For many League of Legends players, connection errors are among the most frustrating hurdles to gameplay. Sometimes, the culprit isn’t Riot’s servers or your internet provider, but your firewall. Windows and third-party firewalls are designed to protect your computer by blocking suspicious traffic, but they can also mistakenly interfere with League’s online connection.
One quick fix is to disable your firewall—but this should only ever be a temporary troubleshooting step. Leaving your PC unprotected is risky, and the better long-term solution is to configure firewall exceptions for League of Legends.
How to Temporarily Disable Your Windows Firewall
If you want to test whether the firewall is blocking League, you can disable it briefly.
Here’s how:
- Click the Start Menu and open the Control Panel.
- Go to System and Security → Windows Firewall.
- Select Turn Windows Firewall on or off from the sidebar.
- Choose Turn off Windows Firewall for both private and public networks.
- Click OK to confirm.
Important: Run the game after disabling the firewall to see if the issue resolves, but remember to turn it back on immediately afterward. Running without a firewall leaves your PC vulnerable to attacks.
Safer Alternative: Add Firewall Exceptions
Rather than switching off your firewall, the recommended method is to whitelist League of Legends and Riot-related programs.
- Open Windows Defender Firewall.
- Click Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall.
- Select Change settings, then click Allow another app.
- Browse to your League of Legends installation folder (commonly C:\Riot Games\League of Legends) and select the executables.
- Ensure both Private and Public checkboxes are selected.
- Save your changes by clicking OK.
Key files to whitelist include:
- LeagueClient.exe
- LeagueClientUx.exe
- LeagueClientUxRender.exe
- Game\League of Legends.exe
- RiotClientServices.exe
- vgc.exe (Riot Vanguard anti-cheat)
This method preserves your firewall’s protection while allowing the game to connect normally.
Notes for Third-Party Firewalls
If you’re using antivirus suites such as Bitdefender or Kaspersky, the same principle applies: add League of Legends to the program’s exception list. Some players report needing to fully disable or even uninstall their antivirus firewall temporarily to test connectivity—but this should only be a last resort. Always re-enable your protection as soon as possible.
Router Firewall Considerations
In rare cases, your router’s firewall may also block League. You can access your router’s configuration page through its IP address and manually adjust firewall or port-forwarding settings. However, this exposes your entire network, not just your PC, so it should only be done for short troubleshooting tests.
Final Advice
Turning off your firewall may solve connection issues with League of Legends, but it is never a safe permanent solution. Instead, add League’s executables to your firewall’s exception list. This approach allows you to play without interruptions while keeping your system secure.
With the right adjustments, you can strike the balance between smooth gameplay and strong online protection.
Written by:
Christian