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Firewall is on and configured

Time to fix

< 1m

What

Firewall prevents contact from other computers on the Internet or on your network. Learn more on the Apple Support page.

What if I use other firewalls?

You should have the system firewall enabled because other firewalls cannot support stealth mode. Stealth mode is necessary if you are directly connected to the internet via a hotspot or without a router, for example. Stealth mode prevents your Mac from being discovered by threat actors scanning the internet for devices.

How to enable Firewall and Stealth mode

  • Open System Preferences, click Network, then Firewall.
  • Toggle Turn On Firewall.
  • Click Options..., scroll to the bottom, and toggle Enable stealth mode.

If you are unable to enable the firewall using System Preferences, try the Terminal commands described below.

How to reset Firewall from Terminal

  • Open Terminal.
  • Disable stealth mode:
    /usr/libexec/ApplicationFirewall/socketfilterfw --setstealthmode off
  • Disable the firewall:
    /usr/libexec/ApplicationFirewall/socketfilterfw --setglobalstate off
  • Re-enable the firewall:
    /usr/libexec/ApplicationFirewall/socketfilterfw --setglobalstate on
  • Re-enable stealth mode:
    /usr/libexec/ApplicationFirewall/socketfilterfw --setstealthmode on
  • Check current firewall status:
    /usr/libexec/ApplicationFirewall/socketfilterfw --getglobalstate
  • Check stealth mode status:
    /usr/libexec/ApplicationFirewall/socketfilterfw --getstealthmode

macOS Sequoia

Firewall Firewall