# 🚪Why the Fortigate UI is Butt Ugly & Difficult to Use🪟

In the world of firewalls, where security and performance take centre stage, user experience often seems like an afterthought. Nowhere is this more apparent than in **Fortinet's Fortigate UI**, which, despite being a powerhouse in security, is a **clunky, outdated, and frustrating** experience for anyone who has to manage it daily.

### **1\. Aesthetic Offense | The UI Looks Like It Time-Traveled From 2005**

Let’s be honest: Fortigate’s interface looks like it was designed in **Microsoft Paint**, then slapped onto a web portal with **zero concern for usability**. The colour scheme is **uninspired**, the layout **cluttered**, and the overall design **screams "enterprise software from a decade ago."**

While Palo Alto, Cisco, and even pfSense have made strides in modernizing their dashboards, **Fortinet's UI still looks like a poorly-themed Excel spreadsheet**. It’s the equivalent of walking into a high-end security operations centre, only to find they’re still running **Windows XP with Aero disabled.**

### **2\. Navigation Nightmares | Where Even Is That Setting?**

If you’ve ever tried to configure a Fortigate firewall **quickly**, you’ll know that simple tasks can turn into **multi-click scavenger hunts.** The **menu system is bloated**, and essential settings are buried under submenus with **confusing or misleading names**.

* Want to create a new policy? **Prepare to dig.**
    
* Need to find logs? **Hope you brought a map.**
    
* Trying to troubleshoot something? **The UI actively fights against you.**
    

Some settings **randomly move around between firmware updates**, making documentation unreliable. It’s as if Fortinet’s UX team is engaged in a **game of hide-and-seek with its own users.**

### **3\. A Slow, Laggy, & Frustrating Experience**

For a device built to handle gigabits of traffic with blazing speed, **the UI feels like it’s running on a dial-up connection.**

* The web interface can be **painfully slow**, especially when loading logs or reports.
    
* The responsiveness varies **depending on the browser**, and some features don’t play nice with modern web standards.
    
* Occasionally, clicking a setting will **log you out or crash the session**, making routine changes infuriating.
    

For a security appliance designed to protect critical infrastructure, **why does its management interface behave like an overworked intern on a Friday afternoon?**

### **4\. Fortinet Loves CLI (& It Shows in the UI’s Shortcomings)**

The real reason the Fortigate UI is so terrible? **Fortinet expects you to use the CLI.**

* Many advanced settings are **only accessible via the command line**, making the GUI feel **half-baked and incomplete**.
    
* Some settings available in the UI don’t work as expected unless you tweak them in the CLI.
    
* Debugging anything using the web interface is an exercise in **rage control**—serious users **always resort to CLI.**
    

It’s clear that Fortinet engineers prioritize the command line, leaving the UI as an **afterthought for those who fear SSH.**

### **5\. The UI is Consistently Inconsistent**

Consistency is key in any user interface. **Fortinet didn’t get the memo.**

* Some settings have a **search function,** others don’t.
    
* Some screens auto-refresh, others require **manual refreshes** (which may or may not actually work).
    
* The same feature might have **different names across different firmware versions**.
    

This makes it a nightmare for teams managing multiple versions of Fortigate devices. If you’re using a **newer FortiOS version**, expect to **relearn things you already knew**, because Fortinet enjoys **moving the goalposts.**

### **6\. Palo Alto, Cisco, & Open Source Alternatives Do It Better**

While Palo Alto’s UI isn’t perfect, it **at least feels modern** and provides a more **logical approach** to firewall rule creation and troubleshooting. **pfSense, OpnSense, and VyOS**—all open-source alternatives—**offer cleaner, more intuitive dashboards** without the Fortigate frustration. Even Mikrotik, known for its deep learning curve, **provides a faster and more efficient UI experience.**

### **7\. The Workaround? Avoid the UI as Much as Possible**

If you must use Fortigate:

* **Learn the CLI.** You’ll save yourself hours of frustration.
    
* **Use API automation** where possible.
    
* **Avoid the UI for troubleshooting**—just SSH in and use `diag debug` commands.
    
* **Bookmark commonly used settings** to avoid endless menu searching.
    

### **Wrap | Time for a UI Overhaul**

Fortinet builds powerful, feature-rich security appliances, but their UI is **one of the worst in the industry.** It’s outdated, slow, and unintuitive, making daily management an uphill battle.

With the rise of **modern firewall UIs from Palo Alto, Check Point, and open-source solutions**, Fortinet desperately needs a **complete UI redesign**—because at this point, **even a fresh coat of paint wouldn’t be enough.**