How do I allow games through my firewall?

How to whitelist and resolve issues in anti-virus software and firewalls

Aug 06, 2021

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There may at times be issues with our games interacting with Windows or Mac firewalls as well as anti-virus software. Here's how to whitelist and resolve issues in these. These can vary by platform and software used, but tend to have equivalent locations.

Firewalls:

Windows XP

1. Click on the“Start” button.
2. Click on “Run.”
3. Type in “control” and click on “OK.”
4. Double-click on “Windows Firewall.” If you can’t find it, click on “Switch to Classic View” first.
5. Now, click on the “Exceptions” tab.
6. Check the box next to the program you want to allow.
7. If you want to allow a new program, click on “Add Program…”
8. Click on “OK” to save your settings.

Windows 7

1. Click on the “Start” button in the lower left corner.
2. Click on “Control Panel.”
3. Now, click on “System and Security.”
4. Under “Windows Firewall,” click on “Allow a program through Windows Firewall.”
5. Check the boxes next to the programs you want to allow through Windows Firewall (such as "The Jackbox Party Pack").
6. Also, check the boxes under the type of network that must be running in order for the programs to be whitelisted (private or public).
7. Click on “OK” to save the settings.

 Windows 8

1. First, open up the “Windows 8 Tool Menu.” You can do that by pressing the Windows key and X together.
2. Now, look for “Control Panel,” and click on it.
3. Click on “System and Security.”
4. Under “Windows Firewall,” click on “Allow an app through Windows Firewall.”
5. Click on “Change Settings.” If you are prompted to enter the administrator password, do so.
6. You’re now free to check the boxes next to the programs you want to allow through Windows Firewall (such as The Jackbox Party Pack).
7. Make sure to check the boxes under the type of network too (public or private).
8. Click on “OK” to save the settings.

Windows 10

1. Open the “Start” menu.
2. Click on “Settings.”
3. In the “Find a Setting” search box, type in “Firewall.”
4. Click on “Windows Firewall.”
5. On the left, click on “Allow an app or feature through Windows Firewall.”
6. Now, the “Allowed App” windows will pop up. Click on the “Change Settings” button.
7. Check the boxes next to the apps or programs you want to allow through Windows Firewall (such as The Jackbox Party Pack)
8. Don’t forget to also check the boxes under the type of networks that will allow this communication (private or public).
9. Click on “OK” to save your new settings.

Mac OS X

1. Open System Preferences.
2. Click Security or Security & Privacy
3. Select the Firewall
4. Click the lock icon in the preference pane, then enter an administrator name and password.
5. Click the Firewall Options button
6. Click Add Application (+)
7. Select the desired application(such as The Jackbox Party Pack)to allow incoming connection privileges for.
8. Click Add.
9. Click OK.

Anti-Virus Software:

Avast

1. Open Avast user interface from the notification area.
2. Open Settings.
3. Choose General.
4. Open Exclusions.
5. Click on the ”File Paths” and then on Browse.
6. Navigate to the folder where the EXE file(such as The Jackbox Party Pack 7.exe) is stored.
7. Here you can choose to exclude an entirety of the folder or just an individual EXE file.
8. Confirm changes and enable real-time protection.

ESET

1. Open ESET from the notification area and press F5 to open the Advanced Setup.
2. Open Antivirus and antispyware.
3. Select Exclusions.
4. Click on ”Add…” in the right pane.
5. Follow the path to the EXE file(such as The Jackbox Party Pack 7.exe) and exclude it. You can exclude the containing folder, as well.
6. Confirm changes and turn on the real-time protection again.

Avira

1. Right-click on the Avira icon in the notification area and disable the real-time protection.
2. Install the program.
3. Now, expend the Avira from the notification area.
4. Click on Extras.
5. Select Configuration from the contextual menu.
6. Open PC protection and then Scan.
7. Select Exceptions and then Add.
8. Exclude an individual file(such as The Jackbox Party Pack 7.exe) or the whole folder.
9. Now, get back to PC protection and expand Real-time protection.
10. Click Exceptions and then Add.
11. Exclude the same file/folder as above.
12. Confirm changes and enable Real-time protection.

Bitdefender

1. Open Bitdefender.
2. Click on Protection.
3. Choose View features.
4. Select Settings.
5. Open the ”Exclusions” tab.
6. Click on the ”List of files and folders excluded from scanning” and then Add.
7. Add the file (such as The Jackbox Party Pack 7.exe) or folder you want to exclude.
8. Confirm selection and re-establish the Real-time protection.

Malwarebytes

1. Open Malwarebytes.
2. Select Settings.
3. Choose Malware Exclusions.
4. Click Add file if you want to exclude the EXE file or Add folder if you want to exclude the whole folder.
5. Follow the path and select the file/folder (such as The Jackbox Party Pack 7.exe) you want to make invincible for further scans.
6. Confirm selection and run the program.

Windows Defender

1. Open Windows Defender from the notification area.
2. Select Virus & threat protection.
3. Open Virus & threat protection settings.
4. Scroll down and select Add or remove exclusions under the Exclusions section.
5. Click on Add an exclusion and select file or folder (such as The Jackbox Party Pack 7.exe) you want to exclude.
6. Confirm selection.

Please open a ticket via the form or email [email protected] for additional assistance if this does not appear to help!