IIS no longer displaying my websites

Question

IIS no longer displaying my websites

Robert Williams 21

I have a Windows 11 computer with IIS set up on it. I also have Visual Studio installed on the same machine. I had all of my websites loaded on a separate internal hard drive and have had it this way for years and worked perfectly fine. Yes, I know there is an inetpub folder on drive C and it never changed. Just all the websites were always loaded on drive D. I went to set up a new website on drive D in IIS and nothing is showing in IIS under the left tree. And I mean nothing. Localhost does absolutely nothing and shows absolutely nothing with no options, New, nothing. It all was working perfectly fine and now isn't. Nothing has changed other than of course the usual updates from Microsoft and antivirus. I uninstalled all IIS, rebooted, added it back and still nothing. I desperately need help because I need this to work for me to get websites designed.

Robert Williams 21 Reputation points

2025-09-05T02:58:33.36+00:00

UPDATE - 9-4-2025:

Prior to me getting any replies, I kept messing with the IIS (inetpub) and went through the uninstall/reinstall of IIS. Did not work. I also noticed some other issues and despite the considerable loss of time, I backed up all my stuff, wiped, and reloaded windows and have reloaded most of my stuff back. So now I am back and windows automatically installed a very few updates (see photo). As you can see, that number doesn't match and I still have the issue. I add "websites" on this PC often, so I need to see the list of the websites for every new website I design and now with the windows reload, I have none loaded in IIS. I tried the powershell command. Didn't work. Tried to locate the update including the powershell thing, still didn't work. I uninstalled IIS, rebooted, installed it, rebooted, still blank screen. My antivirus is Avast and was and still is disabled. BTW, if I do http://localhost/ in my browser, I get the default IIS screen. I HAVE to have to point to a websites folder on a separate HDD (no ifs, ands, or buts about that). And I HAVE to be able to add IIS applications/directories/websites/whatever in IIS. So now what do I do?
Tom Tran (WICLOUD CORPORATION) 3,135 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-09-05T03:24:04.8466667+00:00
Hi Robert Williams,

Thanks for the update and for sharing the screenshot. Quick recap: you’ve already gone through a full Windows reinstall, reapplied updates, disabled antivirus, and reinstalled IIS multiple times, yet IIS Manager still shows a completely blank UI (no Sites, no Application Pools, no “Add…” options).

This is a known regression introduced by recent Windows 11 cumulative updates (August/September 2025). The issue is not with IIS itself, your web server and services (W3SVC/WAS) are likely running fine but with the IIS Manager UI. After the update, the file:

C:\Windows\System32\inetsrv\config\administration.config

contains an invalid placeholder:

%WINDOWS_PUBLIC_KEY_TOKEN%

instead of the actual public key token. This breaks the MMC snap-in, leaving the UI empty. Reinstalling IIS or running DISM doesn’t fix it because the corrupted config persists.

Confirmed Affected Updates

KB5064081 (Preview, August 2025)

KB5064401 and KB5065847 (September 2025 cumulative updates)

You can try out these steps:

Backup the Config File

Navigate to:

C:\Windows\System32\inetsrv\config\

Copy administration.config to a safe location.

Edit the File

Open administration.config in Notepad (Run as Administrator).

Find all instances of:

%WINDOWS_PUBLIC_KEY_TOKEN%

Replace them with:

31bf3856ad364e35

Save the file.

Restart IIS Manager

Close and reopen IIS Manager. The Sites and Application Pools should reappear immediately.

Optional checks

Ensure IIS Management Console is enabled:

DISM /Online /Enable-Feature /FeatureName:IIS-ManagementConsole /All /NoRestart

Run SFC/DISM to confirm no other corruption:

sfc /scannow DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

If you prefer not to edit manually, you can restore a clean copy from:

C:\inetpub\history\

(if available).

As for why reinstalling didn’t help was because IIS configuration is file-based. Removing/re-adding the feature doesn’t regenerate administration.config correctly after the update.

For more information, I'd recommend reading through these threads for better clarification when you have the time:

Microsoft Q&A: How to fix IIS Manager UI after Windows Update (August 2025)

IIS Manager showing Blank after KB5064081

Please try out these steps and tell me the results so we can deep-dive into the issue!
Tom Tran (WICLOUD CORPORATION) 3,135 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-09-05T06:09:58.66+00:00

Hi Robert Williams,

Sorry to bother but I noticed you already managed to find the solution in another post. Is it alright for me to make another answer that summarizes your issue + solution so others can find guidance in your post?
Robert Williams 21 Reputation points

2025-09-05T16:13:41.3766667+00:00

@tom tran Sure thing
денис витязь 0 Reputation points

2025-09-05T22:10:45.1733333+00:00

Thank you so much! Replacing %WINDOWS_PUBLIC_KEY_TOKEN% fixed my problem.
M.REHAN GAZDAR 0 Reputation points

2025-09-08T09:18:37.4366667+00:00

thanks Robert Williams query resolved now.
Robert Lane 10 Reputation points

2025-09-09T14:44:03.15+00:00

That's amazing, thank you so much! I thought my dementia was getting worse when I went into IISAdmin and there was nothing there.... had me doubting if it was the correct tool! The replacement of %WINDOWS_PUBLIC_KEY_TOKEN% did the trick. Thanks again!

3 answers

Your answer

Robert Williams 21 Reputation points

2025-09-05T02:58:33.36+00:00

UPDATE - 9-4-2025:

Prior to me getting any replies, I kept messing with the IIS (inetpub) and went through the uninstall/reinstall of IIS. Did not work. I also noticed some other issues and despite the considerable loss of time, I backed up all my stuff, wiped, and reloaded windows and have reloaded most of my stuff back. So now I am back and windows automatically installed a very few updates (see photo). As you can see, that number doesn't match and I still have the issue. I add "websites" on this PC often, so I need to see the list of the websites for every new website I design and now with the windows reload, I have none loaded in IIS. I tried the powershell command. Didn't work. Tried to locate the update including the powershell thing, still didn't work. I uninstalled IIS, rebooted, installed it, rebooted, still blank screen. My antivirus is Avast and was and still is disabled. BTW, if I do http://localhost/ in my browser, I get the default IIS screen. I HAVE to have to point to a websites folder on a separate HDD (no ifs, ands, or buts about that). And I HAVE to be able to add IIS applications/directories/websites/whatever in IIS. So now what do I do?
Tom Tran (WICLOUD CORPORATION) 3,135 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-09-05T06:09:58.66+00:00

Hi Robert Williams,

Sorry to bother but I noticed you already managed to find the solution in another post. Is it alright for me to make another answer that summarizes your issue + solution so others can find guidance in your post?
Robert Williams 21 Reputation points

2025-09-05T16:13:41.3766667+00:00

@tom tran Sure thing
денис витязь 0 Reputation points

2025-09-05T22:10:45.1733333+00:00

Thank you so much! Replacing %WINDOWS_PUBLIC_KEY_TOKEN% fixed my problem.
M.REHAN GAZDAR 0 Reputation points

2025-09-08T09:18:37.4366667+00:00

thanks Robert Williams query resolved now.
Robert Lane 10 Reputation points

2025-09-09T14:44:03.15+00:00

That's amazing, thank you so much! I thought my dementia was getting worse when I went into IISAdmin and there was nothing there.... had me doubting if it was the correct tool! The replacement of %WINDOWS_PUBLIC_KEY_TOKEN% did the trick. Thanks again!

Answer 1

Hi Robert Williams,

Thanks for sharing the details. I understand IIS Manager on your Windows 11 machine is showing a completely blank UI (no Sites, no Application Pools, no “Add…” options) after recent updates, even though IIS was working fine before. This has been reported after recent cumulative updates (e.g., KB5064081) and sometimes antivirus interference.

From your description:

IIS Manager opens but the Connections tree is empty.
localhost does nothing.
Reinstalling IIS didn’t help.

Most likely causes:

Corrupted or mismatched IIS config files (administration.config or applicationHost.config) after Windows Update.
IIS Management Console feature disabled during update.
Antivirus interference (e.g., Malwarebytes blocking IIS components).
System file corruption after update.

You can try out these steps:

Restore IIS Management Config from History

IIS automatically keeps backups in C:\inetpub\history. Steps:

Stop IIS services:

net stop w3svc
net stop was

Navigate to:

C:\inetpub\history\CFGHISTORY_*

Copy the latest administration.config (and optionally applicationHost.config) to:

C:\Windows\System32\inetsrv\config\

Restart services:

net start was
net start w3svc

Reference: Configuration History in IIS

Re-enable IIS Management Console

Sometimes the update disables the UI feature.

GUI: Control Panel → Programs → Turn Windows features on or off → Internet Information Services → Web Management Tools → IIS Management Console
DISM Command:

DISM /Online /Enable-Feature /FeatureName:IIS-ManagementConsole /All /NoRestart

Reference: Install IIS and Management Tools

Check Antivirus Interference

If you use Malwarebytes or similar:

Disable or uninstall temporarily.
Remove IIS, reboot, reinstall IIS + Management Console. Community case: IIS Manager blank after Malwarebytes

Repair Windows Components

Run these in elevated CMD:

DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
sfc /scannow

Reference: Run DISM and SFC

If KB5064081 is Installed

This preview update is linked to the issue. If possible:

wusa /uninstall /kb:5064081 /quiet /norestart

If uninstall fails (error 0x800f0825), consider an in-place repair upgrade. Reference: IIS Manager blank after KB5064081

Why Reinstall Alone Didn’t Help

IIS config is file-based. Removing/re-adding the feature doesn’t fix a corrupted administration.config. Restoring from history or repairing Windows components is key.

Reference: Using Configuration History

I recommend you take a look at similar cases under here because they have great solutions as simple as turning off antivirus software and reinstalling IIS again:

This is a UI-only issue (common after updates). Your sites and app pools are running fine. It should be recoverable without OS reinstall.

Please try these steps and let me know what happens! Feel free to reach out if you have any more questions!

Robert Williams 21 Reputation points

2025-09-05T02:50:41.6366667+00:00

My answer/reply is below.

Answer 2

KK Leong 35

Looks like we may need to uninstall Windows Update KB5064081. Two of my computer return to normal and operational. Internet Information Services Manager back to normal.

Robert Williams 21 Reputation points

2025-09-05T02:50:31.1033333+00:00

My answer/reply is below.

Answer 3

Hi Robert Williams,

Issue Summary:

After recent Windows 11 updates, IIS Manager on the user’s machine displayed a completely blank UI (no Sites, no Application Pools, no options). Reinstalling IIS, running DISM/SFC, and even a full Windows reinstall did not resolve the issue. The underlying IIS services were running, but the management console was broken.

Root Cause:

A regression in recent cumulative updates (KB5064081, KB5064401, KB5065847) introduced an invalid placeholder %WINDOWS_PUBLIC_KEY_TOKEN% in C:\Windows\System32\inetsrv\config\administration.config, causing the IIS MMC snap-in to fail.

Solution:

Backup administration.config.
Edit the file and replace %WINDOWS_PUBLIC_KEY_TOKEN% with 31bf3856ad364e35.
Save and restart IIS Manager.
(Optional) Verify IIS Management Console feature is enabled and run sfc /scannow and DISM /RestoreHealth.

After this fix, IIS Manager UI should function normally.

If you find my answer useful - please feel free to mark it as you like so others can seek guidance from your post.

Thank you so much for your patience and your time. Hope you have a great day!

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IIS no longer displaying my websites

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