Wondering if there are any issues I should be aware of if I turn On the Enable Stealth Mode in Firewall? Will it cause any problems with Family Sharing, VPN, or anything else I may not be aware of? From what I've read in Apple's guide it looks like it would be a good idea to have it on. Which makes me wonder why is it not turned on by default. Thank you for responding.
MacBook Air (2018 – 2020)
If you are behind a NAT router, nothing on the Internet sees your firewall, whether or not it is in Stealth mode.
The useless firewall and stealth mode is not turned on by default because it does nothing useful.
The only reason to use the application firewall in macOS is if you must run many sharing services on your private network, but occasionally use the Mac on a public network. Enabling the firewall is faster than turning off all sharing services. If you never use your Mac on a public network with sharing services enabled, you don't need the firewall.
If you are behind a NAT router, nothing on the Internet sees your firewall, whether or not it is in Stealth mode.
The useless firewall and stealth mode is not turned on by default because it does nothing useful.
The only reason to use the application firewall in macOS is if you must run many sharing services on your private network, but occasionally use the Mac on a public network. Enabling the firewall is faster than turning off all sharing services. If you never use your Mac on a public network with sharing services enabled, you don't need the firewall.
The only time you need the firewall is if you are on a public network and must have any of the sharing services enabled. You should just disable the sharing services.
Thank you for your quick response. Sorry, I'm not tech savvy as you could probably tell by my question, so the only time I should Enable Stealth Mode is when I'm on a public network, such as a library, cafe, hotel, etc? Thank you.
Pros vs Cons turning On Enable Stealth Mode on MacBook Air
