Check if the port is in use:
| Scenario | Description | |----------|-------------| | | You just installed usbipd-win and tried running usbipd list without starting the service. | | After Windows Update | A Windows update may have changed service startup permissions or reset configurations. | | Post-Crash | The service terminated due to a USB device conflict, driver issue, or resource exhaustion. | | User Error | You or a script stopped the service manually using net stop usbipd . | | WSL Distro Change | Switching or reinstalling WSL distributions can sometimes orphan the USB/IP binding. | Step-by-Step Fixes: From Basic to Advanced Fix 1: The Obvious (But Often Incorrect) Reboot Go ahead and restart your computer. After rebooting, open PowerShell or Command Prompt as Administrator and run: Check if the port is in use: |
usbipd --debug This runs the service in the foreground and prints detailed logs. If it starts successfully here but not as a system service, the issue is likely permission or SID-related. The message "usbipd warning: the service is currently not running. a reboot should fix that" is more of a gentle nudge than a fatal error. In most cases, manually starting the service ( net start usbipd ) resolves the issue instantly. For persistent cases, a clean reinstallation or checking service dependencies will restore functionality. | | User Error | You or a
netstat -ano | findstr :3240 If a process is listening, either stop that process or change the USBIPD port by editing the configuration file at %PROGRAMDATA%\usbipd\usbipd.config (create if missing) and adding: After rebooting, open PowerShell or Command Prompt as
dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:VirtualMachinePlatform /all /norestart dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:Microsoft-Windows-Subsystem-Linux /all /norestart Reboot after enabling. USBIPD uses TCP port 3240 by default. If another application occupies this port, the service may fail to start.
Add the following line to your PowerShell profile to automatically attempt to start the service whenever you open a new terminal:
Start-Service -Name usbipd After starting, verify: