Buzz
Do you want to block the internet connection for one or more programs? Are you aiming to restrict someone's internet access or temporarily disable your own to avoid distractions? The simplest way to disable network access on any operating system is to remove the network hardware interface from your computer or disconnect it from the LAN cable or wireless network. However, you can also use certain software to disable the connection directly within the user's computer interface.
Steps
Disable Firewall Access for Windows Programs
Open Control Panel. Press the "Windows" key or click the "Start" icon, then select "Control Panel".
- If using Windows 8, you can hover your mouse to the top-right corner of the screen to display the "charm bar", then click on "Control Panel". Alternatively, you can hold the Windows key and press C, then select "Settings".
Open Security Center.
Open Windows Firewall settings.
- Navigate to the "Exceptions" tab.
- Uncheck the program you want to block from accessing the internet.
- Click "OK" when prompted.
Launch the program and attempt an internet connection. The program you just unchecked will be unable to bypass the Windows security firewall, meaning it cannot access the internet. Other programs will still be able to connect without issues.
Disable a Specific Connection on Windows
Open Control Panel. Press the "Windows" key or click the "Start" icon, then select "Control Panel".
- If using Windows 8, hover your mouse to the top-right corner of the screen to display the "charm bar", then click on "Control Panel". Alternatively, hold the Windows key and press C, then select "Settings".
Navigate to "Network and Sharing Center". Under the Network and Internet section — if displayed by category — click on "Network settings, network adapters" and select "View network status and tasks". If displayed by icons instead of categories, click on "Network and Sharing Center".
Left-click to highlight and select the WiFi connection. Now, right-click to highlight the WiFi connection and click "Disable". This action blocks the computer from connecting to a specific WiFi network. However, the computer can still connect to other networks unless you disable them as well. This setting will not prevent other computers from connecting to the WiFi network.
- You can reverse this process. To re-enable the network, simply right-click the WiFi connection and select "Enable".
- You must be logged in as an administrator or a member of the administrators group to complete this process. If the computer is connected to a network, network policy settings may block the computer from connecting.
Disable the entire network. To perform a more advanced network shutdown on Windows, open Start > All Programs > Accessories, right-click on Command Prompt, and select Run as Administrator. Provide the command prompt if needed, type "mmc compmgmt.msc" (without quotes), and press enter. Wait for it to load, then click on Device Manager in the left pane. Expand the Network Adapters subtree, right-click on all devices, and select Disable. Restart for best results (optional).
- To undo, repeat the process but select Enable instead of Disable.
Consider using parental control software. You can disable network connections using third-party software. These programs allow you to restrict the websites a computer can access or block the computer from connecting to the internet. You need to install the software directly on the computer you want to restrict. Depending on the software, you may or may not have to pay, but you can rest assured that your children won’t use the internet against your wishes.
- On Apple OS X, you can configure the built-in parental controls to disable internet access for specific accounts.
Set Up a Fake Proxy Server
Open Internet Options in Control Panel.
Navigate to the Connections tab and click on LAN settings.
Uncheck "Automatically detect settings". Then, select "Use proxy server" and enter settings for a non-existent proxy server. The web browser will time out when the user attempts to access a website.
This method is not foolproof. A tech-savvy user can access the settings and reconfigure the proxy.
Internet-Toggling Applications
Consider using internet-toggling applications. These programs are ideal if you want to temporarily disable internet access on your computer without having to adjust firewall settings every time you need to block the network. If you wish to work offline but don’t want to completely shut down the internet, you can choose to disable all or specific websites.
Try the Toggle Internet script. This application forces you to disconnect from the internet by temporarily disabling your computer’s network access. This small script allows you to completely disable the network on a Windows computer with just one click. You can restore the connection anytime you need. To get started, download Toggle-Internet.bat to your computer.
Turn off the internet. Right-click the Toggle icon on your computer. Select “Run as Administrator,” and your network connection will be disabled. Later, to reconnect, simply right-click the file and run it as an administrator again.
- This script works by disabling the Network Adapter (also known as the LAN adapter or Ethernet cable), which cuts off internet access. If you want to manually enable or disable the Network Adapter, go to Control Panel -> Network and Internet -> View Network Status -> Change Adapter Settings.
Try Let Me Work. While Toggle Internet blocks all websites temporarily, Let Me Work allows you to block only specific distracting websites while still accessing Google Docs or email. Download the Let Me Work script. You can create a list of websites to block, and the script will modify the Windows HOSTS file to temporarily block those sites.
Tips
- Always add exceptions in the Firewall for unauthorized programs.
- Disabling the internet means programs cannot connect to the internet for uploading or downloading data. Ensure no programs require an internet connection.
- Be absolutely certain you want to disable the network entirely. Consider that all methods can be reversed.
- On Linux, you can easily disable internet access by configuring the firewall to block network connections. Ubuntu-based distributions often use the "ufw" package as the firewall.
Warnings
- If you have antivirus software installed, you must adjust exceptions within the program's interface.
