Hyper-V PowerShell Direct Service (vmicvmsession) Defaults in Windows 11

Provides a mechanism to manage virtual machine with PowerShell via VM session without a virtual network.

Default Settings

Startup type: Manual
Display name:Hyper-V PowerShell Direct Service
Service name:vmicvmsession
Service type:share
Error control:normal
Object:LocalSystem
Path:%SystemRoot%\system32\svchost.exe -k LocalSystemNetworkRestricted -p
File:%SystemRoot%\System32\icsvc.dll
Registry key:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\vmicvmsession
Privileges:
  • SeChangeNotifyPrivilege
  • SeBackupPrivilege
  • SeRestorePrivilege
  • SeDebugPrivilege
  • SeImpersonatePrivilege
  • SeTcbPrivilege
  • SeIncreaseQuotaPrivilege
  • SeAssignPrimaryTokenPrivilege

Default Behavior

Hyper-V PowerShell Direct Service is a Win32 service. In Windows 11 it starts only if the user, an application or another service starts it. When the Hyper-V PowerShell Direct Service is started, it logs on as LocalSystem and running in a shared process of svchost.exe. If Hyper-V PowerShell Direct Service fails to start, the failure details will be recorded into Event Log. Then Windows 11 should boot up and notify the user about the vmicvmsession service startup failure.

Restore Default Startup Configuration of Hyper-V PowerShell Direct Service

1. Run the Command Prompt as an administrator.

2. Copy the command below, paste it into the command window and press ENTER:

sc config vmicvmsession start= demand

3. Close the command window and restart the computer.

The vmicvmsession service is using the icsvc.dll file that is located in the C:\Windows\System32 directory. If the file is removed or corrupted, read this article to restore its original version from Windows 11 installation media.