WINDOWS SERVICE
WinHttpAutoProxySvc: WinHTTP Web Proxy Auto-Discovery Service
Part of WinHTTP, the Windows HTTP client stack that programs use to send requests and receive responses. This service adds support for discovering a proxy configuration automatically through the Web Proxy Auto-Discovery (WPAD) protocol.
TECHNICAL SUMMARY
| Service name | WinHttpAutoProxySvc |
|---|---|
| Display name | WinHTTP Web Proxy Auto-Discovery Service |
| Runs from | C:\Windows\System32\svchost.exe |
| Command line | svchost.exe -k LocalServiceHttp -p |
| Runs as | LocalService |
| Verdict | Leave it alone |
| Microsoft, Windows Server 2016 guidance | Do not disable |
Paths, signer and service account observed on Windows 11 build 26300 on 11 November 2026. Run the commands below to check your own PC.
Should you touch it?
Leave it aloneMicrosoft rates it Do not disable, for Windows Server and for Windows 10 and 11 IoT Enterprise alike, noting that anything that uses the network stack can have a functional dependency on this service. On the PC used for this page Windows did not accept a stop request for it.
What PC Tweaker does with it
PC Tweaker does not change this service. No control in the catalogue stops it, disables it or edits its start type.
Check it yourself
See its state and start type
PowerShellGet-Service WinHttpAutoProxySvc | Format-List Name, DisplayName, Status, StartType sc qc WinHttpAutoProxySvc
Common questions
What does the WinHttpAutoProxySvc service do?
Part of WinHTTP, the Windows HTTP client stack that programs use to send requests and receive responses. This service adds support for discovering a proxy configuration automatically through the Web Proxy Auto-Discovery (WPAD) protocol. It runs C:\Windows\System32\svchost.exe (svchost.exe -k LocalServiceHttp -p) as LocalService.
Can I disable WinHttpAutoProxySvc?
Leave it alone. Microsoft rates it Do not disable, for Windows Server and for Windows 10 and 11 IoT Enterprise alike, noting that anything that uses the network stack can have a functional dependency on this service. On the PC used for this page Windows did not accept a stop request for it.
Which services depend on WinHttpAutoProxySvc?
On Windows 11 build 26300: Wcmsvc (Windows Connection Manager), iphlpsvc (IP Helper), WlanSvc (WLAN AutoConfig), NcaSvc and icssvc. It depends in turn on Dhcp and Dnscache. Get-Service WinHttpAutoProxySvc -DependentServices lists them on your PC.
How do I check that it is the real service?
On build 26300 it ran in its own svchost.exe -k LocalServiceHttp -p process as LocalService and loaded C:\Windows\System32\winhttp.dll, signed by Microsoft Windows. Its startup type was Manual and it was running.