Fix FWP_E_CONDITION_NOT_FOUND 0x80320002 on Windows

First, What's Happening Here?

You're staring at an error that says FWP_E_CONDITION_NOT_FOUND (0x80320002). It usually pops up when a program tries to talk to the Windows Filtering Platform (WFP) — that's the engine under Windows Firewall, IPsec, and all that network security stuff. Basically, a filter is pointing to a condition that isn't there anymore. It's like a bookmark that leads to a deleted page.

I've seen this on client machines right after an antivirus uninstall, a VPN client update, or even after a Windows feature update. One guy had it happen after he disabled a network adapter and re-enabled it. The filter store got out of sync.

Fix 1: The 30-Second Reset (Start Here)

Most of the time, this error clears the moment you reset the firewall to its default state. Don't worry, this doesn't delete your network settings, it just rebuilds the filter rules. You'll lose any custom firewall rules, but 9 times out of 10 you didn't have any.

Open an elevated Command Prompt (right-click Run as administrator) and run:

netsh advfirewall reset

Then restart the service that threw the error, or just reboot the machine. If the error was coming from a specific app like a VPN, try launching it again. This worked for a client whose Cisco AnyConnect refused to connect — the reset cleared the stale condition.

If that didn't do it, move on. You've got a more stubborn case.

Fix 2: The 5-Minute Restart of the Base Filtering Engine

Sometimes the reset command doesn't take effect because the Base Filtering Engine (BFE) service is holding onto the old filters. Restart that service and the whole WFP stack reloads.

1. Press Win + R, type services.msc, hit Enter.
2. Scroll to Base Filtering Engine.
3. Right-click → Restart. If it's not running, start it.

If it won't restart, check the Windows Firewall service — they depend on each other. Set both to Automatic and restart them in order: first BFE, then Firewall.

I've also seen third-party security software hold BFE hostage. If you've got any old security suite remnants (looking at you, McAfee leftovers), run their cleanup tool before trying this again.

Fix 3: The 15+ Minute Deep Clean (When All Else Fails)

If you're still seeing 0x80320002, the filter store itself is corrupted. You need to wipe it and let Windows rebuild it from scratch. This is the nuclear option, and I don't recommend it unless you're comfortable with a bit of registry surgery. Back up your registry first — seriously.

Step 1: Stop the BFE service

net stop bfe

Step 2: Delete the filter store registry keys

Open regedit and delete these two keys:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\BFE\Parameters\Policy\Filters
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\BFE\Parameters\Policy\Conditions

Right-click each key and choose Delete. Don't worry, Windows will recreate them on boot.

Step 3: Reboot and verify

Restart the machine. After boot, check that BFE starts automatically:

sc query bfe

It should say RUNNING. Then try the operation that failed before.

I've only had to do this twice in the field. Both times it was after a failed Windows feature update had left the filter data half-written. The reboot rebuilt everything clean.

Still Stuck? Check for Third-Party Filters

If the error persists after all that, it's likely a third-party security app that's injecting its own WFP filters. Look for anything with 'filter' or 'firewall' in its services list. Uninstall the app completely, run its vendor's cleanup tool, then reinstall. That's fixed it for a couple of my clients who used a certain Russian antivirus that shall remain nameless.

Quick Summary

• 30 seconds: netsh advfirewall reset
• 5 minutes: Restart Base Filtering Engine service
• 15 minutes: Delete the BFE policy registry keys and reboot

That's the whole flow. Start at the top, and you're probably done before your coffee finishes brewing.