Remote Procedure Call (RPC)

Windows ServiceMicrosoft Corporation

Also called rpcss, rpc, remote procedure call

WindowsMicrosoft

The Windows service that runs the RPC endpoint mapper and keeps COM and many other services able to talk. It is not Remote Desktop.

What you need to know

RpcSs is plumbing. Disabling it is not a privacy tweak. It is a crash.

RPC is how a large part of Windows calls across processes. The service name RpcSs is the Service Control Manager entry. Remote Desktop is a different stack.

Important?: Critical
Is it Remote Desktop?: No
Safe to disable?: No

Feex says

If a list tells you to disable Remote Procedure Call for security, I would close that list. On Windows that service is how the OS talks to itself.

What does this service do?

Display name: Remote Procedure Call (RPC). Service name: RpcSs.

RpcSs runs the RPC endpoint mapper and the RPCSS COM service. Other services depend on it. It does not open a Remote Desktop listen port by itself.

History on Windows

Still present

RPC has been core to Windows NT since the first NT release. The RpcSs service is the long-standing Service Control Manager name for the RPC subsystem. It is still required on Windows 10 and Windows 11. This is not the same thing as the Remote Desktop Services role.

Remote Procedure Call (RPC) service history
RPC on Windows NT	Windows NT 3.1 era (1993)
Service name RpcSs	Long-standing NT SCM name
Still present	Yes, including Windows 10 and Windows 11
Discontinued	No

Why does Windows need it?

COM activation, a long list of Windows services, and the Service Control Manager itself expect RPC. There is no supported desktop Windows without it.

When does it run?

Always, while Windows is running.

Should it always be running?

Automatic and running. Windows treats a stop as a critical failure.

Can I disable it?

Do not disable RpcSs. Windows will fail to start other services and can become unusable. Restrict Remote Desktop or firewall rules if remote access is the fear.

What happens if I disable it?

Dependent services fail. The machine may not reach a usable desktop. Recovery usually means last known good or repair.

Process host

RpcSs runs in a dedicated svchost group. Do not end random svchost.exe rows to "stop RPC". See svchost.exe.

Dependencies

Remote Procedure Call (RPC) dependencies
Depends on	DCOM Server Process Launcher and RPC Endpoint Mapper pieces of the same stack
Used by	Most Windows services

Resource behavior

CPU: Low
Memory: Small
Network: Local RPC is not the same as exposing RDP
Disk: Low

Common problems

Debloat lists disable RpcSs

Those lists confuse the display name with Remote Desktop. Do not follow them.

RPC errors after a repair

A broken RPC stack is an OS repair, not an exe you download.

Troubleshooting

Safe steps first.

Confirm the service is Running

services.msc > Remote Procedure Call (RPC). Startup type should be Automatic.

If the fear is Remote Desktop, change those settings instead

System Properties > Remote, and the firewall. Leave RpcSs on.

Technical details

RpcSs technical details
Display name	Remote Procedure Call (RPC)
Service name	RpcSs

Sources and verification

Reviewed by Feex editorial. Last verified August 2026 Status: Feex Reviewed. How we research.

Microsoft Learn: RPC · RPC runtime
Microsoft Learn: RpcSs · SCM and RPC
Foxhole process map · First-party samples on Windows PCs. Not a lab benchmark.

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