btstackserver.exe is flagged as a system process and is generally not considered to be a security risk. However, removing Bluetooth Stack may adversely impact your system. Btstackserver.exe process is registered to WidComm. This is part of WidComm bluetooth drivers. btstackserver.exe process is related to another process registered to WidComm, mainly – bttray.exe. Broadcom acquired WidComm in April 2004. Now all ownership of products related to WidComm belong to Broadcom, although for this article’s sake I will continue to refer to WidComm as the creator of the bluetooth software drivers for Windows.

The folder location where this process should be found on disk is %programfiles%\widcomm\bluetooth-software\
Note that %programfiles% stands for the path C:\Program Files on English language Windows computer systems.

What is BTTRAY.EXE?

Bttray.exe is Widcomm’s Bluetooth Tray Application. BTTRAY is the actual user interface while btstackserver.exe is its invisible to the user counterpart, and it sits in the System Tray where, with just a right-click, it enables the user to discover/connect/disconnect/hide nearby Bluetooth devices. You can configure every feature of the Bluetooth software through this icon in the System Tray.

There is no “Close Program” option for this icon, and the reason is that the System Tray is really the best place for quick access to the tools that use Bluetooth devices. This process like btstackserver.exe should not be terminated unless you never use any bluetooth devices with your computer system. To successfully terminate these processes, you need to uninstall from the Control Panel.

Common Error associated with btstackserver.exe

One of the most common “errors” associated with btstackserver.exe is related to Skype. When users try to install Skype on their computer, sometimes it prompts them to install the btstackserver.exe plug-in. This is not an actual error per-se’. The solution to this issue is to install the Widcomm/Broadcom software plug-in only if you are going to use any bluetooth device with Skype.

In the recesses of your computer, 20-40 invisible processes (invisible meaning that they run in the background) run silently depending on how many processes and services you have activated and what Operating System type you are running (For Example Windows Vista uses more than 40 processes itself). Some processes hog your system resources, effectively making your PC perform in a sluggish manner. Also Virus and malware writers are known to use names of legitimate processes to disguise their harmful processes and pass them as the good guys. One example is the svchost.exe process is targeted a lot since it is common knowledge that normally there is between 3-6 svchost.exe processes running at one time on your system, thus if another one is added, the user will probably not notice for a long time unless strict routine checks with virus removal tools and strict folder location vetting (if you know where to look).