What is w3wp.exe process?

w3wp.exe is a process associated with application pool in ISS. If you have more than one application pool, you will have more than one instance of w3wp.exe running. This process usually allocates large amounts of resources. This program is important for the stable and secure running of your computer and should not be terminated.


The w3wp.exe process belongs to an instance of an application pool in IIS (Internet Information Services). As each w3wp.exe is a single application pool, if you have multiple applications you'll have more than one w3wp.exe process running.

The w3wp.exe service is well known for consuming large amounts of computer resource and reports of the process running at 99% CPU are common but normally indicate a problem elsewhere.