To make services such as web servers, game servers or databases reachable on your Windows Server, you need to open the corresponding ports in the firewall.
Using the graphical interface:
1. Open "Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security" (via the search).
2. Click "Inbound Rules" on the left.
3. Click "New Rule…" on the right.
4. Select "Port" → Next.
5. Select "TCP" or "UDP" and enter the port (e.g. 25565 for Minecraft).
6. Select "Allow the connection".
7. Enter a name (e.g. "Minecraft Server") and click "Finish".
Using PowerShell:New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Minecraft" -Direction Inbound -Protocol TCP -LocalPort 25565 -Action Allow
Commonly needed ports:
• HTTP: 80 (TCP)
• HTTPS: 443 (TCP)
• RDP: 3389 (TCP)
• MySQL: 3306 (TCP)
• Minecraft: 25565 (TCP)