it wouldn’t prevent all vulnerabilities so theoretically you can still be pwned but practically that’s going to work for most cases imo. I’ve done this in the past, block everything except for some proxy port then configure the browser to use that proxy, and use nuTensor/uBlock Origin on the browser to only allow essential things.

If you’re talking about Windows 10, install Win10 Enterprise IoT LTSC 21H2 and disable all the telemetry craps. That gives you a clean(?) Windows setup with support until 2032.

the browser has historically been one of the most suceptsble vectors of hacking.

theres a reason why most older consoles often have an exploit related to getting access to protected regions of memory via corruption using the browser, and why modern Nintendo and PlayStation consoles do not have a built in browser for consumer use.

the browser is the biggest offender for viruses.

just the browser

That’s still the main entry for malware.

The malware doesn’t usually attack windows through windows communications. They usually enter through browser traffic and effect other operations from there. That is where the risk is coming from using windows after its end date. Any new exploits found will not be fixed (except for business licenses I think they’re still doing those for a little while longer). I recommend doing what I did. Find a user friendly Linux version and take the plunge. I’m using Mint right now and it’s almost indistinguishable from my windows 10 console.

All breaches i’ve seen so far where either “i tought it was safe” or the “yeah it looked a bit suspicious but I clicked it just to see”

There are going to be more services you need than http and https. You’ll also need to allow DNS queries and a way to keep your time updated, for instance.

The advantage of blocking incoming connections is that each potentially vulnerable network service isn’t automatically exposed to the internet. Blocking outgoing connections isn’t going to improve your security much, considering that any compromised service trying to phone home could just use http, the same protocol your browser uses.

It would still matter that your OS isn’t up to date. For instance, if there is ever a vulnerability in the way Windows 10 renders an image format that allows remote code execution, Microsoft will not give you a patch.

If you must remain on Windows 10, the best way to reduce attack surface is going to be to uninstall as much software as possible that you don’t use.

If you only use a browser, then you could have a quite seemless transition to Linux. That way you can have an up-to-date system. The vast majority of browsers support it natively, including Chrome and Edge.