ContextCleaner: see every entry in the Windows 11 right-click menu, and which app added it — on the Microsoft Store.
Guided workflow variation

"Port is already allocated"is a host problem, not a Docker one.

See the Windows process really holding the port — including stray docker-proxy bindings — and free it without pruning half your stack. Port Detective Pro maps each host port back to its container and image.

Port Detective shows the Windows host process holding the port (docker-proxy included) so you free it without pruning your whole stack. Pro maps host ports to containers.

Pay once. Own it forever.

One-time purchase on the Microsoft Store · No subscription · Instant install

Get it from Microsoft

Buy through the Microsoft Store—instant install, automatic updates, and a Microsoft receipt for easy expensing. No account needed on our site, and no subscription on Store purchases.

Full PortDetective overview
One-time purchase No telemetry Local-first

windows · native Rust · free + one-time Pro · no telemetry

If this sounds like your week

"Bind for 0.0.0.0:PORT failed: port is already allocated."

Docker won't start your container because the port on the host is already taken. The catch: it's rarely another container. It's usually a process on Windows itself — a leftover dev server, a service that auto-started, or a previous `docker-proxy` that never released the binding. `docker ps` shows you nothing, because the conflict isn't in Docker.

Where tooling usually breaks

You restart Docker. You prune. The port is still gone.

So you bounce Docker Desktop, run `docker container prune`, maybe restart the machine — the heavy-handed fixes that cost you ten minutes and your train of thought. None of them tell you the one thing you need: which process on the host is sitting on the port right now, and whether it's safe to end.

Where PortDetective lands

See the host process behind the port — then free it in one click.

Port Detective reads the Windows host's listening table directly, so the squatter shows up with its real name, full executable path, and PID — including stray `docker-proxy` and `com.docker.backend` bindings. You confirm it's the leftover, not your database, and end it safely. Pro goes one better: its Docker view maps each host port back to the container and image that published it, so "who took the port?" is answered before you ever open a terminal.

Pay once. Own it forever.

One-time purchase on the Microsoft Store · No subscription · Instant install

Get it from Microsoft

Buy through the Microsoft Store—instant install, automatic updates, and a Microsoft receipt for easy expensing. No account needed on our site, and no subscription on Store purchases.

Compare free vs Port Detective Pro

windows · native Rust · free + one-time Pro · no telemetry

What you get

Feature highlights

Free

live listening-port visibility with process name, PID, and executable path, instant port lookup, and 5 free kills to try safe token-guarded termination.

Pro — Unlimited safe kills

end any rogue process in one click, guarded by a secure Process Token so you never terminate a recycled PID.

Pro — Port Guard

a native system-tray daemon watches your critical ports every 250 ms and can auto-kill an intruder and relaunch the right owner.

Pro — Full stack visibility

every TCP and UDP connection across IPv4 and IPv6, smooth even with thousands of connections.

Pro — Remote & Docker aware

scan VMs, Docker bridges, and network servers, and map host ports back to the container and image that published them.

Pro — Power workflow

Ctrl+K command palette, deep parent/child process inspection, connection-history timeline with CSV/JSON export, and per-port notes with backup/restore.

Both editions

native Rust, typically under 50 MB RAM, signed, no telemetry, no account wall — one-time Pro purchase on the Microsoft Store, no subscription.

Especially when

  • Find what process is using a port on Windows before you kill the wrong service
  • Resolve EADDRINUSE and listening-port conflicts without juggling netstat, tasklist, Task Manager, and Resource Monitor
  • Keep critical local ports protected from rogue processes with an always-on watchdog (Pro)
  • Map Docker host ports to containers and scan remote hosts during developer and IT troubleshooting (Pro)

Who benefits

Real-world scenarios

The compose stack that won't come up

`docker compose up` fails with "the port already allocated," but `docker ps` is empty. The conflict is a host process, and Docker can't see it.

Port Detective surfaces the host owner of the port — stray docker-proxy bindings included — and Pro maps the port back to the container that published it, so the whole stack comes up clean.

The port that keeps coming back

You free the port, start your app, and ten minutes later a background service has grabbed it again. You're playing whack-a-mole with the same socket all day.

Port Detective Pro's Port Guard watches the port every 250 ms and can auto-end an intruder and relaunch the right owner — so the port you reserved stays yours without you babysitting it.

The staging-box surprise

It runs locally, then the staging VM throws "address already in use" on the port and you're back in a laggy RDP session hunting a leftover service.

Port Detective Pro scans the remote host directly and shows the owner of the port in your normal view — no remote-desktop spelunking, no risky blind taskkill on a shared box.

Deep dive

Where Docker port conflicts actually live on Windows

Docker publishes a container port by binding the host port through `docker-proxy` (or, with WSL2, a relay on the Windows side). When a previous run didn't shut down cleanly, that host binding can outlive the container — so `docker ps` is empty while the port is still occupied. The conflict isn't in Docker's world; it's in the Windows listening table, which is exactly what Port Detective reads.

That's also why "restart Docker" sometimes works and sometimes doesn't: it clears Docker-managed bindings but not a native Windows process that grabbed the port first.

# The host binding can persist after the container is gone:
docker ps            # empty
netstat -ano | findstr :8080   # still LISTENING

# Port Detective shows the real owner (name + path), so you know
# whether it is docker-proxy, a stale dev server, or a service.
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Built for people who prefer tools that stay local.

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Free vs Pro editions

Free vs Pro

Start free. Upgrade when you want the active layer.

Both editions are native Rust, signed, and telemetry-free. Pick the free finder or unlock the full toolkit with a one-time Pro purchase.

Recommended

Pro

Port Detective Pro

One-time

One-time purchase · Perpetual license · No subscription

Get it from Microsoft

Everything in Free, plus the active layer: Port Guard, remote & Docker scans, deep inspection, and exportable history.

Free

Port Detective

Free

No account · No telemetry · Microsoft Store

Get the free edition

The everyday port finder: see what is listening, who owns it, and 5 kills to try safe termination.

CapabilityFree Pro
Live listening-port viewer with process name, PID & pathIncluded in FreeIncluded in Pro
Instant port lookup (type a port, get the process)Included in FreeIncluded in Pro
Safe, Process-Token-guarded kills5 free killsUnlimited
TCP + UDP across IPv4 and IPv6Not in FreeIncluded in Pro
Port Guard watchdog (250 ms) with auto-remediationNot in FreeIncluded in Pro
Remote scans of VMs, Docker bridges & serversNot in FreeIncluded in Pro
Docker host-to-container port mappingNot in FreeIncluded in Pro
Deep parent/child process inspectionNot in FreeIncluded in Pro
Connection-history timeline with CSV / JSON exportNot in FreeIncluded in Pro
Per-port notes with backup & restoreNot in FreeIncluded in Pro
Ctrl+K command palette & copy-as-commandNot in FreeIncluded in Pro
Get it from Microsoft Get the free edition

Our Core Moat

Engineered to respect your system boundaries.

System Resource Monitor (Idle State Comparison)
Automata Labs low idle memory footprint compared to generic Electron applications

Lightweight Native Stack

Compiled Rust core wrapped inside an optimized Tauri shell. No heavy background node loops or duplicate Chromium engines cooking your memory footprint (<25MB idle RAM).

100% Local-First Privacy

Executes entirely on-device with full offline isolation. Absolute zero background telemetry policies, no metrics aggregation, and zero mandatory cloud-sync accounts.

Perpetual Fallback Licenses

Pay a single, clear one-time purchase price. Own your specific native software utility execution tier permanently without artificial subscription paywalls or ongoing usage tax.

FAQ

Straight answers—no glossary dump

Why does Docker say the port is allocated when no container is running?

Because the binding is on the Windows host, not in Docker. A leftover `docker-proxy`, a relay process, or a native app can hold the port after a container stops. `docker ps` can't see it; Port Detective reads the Windows listening table and shows the real owner with its path.

Is it safe to kill the process — and will I kill the wrong one?

That's the real risk with the manual approach: Windows recycles PIDs, so the number you copied from netstat can point at something else by the time you run taskkill. Port Detective verifies process identity with a Process Token before it ends anything. The free edition includes 5 of these safe kills to try; Port Detective Pro makes them unlimited.

What does Port Detective Pro add over the free edition?

Free is the everyday finder: live port list, instant search, process name and path, and 5 one-time safe kills (they don't reset). Pro unlocks unlimited kills and the active layer — a Port Guard watchdog that re-frees a port every 250 ms, TCP + UDP across IPv4/IPv6, remote and Docker-aware scans, deep process inspection, exportable connection history, per-port notes, and a Ctrl+K palette. One-time purchase, no subscription, no telemetry.

Is Port Detective local-first, and how do I get it?

Yes — it reads your machine's own networking stack with no account, no cloud, and no telemetry for core use, and installs from the Microsoft Store. The free edition and Port Detective Pro are both listed there.

Related pages

"Port is already allocated" is a host problem, not a Docker one. "Port is already allocated" is a host problem, not a Docker one. "Port is already allocated" is a host problem, not a Docker one. "Port is already allocated" is a host problem, not a Docker one.

Stop debugging your OS.
Start shipping your code.

Find the process on any port and kill it safely with the free edition. Port Detective Pro adds the active layer — a background Port Guard watchdog, remote and Docker-aware scans, deep process inspection, and exportable history. One-time purchase, no subscription, no telemetry.

Pay once. Own it forever.

One-time purchase on the Microsoft Store · No subscription · Instant install

Get it from Microsoft

Buy through the Microsoft Store—instant install, automatic updates, and a Microsoft receipt for easy expensing. No account needed on our site, and no subscription on Store purchases.

Open full product page

Technical specifications

Technical specifications for procurement

Spec Implementation
Data Sovereignty Port and process data stays on the workstation; core features make no external network calls and no cloud dashboard is involved
Telemetry Status None; signed builds, no telemetry
Core Runtime Native Windows app built entirely in Rust (Tauri 2); typically under 50 MB RAM
Network Requirements Local inspection is fully offline; remote scans and Docker mapping are user-initiated outbound actions, not telemetry
Deployment Compatibility Windows 10 and 11; free edition plus one-time Pro purchase on the Microsoft Store
Free edition Live listening-port viewer, instant lookup, token-guarded safe kills
Pro — Port Guard Tray daemon polls watched ports every 250 ms with optional auto-remediation
Pro — Coverage TCP + UDP across IPv4/IPv6, remote scans, Docker host-to-container mapping
Pro — Workflow Ctrl+K palette, process lineage, connection history + CSV/JSON export, per-port notes