How to Turn Off IIS on Windows 11 Home

Turning off IIS on Windows 11 Home takes only a few steps through Windows Features. The important part is confirming that full Internet Information Services is actually running. IIS Express, Docker, Apache, Nginx, and development tools can also make localhost respond, but disabling the Windows IIS feature will not stop those servers.

Use the Windows Features method for a normal PC. Command-line methods are useful for scripts, remote support, or a feature that will not close correctly through the graphical interface.

Check whether full IIS is enabled

Press Windows key + R, enter optionalfeatures, and select OK. Look for Internet Information Services in the Windows Features list.

The checkbox reveals its state:

• An empty box means the IIS feature is disabled.
• A check mark means the selected IIS components are enabled.
• A filled or partially selected box means only some IIS components are enabled.

Do not assume IIS is installed merely because http://localhost opens a page. Confirm the Windows feature or check the IIS web service from an elevated PowerShell window:

Get-Service W3SVC -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

W3SVC is the World Wide Web Publishing Service used by full IIS. No returned service normally means that the full web-server role is not installed. A stopped service means IIS components may still be enabled even though the server is not currently serving sites.

Turn off IIS through Windows Features

This is the recommended method because it shows exactly which web components Windows will disable.

1. Press Windows key + R.
2. Type optionalfeatures and press Enter.
3. Find Internet Information Services.
4. Clear its checkbox. Expand the entry first if you want to review the enabled components.
5. Select OK and allow Windows to apply the changes.
6. Restart the computer when Windows requests it.

Clearing the main IIS checkbox disables its selected child components. It does not delete website files stored under C:\inetpub or another custom folder. Back up or remove those files separately only when you are certain they are no longer needed.

Do not select the option to remove feature payload files merely to free a small amount of space. Keeping the payload makes it easier to enable IIS again later, and disabling the feature is enough to stop its normal operation.

Disable IIS with Command Prompt

Open Windows Terminal (Admin) or Command Prompt (Admin) and run:

DISM /Online /Disable-Feature /FeatureName:IIS-WebServerRole

DISM reports whether the operation succeeded and whether a restart is required. Restart before judging the result. Add /NoRestart only when you deliberately need to postpone that reboot:

DISM /Online /Disable-Feature /FeatureName:IIS-WebServerRole /NoRestart

Microsoft documents the DISM feature-management syntax in its guide to enabling and disabling Windows features.

Disable IIS with PowerShell

An administrator can perform the same change with this command:

Disable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName IIS-WebServerRole

PowerShell returns the feature state and restart requirement. To check the state without changing it, run:

Get-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName IIS-WebServerRole

The expected result after a successful restart is:

State : Disabled

Use either DISM or PowerShell as the command-line alternative. Running both does not disable IIS more thoroughly.

Stop IIS temporarily without disabling it

Developers sometimes need to release a port briefly and then restore IIS later. In that situation, stopping the service is faster than changing Windows features.

Open an elevated terminal and run:

iisreset /stop

To start IIS again:

iisreset /start

Stopping IIS is temporary. The services can start again after a reboot or another system action. Disable the Windows feature when the goal is to keep full IIS unavailable.

Avoid disabling the Windows Process Activation Service independently unless you have checked its dependencies. WAS can support process activation beyond the website you are trying to stop, and changing it directly can affect applications that rely on those components.

Disable only an IIS component

Turning off the entire server is unnecessary when only FTP, legacy compatibility tools, or one optional web feature is unwanted.

Open Windows Features, expand Internet Information Services, and clear only the relevant child component. Common groups include:

• FTP Server
• Web Management Tools
• World Wide Web Services
• Application Development Features

Windows may automatically clear dependent items. Review the selection before confirming it, particularly on a development machine that runs ASP.NET, local databases, Visual Studio projects, or internal test sites.

Verify that IIS is no longer running

After restarting, check more than the browser cache.

First, run:

Get-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName IIS-WebServerRole

Then check the web service:

Get-Service W3SVC -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

Finally, open a private browser window and visit:

http://localhost

An old IIS page can remain in the browser cache, so refresh the page without cache or use a private window. A failed connection is expected when nothing else is serving the address.

Localhost still works after IIS is disabled

A responding localhost page does not prove that IIS remains enabled. Identify the process listening on the normal web ports:

Get-NetTCPConnection -State Listen -LocalPort 80,443 -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue |
Select-Object LocalAddress,LocalPort,OwningProcess

Use the returned process ID to identify the program:

Get-Process -Id 1234

Replace 1234 with the actual OwningProcess value. The listener may be IIS Express, Docker Desktop, Apache, Nginx, a local application server, or another development tool.

IIS Express is a separate lightweight server commonly launched by Visual Studio. Disabling full IIS does not remove it or stop a project from starting it. Microsoft explains that separation in the IIS Express FAQ.

Stop or reconfigure the program that owns the port rather than repeatedly disabling Windows features.

IIS will not turn off

A failed feature change usually points to permissions, a pending restart, or Windows component-store damage.

Start with these checks:

1. Restart Windows and attempt the change again.
2. Confirm that Terminal, PowerShell, or Command Prompt says Administrator in its title.
3. Run Get-WindowsOptionalFeature to verify the exact feature name and current state.
4. Install pending Windows servicing updates and restart.
5. Run DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth when Windows reports component-store errors.

Follow DISM with sfc /scannow only when Windows files may also be corrupted. When SFC cannot perform the requested operation, use the Windows Resource Protection repair guide rather than deleting servicing folders or registry entries.

Turn IIS back on

Return to Windows Features, select Internet Information Services, choose the components required by the application, and restart when prompted.

The equivalent DISM command is:

DISM /Online /Enable-Feature /FeatureName:IIS-WebServerRole /All

Re-enabling IIS does not guarantee that an earlier website configuration, certificate, application pool, or custom binding will work. Disabling the feature normally preserves configuration and site files, but separate configuration damage needs its own repair.

IIS should be disabled because the server is unused, conflicts with another local server, or is being removed from a development setup. It is not a meaningful general Windows speed tweak. The feature consumes little while its services are stopped, so removing unrelated components for performance can create more application problems than it solves.