I’m trying to set up virtual serial ports on my Windows 10 PC, but I’m not sure which software to use or how to configure it. I need this for a project that requires two programs to communicate over a virtual COM port. Has anyone done this successfully or can recommend a reliable solution? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Man, I was literally wrestling with this exact issue last week and here’s how it played out: You want two programs to talk to each other over a virtual COM port on Windows 10? Classic old-school problem with slightly new-school solutions. Tried a bunch of free tools – some work, some are dumpster fires. If you want the real deal, skip the janky stuff and use Virtual Serial Port Driver. No, really, I actually shelled out for it after burning through a couple of flaky “freeware” ports that either crash or come bundled with mysterious “bonuses” (aka malware, lol).
The setup is brain-dead simple with VSPD. Download it, run the installer, and you’ll be making “virtual null-modem cables” faster than you can say “legacy software.” You spin up a pair of linked virtual COM ports (say, COM3 and COM4). Point Program A to COM3, Program B to COM4—they talk like they’re physically wired together. It just works, and you don’t need to be a driver dev to figure it out.
If you want more details or other options—there’s com0com, which is open source, but it takes a science degree to set up, and half the time it screws with Windows driver signing. VSPD just… works. You can find it here: create virtual COM ports seamlessly.
So yeah, if you’re looking for a virtual serial ports emulator on Windows 10 that doesn’t make you want to smash your keyboard or spend the afternoon on random Russian forums, that’s the move. Hope that saves you as many headaches as I had.
Man, virtual COM ports on Windows 10—feels like the 90s refuse to die. Everybody shouts “VSPD” like it’s the holy grail, and @caminantenocturno already sang its praises above, but honestly, sometimes I don’t get why people don’t experiment a bit more. Sure, Virtual Serial Port Driver is slick, but I’ve seen dudes drop cash on it when their actual project just needed a simple loopback for debugging, nothing FANCY.
Here’s a twist: Have you actually considered using the Windows Device Simulation Framework or even Hyper-V’s “COM port over named pipe” trick? If you’re a bit technical, setting up a Hyper-V VM with a COM redirect using a named pipe gives you a pretty functional virtual port that two apps can connect to on the same host, no added software bloat, and no weird “driver not signed” popups that com0com loves to throw at you. Yeah, the docs suck, but it works—and it’s native.
Alternatively, for something a little more user-friendly than com0com but still free, “Free Virtual Serial Ports” by HHD is decent. But, LOL, don’t even bother installing those random sketchy “virtual COM creator” tools that flood Google. Half of them are junkware—no exaggeration.
But hey, if you don’t care about digging around or troubleshooting driver signing hell and want minimal hassle, then VSPD probably wins, not gonna lie. But check out creating virtual RS232 pairs for testing in seconds if the other solutions sound like more work than they’re worth for your project.
tl;dr: If you want polished simplicity, try the app everyone’s talking about; if you like to tinker, Windows already has the tools if you’re willing to dig. Don’t sleep on built-in solutions—they might be clunky, but they’re free and (usually) safe.
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Alright, adding a bit more spice to the convo: so, everyone hypes Virtual Serial Port Driver, and yeah, I get it—there’s a reason it’s almost always top-of-mind. It’s got the “it just works” vibe, dead simple UI, plenty of support, doesn’t try to stealth-drop bloatware on your machine, and handles those virtual null-modem pair connections for your legacy or emulator-heavy projects like a champ. Want polished? Want reliable? It fits the bill, no question.
But let’s be real—there are some downsides, too. You’re paying for convenience, not necessary bells and whistles, and updates can be slow unless you’re on one of their subscription tiers. Plus, for the ultra-casual or one-off use, it might feel like overkill when all you need is a basic pipe. Compared to com0com (which is a pain to set up and cries about drivers), or tools like Free Virtual Serial Ports, you’re trading your time for stability and a price tag.
That said, Virtual Serial Port Driver absolutely wipes the floor with most sketchy freebies and is way less janky than wrestling with driver signing errors or trawling support threads in the depths of archived forums. If you’re just trying to temporarily test two apps that insist on talking over a COM port and can’t fudge it with a named pipe, it’s a solid “install and forget” solution—but don’t expect it to be magical for super weird, niche serial protocols or heavy enterprise setups.
TL;DR: If you want to save yourself headaches like the previous posters faced and don’t mind dropping some cash for a streamlined experience (plus avoiding the malware minefield), Virtual Serial Port Driver is the hands-down favorite. But if you like to tinker, got time, and aren’t ready to pay, look into those other options—but expect a learning curve and (maybe) some forum rage moments.