The internet is a wonderful thing but can be devastating if in the wrong hands. What’s worse is if someone who isn’t really supposed to be accessing it on your machine does so, it can get you in all sorts of problems.

In this article, we’re going to talk about how you can temporarily disable the internet on your machine. It’s a pretty straightforward and simple process, let’s see how its done.

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How to disable the internet connection using Windows Firewall?

If you’re looking to only disable a few programs from accessing the internet, you don’t need to take your machine offline. The Windows Firewall can take care of that for you. Here’s what you can do.

Step 1: Press Windows Key +I  on your keyboard to open Windows settings.

Step 2: Search for Windows Firewall. Click on Allow an app through the firewall option from the search results.

Step 3: Click on Change settings to be able to modify the firewall settings. 

Step 4: Locate the app or software that you want to disable and tick off both the Public and Private checkboxes.

Step 5: Click OK to save the changes.

Now the selected app/software won’t be able to access the internet from your machine.

Also read: How to fix high ping in Windows 10?/

How to disable the entire internet connection on your PC?

If you want, you can also go ahead and disable the connection completely.

Step 1: Press Windows Key +I  on your keyboard to open Windows settings.

Step 2: Click on Network & Internet.

Step 3: Click on Change adaptor options.

Step 4: In the Network Connections window, right-click on your active network and click Disable. 

This will disable your internet connection until you go back to network settings and reenable it after you’re done. 

You can alternatively, turn on airplane mode on your PC too. The option is tucked away in the option center is quite handy if you’re looking for a quick way to get off a network. If you’re on a laptop, chances are that you have an airplane mode key on your keyboard as well.

Do keep in mind though that Airplane mode works exactly as it does on phones, meaning your machine will turn off all communication devices and you’ll get off the network too.

Also read: How to run your laptop with a closed lid and use an external monitor?

How to disable the internet in Windows 10 using third-party tools?

If you’re not up for any of the above options, you also can go ahead and download a third-party tool to disable the internet on your machine temporarily. You can use software like Net Blocker or Surf Blocker for the purpose.

For the purpose of this article, we’ll be using Net Blocker. It’s free to download and works with pretty much every version of Windows. 

The software is rather easy to use. Once you run it, all you have to do is select the option that suits your needs and click on Apply setting. Your internet will now be disabled until you go back to the software and enable the internet back on again.

Also read: How to change the font in Windows 10?