View open ports in Windows 10

Method 1: The netstat utility

netstat - A standard utility included in the Windows 10 operating system. It is used to display network information, including a list of open ports. This allows you to know the status, the type of port, and the local and external address. This option is a priority because it does not require going to different sites and downloading additional software, and the principles of interaction with this command can be found in the article at the link below. The available arguments are also described there and it is recommended to use them to display only the information of interest.

Read more: Using the netstat command to view open ports

Method 2: Windows Firewall

Ports are necessary for certain programs and services for incoming connections, so they are necessarily monitored by the standard firewall. Any permission to open a port is stored in an appropriate list that can be used to perform the task at hand, which looks like this:

1. Open "Starts". and go from there to the firewall menu.
2. Use the panel on the left to navigate to the section "Advanced configuration"..
3. Open the directory "Rules for incoming connections.".
4. Find any permissive connection and left double click on it.
5. Go to tab "Protocols and ports".
6. Now you can identify the local port without problems.

Some programs and services can use all suggested ports, so you will not find a specific protocol link in this menu. You will then need to use one of the following methods for help.

Method 3: Online Services

Online services are a very popular option for determining open ports, as many users do not want to go to the console for information. There are plenty of suitable sites on the internet that list the ports that they listen to for free, and we suggest that you read up on three of the most popular ones below.

Read more: Online port scanning

Method 4: TCPView

TCPView is a small graphical interface software that has been repurchased by Microsoft and is now available for free on the company's official website. In fact, it is an analog of the command mentioned above, but the information is displayed more clearly and the presence of the graphical interface is a great advantage of TCPView.

Download TCPView from the official website

1. Follow the link above and download TCPView from the official website.
2. The program does not need to be installed, so you can immediately run it from the obtained file.
3. In the TCPView menu, look at the list of active processes, and then pay attention to the list of local ports. This will help you know which Windows 10 programs are using ports, which means they are open.
4. Scroll to the right of the table to see what state the port is in. For example, it may be listening, waiting, or not being used at all.

Method 5: PortQry.

PortQry is an optional console utility from Microsoft that allows you to view open ports. We recommend its use if netstat and other options don't work for you, but you want to see a list of all open ports by entering just one command.

Download PortQry from the official website

1. PortQry is downloaded from the official Microsoft website.
2. Once the download is complete, all that remains is to install by following the instructions on the screen. Do not change the unpacking path of the program or consider the new location when reading the following commands described in the instructions.
3. Open "Symbol of the system". as an administrator, for example via the menu "Start"..
4. Navigate to the PortQry installation path there to get to its root. This is done by entering the command cd + полный путь к директории.
5. The only thing left to do is enter a command portqry.exe –local and activate it by pressing I went into to see a list of open local ports.
6. Scroll down, navigating through the rows and columns to determine the port status, port number, and external address.

Method 6: router web interface

The last method to view open ports in Windows 10 is to go to a separate menu on the router's internet hub. However, there you can see only the ports that have been opened manually or by default through the router configuration, and this is done using the TP-Link device as an example:

1. Perform authorization on the router's web interface by following the instructions in the following article.

   More information: How to log in to the routers web interface

2. In the menu, go to "Forwarding".
3. That's where the category interests you. "Port activation".
4. Check the list of open ports, their addresses and their status. If desired, any of them can be closed by pressing a single button.

If you need to open a specific port that has been closed for some reason, you will have to follow a certain algorithm. The easiest way to do this is to follow the guidelines in the links below.

Read More:
Open ports in Windows 10 firewall
Open ports on the router

Has this article helped you?