Unable to bind to port Localhost:8888

Updated on Nov 6, 2025

Microsoft ISA Firewall client may cause Fiddler Classic to detach. When starting Fiddler Classic under nonadmin account (ordinary User) you may see an error message:

txt
Unable to bind to port [Localhost: 8888]. This is usually due to another running copy of Fiddler Classic.
(An attempt was made to access a socket in a way forbidden by its access permissions)

Fix:

  • Close the Fiddler Classic application.
  • Open REGEDIT
  • Add a new STRING under HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Fiddler2 named ExclusivePort with value False.
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