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How to Change the Web Help Desk Application Port in 2026.2

After upgrading to version 2026.2, WHD can no longer be accessed on https://<server_name>. It fails with error "Site is not reachable"

First published date

6/25/2026 3:40 PM

Last published date

7/1/2026 6:55 PM

Overview

Web Help Desk (WHD) 2026.2 operates exclusively over HTTPS. As part of this change, the port configuration moved from the legacy whd.conf file to a new environment file, conf\whd.env.  And with that, the application reverts back to the default HTTPS port of 8443.

If your environment requires a different port or was previously configured to listen on the standard HTTPS port of 443, this can be accomplished by editing conf\whd.env and restarting the Caddy service.

Product section

Web Help Desk

Cause

After upgrading to WHD 2026.2, the application URL changes to https://host:8443. Bookmarks, firewall rules, and integrations referencing the previous port may break as a result.

This occurs because:

  • The new default in conf\whd.env is WHD_HTTPS_PORT=8443.

  • The Caddyfile reads these values via {$WHD_HTTPS_PORT:8443}.

  • The installer does not automatically migrate DEFAULT_PORT / HTTPS_PORT values from the legacy whd.conf during upgrade.

Resolution

Step 1: Verify Port Availability

Before changing the port, confirm that the desired port is not already in use by another service. Run the following command in an elevated Command Prompt:

netstat -ano | findstr " :443 "

If the command returns output, port 443 is occupied. Identify and stop the conflicting service, or choose an available port, before proceeding.

Step 2: Edit the whd.env Configuration File

  1. Navigate to the WHD installation directory and open the following file in a text editor with administrator privileges:

     conf\whd.env

  2. Locate and update the port values:

     WHD_HTTPS_PORT=443

    Replace 443 with your desired port numbers if not using the standard port.

    Note: Avoid surrounding quotes, leading/trailing whitespace, or a byte-order mark (BOM) on these lines. Any of these can cause Caddy to parse the wrong value silently.

Step 3: Restart the WHD-Caddy Service

Port changes only take effect after a full service restart. Run the following command in an elevated PowerShell window:

Restart-Service WHD-Caddy

A configuration reload alone is not sufficient. The service must be fully restarted for the new whd.env values to be read.

Step 4: Update General Options in Setup

After confirming the application starts on the new port, update the application's internal port reference so that email links and other integrations use the correct URL:

  1. Navigate to Setup > General > Options.

  2. Update the host port to match the new port (e.g., 443).

  3. Save the changes.

Additional Notes

  • Privileged ports on Windows: Ports below 1024 (including 443) are privileged. WHD-Caddy must run as LocalSystem (the Windows default) to bind to these ports. No additional configuration is required if the service was installed with default settings.

  • Installer reruns may revert changes: Running the installer again (including an in-place repair) rewrites several keys in whd.env, which can overwrite manual port edits. Re-apply the port changes and restart WHD-Caddy if this occurs.

  • WHD_HOME must be a system environment variable: The Caddy service resolves %WHD_HOME% as a system-level variable. If WHD_HOME is only set at the user or process level, the service may fail to load whd.env, causing port edits to be silently ignored. Verify WHD_HOME is set as a system variable if changes do not take effect.