# wslrelay.exe

Windows Process: Microsoft Corporation

Also called wslrelay, wsl relay, wsl localhost relay

Windows, System Component

WSL localhost and stdio relay. It forwards ports and some console streams between Windows and a distro. It is not the hypervisor and not WslService.

## What you need to know

wslrelay is the port/stdio relay, not the hypervisor.

wslrelay.exe forwards localhost ports and some stdio between Windows and WSL. vmcompute.exe and the utility VM are the compute side. wslhost.exe handles broader interop. Ending a relay can drop a forwarded web server, not Hyper-V itself.

- **Safe?**: Yes, during WSL networking or pipes

  **Is it Hyper-V?**: No. It is a port/stdio relay

  **Same as wslhost?**: No. wslhost is interop I/O

Feex says

If I see wslrelay while I bound a Linux app to localhost, I treat that as the port bridge. I do not open Hyper-V Manager and hunt vmms for that listen.

## What is wslrelay.exe?

wslrelay is the port/stdio relay, not the hypervisor. It is not vmms.exe and it is not vmcompute.exe. Those run compute. This image only bridges localhost and some streams.

## What does it do?

It maps a Linux listen onto Windows localhost and can carry stdio for a launched process. It does not manage VMs and it does not list distributions.

## Why is it running?

A distro published a port, a tool used localhost forwarding, or WSL needed a stdio bridge. No forwarded sockets often means this relay should be idle or gone.

## Why are there multiple copies?

Several wslrelay.exe copies can be several port or stdio bridges. That is not several Hyper-V management services.

## Is it safe?

Usually safe

A Microsoft wslrelay in the WSL package is the localhost/stdio bridge. A wslrelay.exe in Temp is not. This is still not Hyper-V vmms.

A legitimate copy normally runs from:

`C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\MicrosoftCorporationII.WindowsSubsystemForLinux_*\wslrelay.exe`

- Expected publisher: Microsoft Corporation
- Job is port and stdio relay
- Not vmcompute.exe and not vmms.exe

## Can I end it?

That forwarded port drops

Ending wslrelay.exe can break localhost access to that Linux listener. The utility VM can stay up. Stopping vmms.exe is a different, Hyper-V story.

## Can I remove it?

No

Do not delete wslrelay.exe. Stop the Linux process that published the port, or run wsl --shutdown. Do not disable Hyper-V to remove this relay.

## Should it start with Windows?

A forward or stdio bridge starts it. It is not Startup Apps.

## Normal resource behavior

These are contextual labels, not universal averages.

- **CPU**: Follows traffic on the bridged port

  **Memory**: Small

  **Disk**: Low

  **Network**: Localhost and mirrored/NAT WSL traffic

## File information

| Executable name        | wslrelay.exe                                                                                  |
| ---------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Common legitimate path | C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\MicrosoftCorporationII.WindowsSubsystemForLinux\_\*\wslrelay.exe |
| Publisher              | Microsoft Corporation                                                                         |
| Signature expectation  | Signed by Microsoft Windows                                                                   |

## Common problems

### Browser cannot hit localhost:3000 after an optimizer killed the relay

Restart the Linux server or the distro. The app is still in the VM. vmms was never this bridge.

### Confused with wslhost file hangs

\\\wsl.localhost file I/O is wslhost. A dead localhost port is this relay.

## Troubleshooting

Diagnose before you change anything destructive.

### Confirm the Linux process is still listening

Inside the distro, check the port. If it listens there but Windows localhost fails, the relay is the Windows side. Hyper-V Manager will not show this socket.

### wsl --shutdown, then start the app again

That rebuilds relays. Do not replace vmcompute.exe to "fix localhost."

## Technical details

Technical details

| Image name | wslrelay.exe                  |
| ---------- | ----------------------------- |
| Role       | WSL localhost and stdio relay |

## Related

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

[wslhost.exe: Windows Process](https://feex.it/wiki/process/wslhost.exe)[wslservice.exe: Windows Process](https://feex.it/wiki/process/wslservice.exe)[vmcompute.exe: Windows Process](https://feex.it/wiki/process/vmcompute.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: WSL networking ](https://learn.microsoft.com/windows/wsl/networking)· localhost and port forwarding between Windows and WSL
- [Microsoft Learn: WSL architecture ](https://learn.microsoft.com/windows/wsl/opensource)· Networking helpers are not the CLI
- [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**: wslrelay.exe

  **Typical path**: C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\MicrosoftCorporationII.WindowsSubsystemForLinux\_\*\wslrelay.exe

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

Feex Reviewed: Last verified August 2026

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

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