How to Find Open Ports on a Server

By Tiesha Whatley

Find open ports on a server.
i network cables image by glinn from Fotolia.com

When setting up some network programs in the Windows operating system, you will need to know what ports on the computer's server are open. Windows makes it easy to locate open ports by entering the appropriate commands at the Command Prompt. Once you access this information, you can use the port number to connect to a certain port, close a port or a number of other networking duties.

Open the Command Prompt by clicking on "Start" then "All Programs" then "Accessories" then "Command Prompt."

Listen for open ports by typing 'netstat -an | find /i "listening"' in the command prompt. Hit the "Enter" key on your keyboard and wait for all of the ports to show up on the screen.

Find the established, or active, ports on the server by typing in 'netstat -an |find /i "established"' in the command prompt. Windows will search for all of the active ports.

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