Prohibit use of Internet Connection Firewall on your DNS domain network
Verified with Windows 11 25H2 — updated on July 30, 2026
Supported on: Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP only
Path in the GPO console
Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Network\Network Connections Description
Prohibits use of Internet Connection Firewall on your DNS domain network. Determines whether users can enable the Internet Connection Firewall feature on a connection, and if the Internet Connection Firewall service can run on a computer. Important: This setting is location aware. It only applies when a computer is connected to the same DNS domain network it was connected to when the setting was refreshed on that computer. If a computer is connected to a DNS domain network other than the one it was connected to when the setting was refreshed, this setting does not apply. The Internet Connection Firewall is a stateful packet filter for home and small office users to protect them from Internet network security threats. If you enable this setting, Internet Connection Firewall cannot be enabled or configured by users (including administrators), and the Internet Connection Firewall service cannot run on the computer. The option to enable the Internet Connection Firewall through the Advanced tab is removed. In addition, the Internet Connection Firewall is not enabled for remote access connections created through the Make New Connection Wizard. The Network Setup Wizard is disabled. Note: If you enable the "Windows Firewall: Protect all network connections" policy setting, the "Prohibit use of Internet Connection Firewall on your DNS domain network" policy setting has no effect on computers that are running Windows Firewall, which replaces Internet Connection Firewall when you install Windows XP Service Pack 2. If you disable this setting or do not configure it, the Internet Connection Firewall is disabled when a LAN Connection or VPN connection is created, but users can use the Advanced tab in the connection properties to enable it. The Internet Connection Firewall is enabled by default on the connection for which Internet Connection Sharing is enabled. In addition, remote access connections created through the Make New Connection Wizard have the Internet Connection Firewall enabled.
Registry
Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Network Connections Value name: NC_PersonalFirewallConfig
Enabled: NC_PersonalFirewallConfig = 0
Disabled: NC_PersonalFirewallConfig = 1
MDM / Intune (CSP)
./Device/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/ADMX_NetworkConnections/NC_PersonalFirewallConfig Microsoft Learn documentation Mapping data: Microsoft Learn (CC BY 4.0)
Export Builder
BETAConfigure the state, scope and options, then generate .reg, PowerShell, Intune and SCCM outputs — or add the setting to a multi-setting collection.
These exports write the registry — this is not a managed GPO. ⓘ
.reg file
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
; Exported from gporais.com
; Policy: Prohibit use of Internet Connection Firewall on your DNS domain network
; State: Enabled
; Supported on: Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP only
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Network Connections]
"NC_PersonalFirewallConfig"=dword:00000000More formats (PowerShell, Intune, SCCM)
PowerShell
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Prohibit use of Internet Connection Firewall on your DNS domain network
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP only
$path = 'HKLM:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Network Connections'
New-Item -Path $path -Force | Out-Null
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'NC_PersonalFirewallConfig' -Value 0 -Type DWordIntune XML
OMA-URI: ./Device/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/ADMX_NetworkConnections/NC_PersonalFirewallConfig
Data type: String
Value:
<enabled/>Intune Remediation
# === Detection script ===
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Prohibit use of Internet Connection Firewall on your DNS domain network
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP only
function Test-RegistryValue {
param(
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string]$Path,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string]$Name,
[object]$Expected,
[ValidateSet('String', 'DWord', 'MultiString')][string]$Kind = 'String',
[switch]$Absent
)
try {
$item = Get-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -ErrorAction Stop
} catch {
return $Absent.IsPresent
}
if ($Absent.IsPresent) { return $false }
$actual = $item.$Name
if ($Kind -eq 'DWord') { return ([int64]$actual) -eq ([int64]$Expected) }
if ($Kind -eq 'MultiString') {
$actualValues = @($actual)
$expectedValues = @($Expected)
if ($actualValues.Count -ne $expectedValues.Count) { return $false }
for ($i = 0; $i -lt $expectedValues.Count; $i++) {
if ([string]$actualValues[$i] -ne [string]$expectedValues[$i]) { return $false }
}
return $true
}
return [string]$actual -eq [string]$Expected
}
$checks = @(
(Test-RegistryValue -Path 'HKLM:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Network Connections' -Name 'NC_PersonalFirewallConfig' -Expected 0 -Kind DWord)
)
if ($checks -notcontains $false) {
Write-Output 'Compliant'
exit 0
}
Write-Output 'Non-compliant'
exit 1
# === Remediation script ===
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Prohibit use of Internet Connection Firewall on your DNS domain network
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP only
$path = 'HKLM:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Network Connections'
New-Item -Path $path -Force | Out-Null
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'NC_PersonalFirewallConfig' -Value 0 -Type DWordSCCM scripts
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Prohibit use of Internet Connection Firewall on your DNS domain network
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP only
# SCCM Configuration Item guidance:
# Create a Configuration Item of type "Setting: Script".
# Discovery script: use the Detection script below.
# Remediation script: use the Remediation script below.
# Compliance rule: the Discovery script output equals 'Compliant'.
# === Detection script ===
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Prohibit use of Internet Connection Firewall on your DNS domain network
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP only
function Test-RegistryValue {
param(
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string]$Path,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string]$Name,
[object]$Expected,
[ValidateSet('String', 'DWord', 'MultiString')][string]$Kind = 'String',
[switch]$Absent
)
try {
$item = Get-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -ErrorAction Stop
} catch {
return $Absent.IsPresent
}
if ($Absent.IsPresent) { return $false }
$actual = $item.$Name
if ($Kind -eq 'DWord') { return ([int64]$actual) -eq ([int64]$Expected) }
if ($Kind -eq 'MultiString') {
$actualValues = @($actual)
$expectedValues = @($Expected)
if ($actualValues.Count -ne $expectedValues.Count) { return $false }
for ($i = 0; $i -lt $expectedValues.Count; $i++) {
if ([string]$actualValues[$i] -ne [string]$expectedValues[$i]) { return $false }
}
return $true
}
return [string]$actual -eq [string]$Expected
}
$checks = @(
(Test-RegistryValue -Path 'HKLM:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Network Connections' -Name 'NC_PersonalFirewallConfig' -Expected 0 -Kind DWord)
)
if ($checks -notcontains $false) {
Write-Output 'Compliant'
exit 0
}
Write-Output 'Non-compliant'
exit 1
# === Remediation script ===
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Prohibit use of Internet Connection Firewall on your DNS domain network
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP only
$path = 'HKLM:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Network Connections'
New-Item -Path $path -Force | Out-Null
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'NC_PersonalFirewallConfig' -Value 0 -Type DWordBuilding a multi-setting collection? Add this setting and generate combined .reg / PowerShell / GPO scripts.