Several users have reported that their Windows Defender Firewall is using settings that make the device unsafe. Go to your computer’s Windows Security and under the Firewall & Network protection page if you see any of the two below error messages, this means that you are also dealing with this problem:
Windows Defender Firewall is using settings that may make the device unsafe.
OR
Microsoft Defender Firewall is using settings that may make the device unsafe
If so, you may interest in knowing how to resolve the issue. In this post, we are going to discuss about the same. Don’t need to worry! Follow the listed solutions below. These will definitely help you in getting rid of the issue:
Fixes for Windows Defender Firewall is using settings that make the device unsafe
Fix 1: Restore your Firewall Settings
To begin with, you should click on the Restore Setting option appears just the error message you receive and see if this resolves your issue. Reverting settings allows Windows to back the miss-configured setting to what it should be at the first place. It this method does not work and you still encounter the problem, follow our next solution.
Fix 2: Restart your Windows Defender Firewall
If the previous option does not work in your case, you should do this simple fix. Sometimes, the issue is nothing a glitch within the Windows Defender Firewall that you can easily fix just by restarting it. Follow the prescribed below mentioned steps for the same:
- From Start menu, search for Control Panel and click on the match result,
- Set View by to Large icons,
- Go to the Windows Defender Firewall,
- Select Windows Defender on or off option,
- Now, Turn off Windows Defender Firewall for both Private and Public networks.
Fix 3: Perform registry changes
If Windows Defender Firewall is using settings that make the device unsafe problem continues, you need to configure some registries to change the permission to everyone. For that, you should use the built-in Registry Editor that allows you to configure Windows OS. Here are the required steps you have to follow:
- Open Registry Editor and search for the following location:
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\BFE
- Right-click on BFF and select Permission,
- Click on Add, type in Everyone and then click Check Names,
- Select Everyone from the Group or username, and then click on Full Control,
- Select Apply and confirm with OK and open the Windows Security the next to see if the problem is resolved.
Fix 4: Reset Firewall
Since you do not know which particular settings are causing the problematic, it is better to reset the Firewall to the default settings. There are different ways of doing the same. Here, we have discussed two of them:
- Open Control Panel,
- Set View by as Large Icons,
- Then, select Windows Defender Firewall,
- Select Restore defaults on the right and then click Restore defaults option.
Alternatively, open Command Prompt as Admin and run the below command to reset Windows Defender Firewall:
netsh firewall set opmode mode=ENABLE exceptions=enable
Fix 5: Uninstall the latest security updates
If you encounter the Windows Defender Firewall is using settings that make the device unsafe issue just after performing a security update installation, there is a high chance that the update you installed is causing the problem. You should uninstall it and revert back to the previous version and then wait for the next wait in this case. Here is the stepwise guide:
- Press Win+ R, type in Control and hit Enter,
- In the address filed in the opened window, paste the below location and hit Enter:
Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Programs and Features
- Select View Installed Updates and then uninstall the latest security update.
Fix 6: Run Antivirus Scan
The problem could be caused by a virus or malware infection. To check the system for malware, the built-in Windows Antivirus is enough. Follow the below steps to run Windows Defender Antivirus:
- Open Windows Security,
- Go to Virus & threat Protection and select Scan options,
- In the opened window, select Microsoft Defender Antivirus (offline scan) and hit Scan now option,
- Wait for the antivirus to identity and remove the virus infection if found.
If the problem remains, you should use PC Repair Tool an automatic tool to deal with PC related issues. It works effectively in case of issues caused due to system inconsistency, DLLs or EXEs errors, BDODs, problems related to registry entries and so on. Here is its direct download link.
Conclusion
That’s all! We have provided all possible fixes for Windows Defender Firewall is using settings that make the device unsafe. Hope so, these fixes are helpful for you in resolving the problem. Comment down below in case of any queries, questions or suggestions regarding the post.
