How to Enable ICMP on Windows

Enabling ICMP Ping Responses on Windows

By default, Windows Firewall blocks ICMP Echo Requests (ping), preventing your device from responding to ping tests. This can cause issues when troubleshooting network connectivity or monitoring your system's availability. In this guide, we’ll show you how to enable ICMP ping responses using both the command line and the Windows Firewall graphical interface.

Method 1: Enable ICMP Ping via Command Line

Follow these steps to allow ping responses using the command line:

Open Command Prompt as Administrator.
Enter the following command to allow ICMPv4 ping requests:

netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="Allow ICMPv4-In" protocol=ICMPv4:8,Any dir=in action=allow

If you also need to enable ping for IPv6, enter:

netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="Allow ICMPv6-In" protocol=ICMPv6:128,Any dir=in action=allow

To verify that the rule is active, run:

netsh advfirewall firewall show rule name="Allow ICMPv4-In"

✅ Once completed, your Windows system will now respond to ping requests.

Method 2: Enable ICMP Ping via Windows Firewall GUI

Follow these steps to allow ping responses using the Windows Firewall settings:

Open Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security.
Click Inbound Rules in the left panel.
Scroll down and locate File and Printer Sharing (Echo Request - ICMPv4-In).
Right-click on it and select Enable Rule.
If you also need IPv6 support, repeat the process for File and Printer Sharing (Echo Request - ICMPv6-In).

✅ Your Windows device will now respond to ping requests from other devices on the network.

Why Enable ICMP Ping?

Helps with network troubleshooting and connectivity testing.
Essential for monitoring tools that check device availability.
Allows for better diagnostics when identifying latency or packet loss issues.

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Updated on: 02/03/2025

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