vds.exe

Windows ProcessMicrosoft Corporation

Also called vds, virtual disk service

WindowsSystem 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?

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

vds.exe 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

vds.exe technical details
Image name	vds.exe
Service	Virtual Disk Service

Sources and verification

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

Microsoft Learn: About VDS · Virtual Disk Service manages disks and volumes
Microsoft Learn: VDS portal · VDS is storage management, not Hyper-V VMMS
Foxhole process map · First-party samples on Windows PCs. Not a lab benchmark.

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