Conhost.exe

Many modern apps (like VSCode, VPNs, or installers) run small scripts in the background that trigger their own conhost instance.

You will see conhost.exe in your Task Manager whenever a is active. This includes: conhost.exe

Introduced with Windows 7, conhost.exe was designed to fix a major security and design flaw in earlier versions of Windows. Previously, the ( csrss.exe ) handled command-line windows. However, csrss.exe ran under the highly privileged System account, making any bug or exploit in a console window a major security risk. Many modern apps (like VSCode, VPNs, or installers)

(Console Window Host) is a core Windows system process that serves as the bridge between command-line programs and the Windows graphical interface. What is it? Previously, the ( csrss

It is normal to see of conhost.exe at once—one for every active console-based process.

By moving console management to conhost.exe , Windows allows these windows to run under the user's account permissions, improving both system stability and security. Why is it running?