# vds.exe

Windows Process: Microsoft Corporation

Also called vds, virtual disk service

Windows, System Component

Virtual Disk Service. It manages disks and volumes for Disk Management and other VDS clients. It is not Hyper-V vmms.exe.

## What you need to know

vds is Virtual Disk Service, not Hyper-V vmms.

vds.exe is Virtual Disk Service. Disk Management (an MMC snap-in) talks here to list and change disks. vmms.exe manages Hyper-V virtual machines. Ending VDS does not stop a VM, and stopping vmms does not close diskmgmt.msc.

- **Safe?**: Yes, in System32

  **Same as vmms?**: No. This is disks and volumes

  **Should I end it?**: Disk Management can fail

Feex says

If Disk Management is open, I expect vds. I do not open Hyper-V Manager for a missing volume, and I do not end vmms to refresh disks.

## What is vds.exe?

vds is Virtual Disk Service, not Hyper-V vmms. It is the storage provider host Disk Management uses. vmms.exe is Virtual Machine Management Service. Swapping those names is wrong.

## What does it do?

It enumerates disks, partitions, and volumes and applies VDS operations. It does not start Hyper-V guests and it does not host services.msc (that is still mmc.exe).

## Why is it running?

Disk Management, Storage Spaces UI, or another VDS client started the service. A quiet PC can still start it when you open diskmgmt.msc.

## Is it safe?

Usually safe

System32 vds.exe is Microsoft Virtual Disk Service. A vds.exe in Temp is not. This is still not vmms.exe.

A legitimate copy normally runs from:

`C:\Windows\System32\vds.exe`

- Service: Virtual Disk Service
- Common client: diskmgmt.msc hosted by mmc.exe
- Not vmms.exe

## Can I end it?

Disk tools can fail

Ending vds.exe can fail Disk Management until the service starts again. Hyper-V VMs keep running on vmwp. Restart Virtual Disk Service, not vmms, for a stuck snap-in.

## Can I remove it?

No

Do not delete vds.exe. You would break disk management APIs. Removing the Hyper-V role does not remove VDS. Do not delete System32.

## Should it start with Windows?

Virtual Disk Service starts on demand. It is not Hyper-V automatic start and not Startup Apps.

## Normal resource behavior

These are contextual labels, not universal averages.

- **CPU**: Spikes while enumerating or partitioning

  **Memory**: Small to moderate

  **Disk**: Follows the storage operation

  **Network**: Remote VDS if a remote snap-in is used

## File information

| Executable name        | vds.exe                     |
| ---------------------- | --------------------------- |
| Common legitimate path | C:\Windows\System32\vds.exe |
| Publisher              | Microsoft Corporation       |
| Signature expectation  | Signed by Microsoft Windows |

## Common problems

### Disk Management hangs and they disable Hyper-V

Wrong stack. Restart Virtual Disk Service and check disks in Device Manager. vmms will not list your GPT partitions.

### People end mmc and think VDS is gone

You closed the snap-in. The service can stay. That is still not a VM worker.

## Troubleshooting

Diagnose before you change anything destructive.

### services.msc > Virtual Disk Service, then reopen diskmgmt.msc

mmc.exe is only the console. This service is vds.exe. Hyper-V Virtual Machine Management is vmms.

### Device Manager on disk drives if a SAN or USB disk is stuck

Update that storage driver. Do not replace vmms.exe to fix Disk Management.

## Technical details

Technical details

| Image name | vds.exe              |
| ---------- | -------------------- |
| Service    | Virtual Disk Service |

## Related

These entities connect to this article. Type is shown on every link.

[mmc.exe: Windows Process](https://feex.it/wiki/process/mmc.exe)[vmms.exe: Windows Process](https://feex.it/wiki/process/vmms.exe)[services.exe: Windows Process](https://feex.it/wiki/process/services.exe)

## Sources and verification

Reviewed by Feex editorial. Last verified August 2026 Status: Feex Reviewed. [How we research](https://feex.it/wiki/research).

- [Microsoft Learn: About VDS ](https://learn.microsoft.com/windows/win32/vds/about-vds)· Virtual Disk Service manages disks and volumes
- [Microsoft Learn: VDS portal ](https://learn.microsoft.com/windows/win32/vds/virtual-disk-service-portal)· VDS is storage management, not Hyper-V VMMS
- [Foxhole process map ](https://foxhole.feex.it/)· First-party samples on Windows PCs. Not a lab benchmark.

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Quick facts

The short identity of this page. Specs, sources, and the full story stay in the article.

- **Type**: Windows Process

  **Publisher**: Microsoft Corporation

  **Executable**: vds.exe

  **Typical path**: C:\Windows\System32\vds.exe

  **Mapped by Feex**: Seen on Windows PCs in Foxhole

  **Related service**: vds / Virtual Disk Service

Feex Reviewed: Last verified August 2026

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Source: [Canonical Feex Wiki page](https://feex.it/wiki/process/vds.exe/)

[Developer guide](https://feex.it/wiki/developers/) | [API policy](https://feex.it/developers/api-policy/) | [Agent guidance](https://feex.it/wiki/llms.txt)