Mouse Without Borders: UseService mode spawns duplicate main processes causing connection drops #44177
Description
Microsoft PowerToys version
0.96.1.0
Installation method
PowerToys auto-update
Area(s) with issue?
Mouse Without Borders
Steps to reproduce
Steps to reproduce
Enable Mouse Without Borders with UseService: true in settings
Start PowerToys (or reboot)
Check running processes with:
powershell Get-CimInstance Win32_Process | Where-Object {$_.Name -like "MouseWithoutBorders"} | Select-Object Name, ProcessId, ParentProcessId, CreationDate
✔️ Expected Behavior
❌ Actual Behavior
.
Symptoms caused by duplicate processes:
Intermittent connection drops between machines (disconnects for a few seconds, then reconnects)
File locking errors on settings.json (both processes fighting for access)
Disconnections especially noticeable when switching between applications
Additional observations:
The duplicate processes are protected and cannot be terminated with Stop-Process -Force or taskkill /F
Only way to resolve is to fully exit PowerToys from system tray and restart
Issue does NOT occur when UseService: false (but then admin app control is lost)
Both processes were spawned from the same parent within 1 second, indicating a race condition or duplicate launch in the service startup logic
Settings configuration
json{
"properties": {
"UseService": { "value": true },
"Enabled": { "value": true }
}
}
PowerToys General Settings:
run_elevated: false
startup: true
Workaround
Exit PowerToys completely from system tray
Restart PowerToys
Verify only one MWB process is running (sometimes requires multiple restart attempts)
Alternative: Set UseService: false, but this disables mouse/keyboard control for elevated/admin applications.
Other Software
Windows 11
✔️ Expected Behavior
One instance of PowerToys.MouseWithoutBorders.exe should be spawned by the service.
❌ Actual Behavior
Two instances of PowerToys.MouseWithoutBorders.exe are spawned by the MWB Service within 1 second of each other:
Name ProcessId ParentProcessId CreationDate
PowerToys.MouseWithoutBorders.exe 22292 28760 12/8/2025 10:25:38 AM
PowerToys.MouseWithoutBorders.exe 28600 28760 12/8/2025 10:25:39 AM
PowerToys.MouseWithoutBordersHelper.exe 40368 28600 12/9/2025 12:22:09 PM
Both main processes share the same parent PID (the MWB Service), confirming the service itself is double-launching
Additional Information
Symptoms caused by duplicate processes:
Intermittent connection drops between machines (disconnects for a few seconds, then reconnects)
File locking errors on settings.json (both processes fighting for access)
Disconnections especially noticeable when switching between applications
Additional observations:
The duplicate processes are protected and cannot be terminated with Stop-Process -Force or taskkill /F
Only way to resolve is to fully exit PowerToys from system tray and restart
Issue does NOT occur when UseService: false (but then admin app control is lost)
Both processes were spawned from the same parent within 1 second, indicating a race condition or duplicate launch in the service startup logic
Settings configuration
json{
"properties": {
"UseService": { "value": true },
"Enabled": { "value": true }
}
}
PowerToys General Settings:
run_elevated: false
startup: true
Workaround
Exit PowerToys completely from system tray
Restart PowerToys
Verify only one MWB process is running (sometimes requires multiple restart attempts)
Alternative: Set UseService: false, but this disables mouse/keyboard control for elevated/admin applications
Other Software
No response