=icmpv6:8,any dir=in action=allow

The above commands will enable the ping functionality, allowing your Windows PC to respond to ping requests.

You can check our guide about PowerShell not showing the full output and some fixes to get it working if you experience it.

4. Use the Command Prompt

1. Left-click the Start button, type Command Prompt, and click the Run as administrator option.
2. Click Yes on the User Account Control (UAC) prompt.
3. Type the following lines of commands and press Enter to run them: netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="ICMP Allow incoming V4 echo request" protocol=icmpv4:8,any dir=in action=allow
4. Close the Command Prompt and restart your PC.

The above commands will create two exceptions to allow traffic through the firewall and allow ping requests.

Read our guide on what to do if Command Prompt keeps crashing on your PC.

In addition, our readers may be interested in ways to fix Cannot Ping computers on the same Network on Windows 10.

If you have further questions or suggestions concerning enabling ping on Windows 10, kindly drop them in the comments section.