PortExec

A keyboard-driven TUI application for Windows to inspect and kill processes bound to specific TCP/UDP ports.

Features

• Port Lookup: View all active listening ports with process information
• Process Kill: Kill processes with confirmation dialog
• Safety Layer: Protects critical system processes (System, lsass, wininit, etc.)
• Real-time Search: Filter by port or process name instantly
• Pagination: Navigate through large lists easily
• CLI Mode: Use from command line for scripting
• Admin Detection: Warns when not running with administrator privileges

Installation

Pre-built Binary

Download the latest release from GitHub Releases

From Source

git clone https://github.com/DFanso/PortExec.git
cd PortExec
go build -o portexec.exe ./cmd/main.go

Run Anywhere in Terminal

Option 1: Add to PATH

1. Create a folder for your executables (e.g., C:\Bin)
2. Move portexec.exe to that folder
3. Add to PATH:
   • Press Win + R, type sysdm.cpl, press Enter
   • Go to Advanced > Environment Variables
   • Under User variables, find Path and click Edit
   • Click New and add C:\Bin
   • Click OK on all dialogs
4. Open a new terminal and run portexec

Option 2: Windows Terminal Profile (Recommended)

1. Download the release and extract to a folder (e.g., C:\Program Files\PortExec)
2. Right-click the .exe file > Create shortcut
3. Right-click the shortcut > Properties
4. In the Shortcut tab, click Advanced
5. Check Run as administrator
6. Move the shortcut to your Desktop or Start Menu

Option 3: Winget

winget install --id DFanso.PortExec --source winget

Running with Admin Privileges

PortExec requires administrator privileges to kill protected system processes.

Method 1: Run as Administrator

1. Right-click on portexec.exe
2. Select Run as administrator

Method 2: From PowerShell/CMD

Start-Process -FilePath "portexec.exe" -Verb RunAs

Method 3: From Windows Terminal

1. Click the dropdown arrow in the terminal tab
2. Select Run as administrator

Verification

Run portexec check to verify admin status:

• If admin: Shows "Running with administrator privileges"
• If not admin: Shows "NOT running with administrator privileges" and some processes cannot be killed

Usage

Interactive TUI Mode

portexec

CLI Mode

# List all listening ports
portexec list

# List specific port
portexec list 3000

# Kill process on port
portexec kill 8080

# Check admin privileges
portexec check

Keyboard Shortcuts

Key	Action
↑/↓ or j/k	Navigate list
PgUp/PgDn	Change page
Enter	View process details
k	Kill selected process
r	Refresh port list
/	Search/filter mode
h	Show help
q	Quit

Requirements

• Windows 10+
• Go 1.22+ (for building from source)
• Administrator privileges for killing protected processes

Tech Stack

• Bubble Tea - TUI framework
• Lipgloss - Styling
• gopsutil - Process/Network info
• Cobra - CLI

License

MIT License - see LICENSE for details.