Hello,
Can anyone shed light on why winhttp web proxy auto-discovery service, seems to be getting started only after I launch Ableton Live? (Win 10, AL 11.1)

I've turned off the auto detect proxy setting for windows, it doesn't appear to be a start up service now. but lo and behold once I launch AL, there it is. It typically hovers constantly at about 5% of processor, and while it's not horrific I'd like to reclaim that as part of optimizing.

EDIT: I may have been wrong, Winhttp IS in the process list prior to running AL, but at 0% processing. Jumps up to 5% when running AL.

Currently offline, adaptor disabled. Simplewall blocks AL but that's irrelevant at this moment. As stated above auto detect proxy is off, so this shouldn't be starting itself, then in services.msc right-clicking it (winhttp that is), option to stop it is greyed out, its status is running

 

Last edited: Jun 2, 2022

From Microsoft forum,

It's always better to block internet to AL if you use a k'd version.

 

It is blocked. That wasn't the question.

 

There's nothing related to ableton since WPAD is a service that's controlled by your operating system. This process already runs on almost every computer that uses windows operating systems. It's it purpose to work together with client apps to provide certain network access. If you still have a doubt about the behaviour of that service you can disable it or contact microsoft support.

 

As I said, I have disabled it, insofar as it appears to be disableable via turning off the auto detect proxy setting. But it still runs quietly, until AL then runs when it jumps from 0 to 5%. The generic advice is not useful, but thanks.

 

I checked it again after the last comment by the author. But nothing happens, that service stays at 0% . Maybe because I used folder firewall blocker on whole ableton folder? It can probably be an update call btw.

 

The WinHTTP Web Proxy Auto-Discovery Service is likely triggered by Ableton Live, possibly due to its network-related features like license verification or updates. Even with auto-detect proxy disabled, Ableton could be initiating this service when launched. To resolve it, try disabling the service in Services.msc or adjusting system settings through Group Policy or Registry Editor. This will prevent the service from using unnecessary resources when Ableton is running. If this doesn’t help, checking Ableton Live's internal network or update settings might be useful as well.

 

Maybe it's for the Cloud ?

"
11.2.5 Release Notes
New Features and improvements:

Ableton Cloud

Introduced Ableton Cloud, a service that sends Sets from Ableton Note directly to Live’s browser, as well as other instances of Note across various iOS devices.

To enable cloud functionality in Live, open Live’s Preferences, go to the Library tab, and switch the Show Cloud option to On.

Once enabled, a Cloud label will appear in the Places section of Live’s browser, along with a message prompting you to sign in to ableton.com. Click the Sign In button to open a web browser window, this will lead you through the activation process required to connect the service to your Ableton User Account.

After activating Cloud, any Sets that are uploaded to Cloud in Note will appear in Live’s browser in real-time, assuming both devices are connected to a reliable network and logged into the same Ableton User Account."

 

There are a number of dependencies to that service including but not limited to; RPC Endpoint manager, DCOM server process launcher, RPC, NSI proxy Service driver, Network store interface svc, WINSOCK function driver, IP Helper, etc... It is a SVChost driven service so there wont be a dedicated executable or .dll associated with it. You can turn the service OFF thru the registry, if your machine doesn't require the use of any networking whatsoever. If you do have a backend network or internet on the machine that needs a working network stack, completely nuking that service may have consequences to network functionality. You can install NetLimiter and block the services' internet capability and/or monitor its connections, or block it altogether. You can use NetLimiter to monitor Lives' network functions as well. NetLimiter will tell you exactly what Live is trying to do on the network so you can make good decisions on what to do about it. The bottom line is that service may or may not be used by Live, but it is being used by other way more pressing drivers and functions other than Live. Finally, the internet doesn't belong on a machine that is being used to do any sort of production work anyway.

 

Last edited: Apr 4, 2025