How to Check If a Port is Open on Any Computer

Are you looking for a quick way to check if a port on your router or firewall is open? It's actually pretty simple. The right way to do it just depends on whether you’re using a Mac or PC and what kind of port you’re checking. We’ll walk you through how to do it step-by-step on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Quickly Check Open Ports

You can use the command “netstat -an” in the Command Prompt or Terminal to check the status of all available and connected ports on any computer. You can also check if a port is open using a website like PortQuiz.net or DNSChecker.org to check external ports.

Method 1

Method 1 of 7:

Checking All Open Ports

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1
Open CMD on Windows or the Terminal on Mac and Linux. You can use a command-line utility called Netstat to check all network connections and open ports on your computer. Netstat is available on Windows, Mac, and Linux. You don’t need to download it. Use one of the following steps to open the Command Prompt or Terminal:
- Windows: Click the Windows Start menu and type CMD. Click the Command Prompt to open it.
- Mac: You can find the Terminal in your Utilities folder in the Applications folder. You can also click the magnifying glass icon and search “Terminal.” Open the Terminal.
- Linux: Press Ctrl + Alt + T to open the Terminal or find the Terminal in the Applications menu on your Linux distribution.
2
Type netstat -an and press ↵ Enter. This will display a list of all active connections as well as open, or “listening” ports.^{[1]
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- Your computer or router’s IP address is listed below “Local address” with a port number next to it. External addresses are listed below “Foreign addresses.”
- If a connection reads as “Listening” below “Status,” that means the port is open on the listed IP address. If the local address reads all 0s (i.e., “0.0.0.0”) with a port number next to it, that means the port number is open on all IP addresses.
- If a connection reads as “Established” below “Status,” that means a connection is established using the listed local and foreign IP address as well as the stated port number.

Method 2

Method 2 of 7:

Using a Web Browser

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To use PortQuiz, open a web browser and enter portquiz.net:[port number] in the address bar (i.e., “portquiz.net:80”). If the port is open, you will see a web page telling you that you reached the website via the port you entered. If the port is not open, you will not be able to connect to the website.
2
Use DNS Checker to check an open port. Use the following steps to use DNS Checker:
- Go to DNSChecker.org.
- Enter an IP address (your public IP address will populate automatically).
- Select a port type (i.e., custom port, server port, gaming port, P2P port).
- Enter the ports you want to check.
  - You can enter more than one port by separating them with a comma.
- Click Check.

Method 3

Method 3 of 7:

Using Windows

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1
Download TCPView. TCPView is a free app from Microsoft you can use to check the status of your ports on Windows. Use the following steps to download TCPView.
- Go to learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/tcpview in a web browser.
- Click Download TCPView.
The file will download as a ZIP file. Open the TCPView ZIP file in your downloads folder and click Extract all in the menu bar at the top. Select a location to extract the contents of the ZIP file and click Extract.
There are a few different versions of TCPView in the folder. If you are running a 64-bit computer, run the TCPView64 application. If your computer has a 64-bit ARM processor, run the TCPView64a application. If you have a 32-bit processor, run the TCPView application.
When you open TCPView, all the ports are listed below “Local Port.” Check the status under “State” to see if it is open. If it says “Listen,” the port is open. If it says “Established,” an active connection has been established via that port. It will say what IP address it is connected to below “Remote Address.” If it says “Time Wait,” or “Close Wait,” it is trying to establish a connection via that port but unable to. If the port number is not listed, it is not open.
If you want to search for a specific port number, enter it in the search bar at the top. This will remove all entries that don’t contain the number you are looking for.^{[2]
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Method 4

Method 4 of 7:

Using Mac

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1
Open a Terminal window. To open a Terminal window, open Spotlight by clicking the magnifying glass at the top-right corner of the screen, type terminal, and then click Terminal in the search results.
- Use this method to see if a port is open on your local router or access point.
2
Type nc -vz (your router's IP address) (port) and press ⏎ Return. For example, if you wanted to see if port 25 is open on your router, and your router's IP address is 10.0.0.1, you would type nc -vz 10.0.0.1 25.^{[3]
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- If the port is open, you'll see a message that says the connection succeeded.
- If the port is closed, you'll see a message that says the connection was refused or timed out.

Method 5

Method 5 of 7:

Using Linux

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You can open the Terminal in the Applications menu on most Linux distributions, or use the keyboard shortcut to open the Terminal.
2
Install Telnet. You can use the Telnet utility to check the status of a port on most Linux distributions. If Telnet is not already installed, enter one of the following commands and press Enter to install Telnet on your specific Linux distribution:
- Ubuntu/Debian: sudo apt install telnet
- CentOS/RedHat: sudo yum install telnet
- Fedora: sudo dnf install telnet.
- Arch Linus: sudo pacman -S inetutil
- OpenSUSE: sudo zypper install telnet
This will check if the port is open via the web address or IP address you entered. For example, you could enter telnet www.wikihow.com 80 to see if you can access wikiHow via port 80. If a connection is made, it will say the connection is successful. If the port is not open, it will say the connection failed.

Method 6

Method 6 of 7:

Checking If an App Is Allowed Through Windows Firewall

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1
Open Windows search and type firewall. If the search bar is not already open, click the circle or magnifying glass to the right of the Start menu to open it.^{[4]
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- Use this method if you want to see if Windows is set up to allow an app you've installed to communicate through your firewall.
- The Windows firewall is enabled by default. If you've installed your own firewall software, use that software to check if an app is allowed through.
This opens your Firewall and Network Protection settings.
3
Click Allow an app through firewall. It’s at the top of the menu bar on the left.
- If the app is allowed through the firewall only when you're connected to a network you've marked as "private" (such as when you're on your home network), a check will appear in the "Private" column next to the app.
- If the app is allowed through the firewall when you're connected to a public network, a check will appear in the "Public" column.
4
Allow an unlisted app or port through the firewall. If you don't see the app on the "Allowed apps and features" list, click the Change Settings button at the top-right corner, and then follow these steps:^{[5]
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- Click Allow another app near the bottom.
- Click Browse, select the app, and then click Open.
- Click Network Types near the bottom-left corner, select a privacy preference, and then click OK.
- Click Add to add the app, and then click OK.

Method 7

Method 7 of 7:

Checking If an App Is Allowed Through Mac Firewall

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1
Open the Firewall Settings menu. Use the following steps to do so:
- Click the Apple icon in the menu bar at the top.
- Click System Settings.
- Click Network in the menu bar to the left.
- Click Firewall.
2
Click Options. It’s at the bottom of the menu.
- If the firewall isn’t turned on, click the toggle switch to turn it on.
3
Check if an app is blocked. Go through the list of apps. If an app is blocked, you can select the drop-down menu next to it and select Allow incoming connections to unblock it.
- You can also click the toggle switches at the bottom of the menu to allow built-in software to automatically receive incoming connections as well as allow downloaded and signed software to receive incoming connections.
If an app or service isn’t listed, click the plus (+) below the list of apps. Then select an app or service you want to add.^{[6]
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Expert Q&A

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How do I check if a port is open Windows 10?

Luigi Oppido
Computer & Tech Specialist
Luigi Oppido is the Owner and Operator of Pleasure Point Computers in Santa Cruz, California. Luigi has over 25 years of experience in general computer repair, data recovery, virus removal, and upgrades. He is also the host of the Computer Man Show! broadcasted on KSQD covering central California for over two years.

Luigi Oppido

Computer & Tech Specialist

Expert Answer

An easy way to do this is to go to canyouseeme.org and type in the port number into the webpage. It'll be able to tell you whether or not the port is open.

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