Vmwp.exe: What is it & Should You Turn it Off?

The Vmwp.exe is an executable file that is related to the Hyper-V in a Windows PC. This is an official MIcrosoft file that is required for the smooth functioning of Hyper-V.

In this guide, we will explain what Vmwp.exe is, and whether should you turn it off or not. We will also discuss how you can resolve errors associated with it.

What is Vmwp.exe?

Hyper-V is a virtualization platform that offers the convenience of running virtual machines on a single PC. However, errors associated with Vmwp.exe could throw you an error message Hyper-V failed to change state or something else.

The full form of the Vmwp.exe is Virtual Machine Worker Process. The configuration files that are related to the Vmwp.exe is usually found inside C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Hyper-V\Virtual Machines.

Some of the common Vmwp.exe errors that you will come across include:

• The application encountered an error while attempting to change the state of the virtual machine.
• VM-name Failed to change state.
• The operation cannot be performed while the object is in its current state.
• Hyper-V failed to change state

Is it okay to kill the Vmwp.exe process?

When you will come across any Vmwp.exe error message, you won’t simply be able to kill the process. Because when this happens, the GUI (Graphical User Interface) of the virtual machine is blocked.

So, you will not be able to use the start, stop, or close buttons. The error could pop up because of several reasons such as storage error, incorrect network configuration, insufficient permissions, etc.

Let us now understand how exactly you can disable Hyper-V on your system if you come across a related error message.

How can I disable Vmwp.exe on my PC?

1. Disable the Hyper-V Windows feature

1. Press the Win key to open the Start menu.
2. Type Control Panel and open it.
3. Click on Programs and Features.
4. Choose Turn Windows features on or off.
5. Uncheck the Hyper V box.
6. Click OK to disable Hyper-V on your system and restart your PC.

The above steps are the easiest to disable Hyper-V on your PC, but work only if you are able to access the system menus.

2. Disable Hyper-V using PowerShell

1. Open the Start menu by pressing the Win key.
2. Type PowerShell and open the top result as an admin.
3. Type the below command and press Enter. Disable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName Microsoft-Hyper-V-Hypervisor
4. Reboot your PC.

You can also utilize the elevated Command Prompt or Windows PowerShell to disable Hyper-V on your Windows PC.

Read more about this topic

• What is Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant & How to Download it
• What is Microsoft Teams Network Assessment Tool?
• What is WinDirStat & How to Download it
• Variable Refresh Rate: Should You Turn it On or Off?
• What is DLADiag.exe and How to Remove it

3. Disable Hyper-V using BCDEDIT

1. Press the Win key to open the Start menu.
2. Type Command Prompt and open it as an admin.
3. Type the below command and press Enter. bcdedit /set hypervisorlaunchtype off
4. Reboot your PC to apply the changes.

Another way of disabling Hyper-V is to use the BCEDIT tool. This way you are only disabling Hyper V on your PC and not completely uninstalling it from your PC.

4. Disable the Vmwp.exe process

1. Press Ctrl + Alt + Esc to open Task Manager.
2. Locate Vmwp.exe under the Processes tab.
3. Right-click on it and select End Task.

When you end the Vmwp.exe process, it will disable Hyper-V till the next time you restart your PC. This is a safe way to disable the Vmwp.exe process on your PC.

5. Disable using Process Explorer

1. Download Process Explorer.
2. Install it on your PC.
3. Launch Hyper-V Manager.
4. Open the VM settings for the problematic virtual machine.
5. Select the virtual hard drive options.
6. Copy the path to the virtual hard disk file. It would be something like below. C:\VMs\Ubuntu Hyper-V\Virtual Hard Disks\Ubuntu Hyper-V.vhdx
7. Launch Process Explorer.
8. Press Ctrl + F and paste the path into the field and hit the Search button. This will list all the processes that are being used by the VHDX file.
9. Locate Vmwp.exe, right-click, and select Kill Process.

Using Process Explorer, you can easily kill the Vmwp.exe process for the problematic Virtual Machine by following the above steps.

That is it from us in this guide. If you are coming across Hyper-V Error applying hard drive changes, then you should refer to our guide that will help you resolve the problem quickly.

We also have a quick guide that gives you 3 effective ways to disable Hyper-V on your Windows 11 computer.

Feel free to let us know in the comments below if this guide helped you understand details about Vmwp.exe.