How to Enable IIS on Windows 11

To enable IIS on Windows 11, select Start, type Windows features, and open Turn Windows features on or off. Check Internet Information Services, select OK, and wait while Windows installs it. Then open a browser and go to http://localhost. If you see the IIS welcome page, the web server is running.

IIS (Internet Information Services) is Microsoft’s web server. It’s built into Windows 11 Home and Pro but turned off by default. Most people turn it on to test websites or run a web app locally.

Applies to: Windows 11 Home and Pro. You need to be signed in as an administrator. Checked against Microsoft Learn on September 24, 2026.

Turn on IIS

1. Select Start, type Windows features, and select Turn Windows features on or off. You can also press Windows + R, type optionalfeatures, and press Enter.
2. Check Internet Information Services. The box fills in rather than showing a tick, because Windows only turns on the most common parts, including IIS Management Console and static web pages.
3. Select OK. Windows installs the files, which can take a few minutes.
4. Select Close when it’s done. Restart if Windows asks you to.

Check that IIS is working

1. Open any browser and go to http://localhost.
2. You should see the default IIS welcome page.
3. The files for that page are in C:\inetpub\wwwroot. Replace them with your own site’s files, or create a new site as shown below.

Add the features your app needs

The default install only serves static pages such as HTML, CSS, and images. For other kinds of sites:

1. Open Turn Windows features on or off again.
2. Expand Internet Information Services > World Wide Web Services > Application Development Features.
3. Check what your app needs, such as ASP.NET 4.8 for ASP.NET web apps. Windows adds related items, such as ISAPI Extensions, automatically.
4. Select OK.

Only turn on features you’ll use. Each one adds more to keep updated. For ASP.NET Core apps, also install the ASP.NET Core Hosting Bundle from Microsoft’s .NET download page.

Create a site in IIS Manager

1. Select Start, type IIS, and open Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.
2. In the Connections pane, expand your PC’s name, then right-click Sites and select Add Website.
3. Enter a Site name, choose the folder with your site’s files under Physical path, and pick a Port, such as 8080, so it doesn’t clash with the default site on port 80.
4. Select OK, then open http://localhost:8080 in your browser.

From IIS Manager, you can also start, stop, or restart the web server with the buttons in the Actions pane.

Turn on IIS with PowerShell

Right-click Start, select Terminal (Admin), and run:

Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName IIS-WebServerRole, IIS-WebServer, IIS-ManagementConsole -All

When it finishes, restart if it asks, then test http://localhost as above.

If localhost doesn’t load

• Check the service is running. Open IIS Manager, select your PC’s name, and select Start in the Actions pane. Or press Windows + R, type services.msc, and make sure World Wide Web Publishing Service is running.
• Another app may be using port 80. Some development tools and apps use it too. Stop that app, or give your IIS site a different port.
• Check the address. Use http://localhost, not https://. The default site doesn’t have HTTPS set up.
• Restart the PC if you’ve just turned IIS on and Windows didn’t restart.

Keep it private

IIS on a home PC is usually for testing. Windows Firewall blocks other devices from reaching it by default. Leave it that way unless you need other computers on your network to see the site, and never open it to the internet without securing it first.

Turn IIS off

Open Turn Windows features on or off, clear Internet Information Services, and select OK. Your site files in C:\inetpub stay on the PC until you delete them.

Frequently asked questions

Does Windows 11 Home include IIS?

Yes. IIS is available in Windows 11 Home and Pro, though a few advanced features are only in Pro and other business editions.

What version of IIS does Windows 11 have?

Windows 11 includes IIS 10.

Do I need IIS to view websites?

No. You only need IIS to run your own web server on the PC. Browsing the web doesn’t use it.

Using Windows 10? See how to enable IIS on Windows 10. Microsoft’s guide is Install IIS and ASP.NET modules. More help is on our Windows 11 Help & Guides page.

If a site name still goes to an old address after you change your settings, see how to flush the DNS cache in Windows 11.

Related: how to enable FTP in Windows 10.

Related: How to Install Apache in Windows 10.