Allow a Brother Printer through the Firewall?

Question

How to allow a Brother Printer through the Firewall without blocking the firewall entirely?

Answer 1

Hi Steve, when you install the Brother Printer software, a popup should appear asking to unblock the Printer in the Firewall. No other action is required from your end.

I hope this information helps. If you have any more questions, don't hesitate to reach out.

Otherwise, please take a moment to rate the answer. Wishing you good luck!

Answer 2

To allow a Brother printer through Windows Defender Firewall without turning the firewall off, enable the built‑in File and Printer Sharing rules instead of disabling the firewall.

Follow these steps on the PC that should print to the Brother printer:

1. Open Control Panel → System and Security → Windows Defender Firewall.
2. Select Advanced settings on the left.
3. In the Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security window, select Inbound Rules.
4. Find these rules:
   • File and Printer Sharing (NB-Session-In)
   • File and Printer Sharing (SMB-In)
5. For each rule, right‑click it and select Enable Rule.

This opens only the ports needed for file and printer sharing (such as TCP 139 and 445) so the printer can be accessed, while keeping the firewall active for all other traffic.

If printer sharing still fails and the Windows Firewall service was disabled, set the Windows Firewall service startup type to Automatic and start the service, because printer sharing requires it to be running.

For additional control, instead of opening ports globally, use the standard “Allow an app through firewall” flow:

1. Open the Windows Security app and select Firewall & network protection.
2. Select Allow an app through firewall.
3. Select Change settings.
4. Ensure File and Printer Sharing is checked for the appropriate network profile (typically Private). This limits printer access to trusted networks.

This approach allows the Brother printer to work without turning off the firewall or blocking all incoming connections.

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References:

• SMB: File and printer sharing ports should be open
• Firewall and Network Protection in the Windows Security App
• Risks of Allowing Apps Through Windows Firewall
• Error 0x000006D9 when you try to share a printer on a computer that is running Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2
• Internet firewalls can prevent browsing and file sharing