How to Fix ‘Antivirus Blocking Internet’ in Windows 10

Is your antivirus blocking the internet connection on Windows 10?

Whether your in-built Windows Defender or third-party software like Avast, antivirus is extremely helpful in protecting you against malware and viruses that may damage and exploit your PC. 

However, they also sometimes cause problems on their own, which can prove to be problematic in your day-to-day use. One such problem is when your internet connection seemingly stops working. And unfortunately, your antivirus is a very likely culprit.

From blocking a browser to downright shutting off your PC’s internet connection, your antivirus can cause many issues for you. Luckily, we are here to help.

Let’s get started!

1. Restart Your Device.

First and foremost, we can try to resolve the issue by simply restarting your PC to fix your internet connection problem. It reboots the entire system, including programs and processes that may have caused the issue in the first place.

See the steps below to restart your Windows PC:

  1. First, click on the Start Menu in your Taskbar.
  2. After that, access the Power tab.
  3. Lastly, select the Restart option to reboot your operating system.
antivirus blocking internet on Windows 10

Once done, try accessing the internet to check if the problem is solved.

2. Reboot Your Modem and Router.

Just like the PC, your modem and router may also have caused issues with your internet connection. However, both the modem and router do not have a user interface that allows you to check for issues.

In this case, we suggest restarting your modem or router to ensure it is initialized correctly. Unplug your router’s power cable from the wall outlet and wait for 5 to 10 seconds before reconnecting it.

Restart Router

Once done, launch your browser and see if you can now access the internet.

3. Clear Your Browser’s Cache.

Another quick fix is to clear your browser’s cache by heading into the settings. This clears your cookies and browser history, which may sometimes obstruct your browser’s internet connection.

To fix this, check out the steps below to clear your browser’s data:

  1. First, open your preferred browser and access its Settings.
  2. After that, scroll down to Privacy & Security and click on Clear Browsing Data.
  3. Now, check all the boxes and change the Time Range to All Time.
  4. Lastly, hit the Clear Data button to start.
Clear Browsing Data

After clearing your browsing cache, try accessing any website to check if the problem is solved.

4. Set Your Browser’s Settings to Default.

Just like your stored cache, your browser settings may also cause issues for your internet. You may have accidentally selected different settings or unselected important ones.

Whatever the case, heading into your browser’s settings and resetting it may help fix your internet.

Here’s what you need to do:

  1. On your browser, click on More Options in the upper right corner and select Settings.
  2. Next, go to the Advanced tab.
  3. After that, access the Reset and Clean Up tab.
  4. Finally, click on Restore Settings to Their Original Defaults.
Reset Browser

Once done, visit a few websites to check if the problem would still occur.

5. Disable Your Browser’s Third-Party Extensions.

Some third-party extensions for your browser may also hamper your internet connection. If you have too many extensions installed, your internet connection may slow down and sometimes stop entirely.

To fix this, follow the guide below to disable your browser extensions:

  1. Launch your preferred browser and go to its Settings.
  2. Next, click on the Extensions tab in the side menu.
  3. Finally, disable all your browser extensions and restart your browser.
Disable Browser Extension

After restarting your router, try browsing the internet to check if the problem is solved.

6. Perform Internet Connection Troubleshooter.

Before we assume that your antivirus is causing problems with your internet connection, we need to perform a troubleshoot. This will hopefully identify other possible issues that may have caused your problem in the first place.

However, note that running a troubleshooter does not always resolve your problem.

Here are the steps on how to use the Network Troubleshooter:

  1. Press the Windows + I keys on your keyboard to open Settings.
  2. Next, select Network & Internet
antivirus blocking internet on Windows 10
  1. Scroll down until you find Network Troubleshooter and access it.
antivirus blocking internet on Windows 10
  1. Finally, follow the Troubleshooter Wizard to continue with the process.

On the other hand, check out the steps below to use the Internet Connection Troubleshooter:

  1. Inside Settings, click on Update & Security and select Troubleshoot.
antivirus blocking internet on Windows 10
  1. Now, click on Additional Troubleshooters.
antivirus blocking internet on Windows 10
  1. Finally, click Internet Connections and select Run the Troubleshooter.
antivirus blocking internet on Windows 10

After using Windows Troubleshooter, you have hopefully fixed your network issue.

However, if both did not resolve your problem, proceed to the following method below to address the issue.

7. Restore the Firewall Settings to Default.

The Windows Firewall filters the information that comes from the internet to your system. If your firewall detects suspicious behavior or malicious data, Windows Firewall automatically stops it from affecting your system.

However, the firewall can sometimes cause errors due to improper configurations or wrong parameters.

To fix this, follow the steps below to reset your Firewall settings back to default:

  1. First, press the Windows + I keys on your keyboard to access Settings.
  2. Now, click on Update & Security.
  3. On the left side menu, go to the Windows Security tab.
antivirus blocking internet on Windows 10
  1. Next, look under Protection Areas and select Firewall and Network Protection.
antivirus blocking internet on Windows 10
  1. Once opened, click on Restore Firewalls to Default at the bottom of the page.
antivirus blocking internet on Windows 10
  1. Finally, click Restore Defaults and follow the prompts to complete the process.

Once done, launch your web browser and see if your antivirus is still blocking internet access on Windows 10.

8. Allow Your Browser Through the Firewall.

Your firewall could also prevent applications from connecting to the internet. This may be due to suspicious behavior from the application or can be a false malware detection from the network firewall.

Regardless, users can add certain applications to an exclusion list to prevent this from happening.

Here’s how you can do it:

  1. On your computer, click on the Start Menu and open Windows Settings.
  2. Next, go to the Update & Security tab.
antivirus blocking internet on Windows 10
  1. After that, click on Windows Security.
antivirus blocking internet on Windows 10
  1. Now, look under Protection Areas and select Firewall and Network Protection.
Firewall & Network Protection
  1. Look for Allow an App through Firewall and click it.
Allow App Through Firewall
  1. Once the window opened, click on Change Settings and look for the application you want to exclude from Firewall.
  2. Finally, click both checkboxes next to the application you want to allow.

You have now successfully included your browser into the firewall’s exclusion list. This should hopefully restore internet access on your browser.

This ends our guide on what to do if your antivirus is blocking the internet on Windows 10. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment down below, and we’ll be here to help out.

If this guide helped you, please share it. 🙂

Author

  • Mako Young

    Mako is a staff writer at Saint. He's been writing about tech for more than a decade. When he isn't reading about the latest news on Apple, he's busy studying cybersecurity, cryptocurrency, cloud computing, and other IT-related sectors. His exceptional work graces technology and Apple-related blogs like How-To Geek, VEED.io, Macgasm, onMac, PhotoWorkout, GameRant, and many more. He also has a Bachelors in Computer Science and has been writing since 2018, with over 400 posts published. LinkedIn X (Twitter)

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