Port 5985: WinRM
Port 5985 is WinRM over HTTP, used to remotely run PowerShell commands and manage Windows machines. Because the traffic is unencrypted on this port, production environments should use the TLS version on port 5986 instead.
| Port number | 5985 |
|---|---|
| Service | Windows Remote Management (HTTP) |
| Protocol | TCP |
| Category | Remote access |
| Default encryption | No |
How do I check whether port 5985 is open?
Port 5985 carries TCP, so a connection either completes its handshake or it does not, which makes the check definitive.
| Question | Command | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Is it open on a remote host? | nc -vz example.com 5985 | A TCP handshake either completes or it does not, so netcat gives a definitive answer in one line. |
| Same check on Windows | Test-NetConnection example.com -Port 5985 | Built into PowerShell. TcpTestSucceeded in the output is the answer; telnet is not installed by default on modern Windows. |
| What is listening locally? | ss -tlnp | grep ':5985 ' | Lists the process bound to port 5985 on Linux. On macOS use lsof -nP -iTCP:5985 -sTCP:LISTEN, on Windows netstat -ano | findstr :5985 |
Replace example.com with the host you are testing. A blocked port and a port with nothing listening on it look identical from the outside, so if a service should be running, check locally before blaming the firewall.
Frequently asked questions
What is port 5985 used for?
Port 5985 is WinRM over HTTP, used to remotely run PowerShell commands and manage Windows machines. Because the traffic is unencrypted on this port, production environments should use the TLS version on port 5986 instead.
Is port 5985 TCP or UDP?
Port 5985 (WinRM) uses TCP.
Is port 5985 secure?
Port 5985 is not encrypted by default. Where possible, use an encrypted alternative or tunnel it over TLS or a VPN.
Should I open port 5985 on my firewall?
Only if you specifically need WinRM. Expose it to the smallest set of trusted sources, and never open database or Windows-service ports to the whole internet.