You can find which ports you are using with specific programs on a computer by examining the computer's in-use ports through the Command Prompt interface. Identifying which ports a program is using is helpful when trying to allow or restrict that particular program's access across a network. If you know the port a program is using, you can make certain that program is blocked or not blocked by any other computer or gateway on the path to its destination, like another computer or the Internet.
Step 1
Open the Command Prompt window by clicking on the "Start Menu," entering "Command" into the "Search Bar" and pressing "Enter."
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Step 2
Type "Netstat -ano" into the new window and press "Enter" to bring up a list of all ports currently in use.
Step 3
Identify what program or programs are using a particular port from the "PID," or "Port ID," list by typing "tasklist /svc /FI "PID eq 'PID#'" and pressing "Enter." Enter the PID number in the PID# spot, excluding the quotation marks.
Step 4
Look under "Image Name" to identify the program or programs that are using the port and look under "Services" to determine what actions the corresponding programs are using through the port.
Step 5
Repeat the process from Step 3 for each Port ID until you have found the port that you are using with a particular program.
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