diff --git a/pkg/standalone/standalone.go b/pkg/standalone/standalone.go
index 2a1e81ca2..1de5bda44 100644
--- a/pkg/standalone/standalone.go
+++ b/pkg/standalone/standalone.go
@@ -706,7 +706,56 @@ func runSchedulerService(wg *sync.WaitGroup, errorChan chan<- error, info initIn
 		args = append(args, "--etcd-client-listen-address=0.0.0.0")
 	}
 
+	// On non-elevated Windows with WSL2 installed, verify the scheduler ports
+	// are free before attempting the container start, but only when the
+	// scheduler is publishing host ports. WSL2 commonly holds :2379 (etcd)
+	// and the only reliable fix requires an elevated terminal.
+	if info.dockerNetwork == "" && runtime.GOOS == daprWindowsOS && !isWindowsElevated() && isWSLAvailable() {
+		if portErr := checkSchedulerPorts(osPort); portErr != nil {
+			errorChan <- fmt.Errorf(
+				"failed to start scheduler service: %v\n\n"+
+					"A required port is already in use (often due to WSL).\n"+
+					"To resolve this, re-run 'dapr init' in an elevated (Administrator)\n"+
+					"terminal (e.g. right-click → \"Run as administrator\"). When running\n"+
+					"elevated, the CLI will automatically stop and restart WSL and\n"+
+					"Windows networking services as part of the installation process",
+				portErr)
+			return
+		}
+	}
+
+	// On elevated Windows with host-port publishing and WSL2 installed, shut
+	// down WSL2 and stop WinNAT so Docker can re-acquire the scheduler's port
+	// bindings (especially etcd :2379) that WSL2 may be holding.
+	// Skipped when using a Docker network (no host ports) or when WSL is not
+	// present, to avoid unnecessary service disruption.
+	winNATStopped := false
+	if info.dockerNetwork == "" && runtime.GOOS == daprWindowsOS && isWindowsElevated() && isWSLAvailable() {
+		print.InfoStatusEvent(os.Stdout, "Temporarily shutting down WSL to free ports for scheduler installation...")
+		if wslErr := shutdownWSL(); wslErr != nil {
+			print.WarningStatusEvent(os.Stdout, "Failed to shut down WSL: %v. Continuing...", wslErr)
+		}
+		print.InfoStatusEvent(os.Stdout, "Temporarily stopping Windows NAT service to free scheduler ports...")
+		if stopErr := stopWinNAT(); stopErr != nil {
+			print.WarningStatusEvent(os.Stdout, "Failed to stop Windows NAT service: %v. Continuing...", stopErr)
+		} else {
+			winNATStopped = true
+		}
+	}
+
 	_, err = utils.RunCmdAndWait(runtimeCmd, args...)
+
+	// Restore WinNAT and restart WSL regardless of whether the scheduler container started successfully.
+	if info.dockerNetwork == "" && runtime.GOOS == daprWindowsOS && isWindowsElevated() && isWSLAvailable() {
+		if winNATStopped {
+			if startErr := startWinNAT(); startErr != nil {
+				print.WarningStatusEvent(os.Stdout, "Failed to restart Windows NAT service: %v", startErr)
+			}
+		}
+		print.InfoStatusEvent(os.Stdout, "Restarting WSL...")
+		startWSLBackground()
+	}
+
 	if err != nil {
 		runError := isContainerRunError(err)
 		if !runError {
@@ -719,6 +768,24 @@ func runSchedulerService(wg *sync.WaitGroup, errorChan chan<- error, info initIn
 	errorChan <- nil
 }
 
+// checkSchedulerPorts verifies that all ports required by the scheduler
+// service are available. grpcPort is the platform-specific gRPC port
+// (50006 on Linux/Mac, 6060 on Windows).
+func checkSchedulerPorts(grpcPort int) error {
+	return checkPorts(grpcPort, schedulerEtcdPort, schedulerHealthPort, schedulerMetricPort)
+}
+
+// checkPorts returns an error for the first port in the list that is not
+// available, including the port number in the message.
+func checkPorts(ports ...int) error {
+	for _, p := range ports {
+		if err := utils.CheckIfPortAvailable(p); err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("port %d is not available: %w", p, err)
+		}
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
 func schedulerOverrideHostPort(info initInfo) bool {
 	if info.runtimeVersion == "edge" || info.runtimeVersion == "dev" {
 		return true
diff --git a/pkg/standalone/wsl_nowindows.go b/pkg/standalone/wsl_nowindows.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..2065e1d1e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/standalone/wsl_nowindows.go
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+//go:build !windows
+
+/*
+Copyright 2021 The Dapr Authors
+Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+You may obtain a copy of the License at
+    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+limitations under the License.
+*/
+
+package standalone
+
+// isWindowsElevated always returns false on non-Windows platforms.
+func isWindowsElevated() bool { return false }
+
+// isWSLAvailable always returns false on non-Windows platforms.
+func isWSLAvailable() bool { return false }
+
+// shutdownWSL is a no-op on non-Windows platforms.
+func shutdownWSL() error { return nil }
+
+// stopWinNAT is a no-op on non-Windows platforms.
+func stopWinNAT() error { return nil }
+
+// startWinNAT is a no-op on non-Windows platforms.
+func startWinNAT() error { return nil }
+
+// startWSLBackground is a no-op on non-Windows platforms.
+func startWSLBackground() {}
diff --git a/pkg/standalone/wsl_nowindows_test.go b/pkg/standalone/wsl_nowindows_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..86d5c6341
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/standalone/wsl_nowindows_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+//go:build !windows
+
+/*
+Copyright 2021 The Dapr Authors
+Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+You may obtain a copy of the License at
+    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+limitations under the License.
+*/
+
+package standalone
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+)
+
+// TestNoopStubs verifies that every non-Windows stub returns the correct
+// zero/no-op value and does not panic. This guards against accidental breakage
+// of the cross-platform build contract.
+func TestNoopStubs(t *testing.T) {
+	assert.False(t, isWindowsElevated(), "isWindowsElevated must always be false on non-Windows")
+	assert.False(t, isWSLAvailable(), "isWSLAvailable must always be false on non-Windows")
+	assert.NoError(t, shutdownWSL())
+	assert.NoError(t, stopWinNAT())
+	assert.NoError(t, startWinNAT())
+	startWSLBackground() // must not panic
+}
diff --git a/pkg/standalone/wsl_test.go b/pkg/standalone/wsl_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..9c7be4018
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/standalone/wsl_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,94 @@
+/*
+Copyright 2021 The Dapr Authors
+Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+You may obtain a copy of the License at
+    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+limitations under the License.
+*/
+
+package standalone
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"net"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+)
+
+// TestCheckPorts exercises the core port-availability helper used by the
+// Windows WSL2 port-conflict detection path.
+func TestCheckPorts(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Run("returns nil when given no ports", func(t *testing.T) {
+		assert.NoError(t, checkPorts())
+	})
+
+	t.Run("returns nil when all ports are free", func(t *testing.T) {
+		// Port 0 always passes CheckIfPortAvailable (the OS selects a free
+		// ephemeral port), so there is no bind/close race here.
+		assert.NoError(t, checkPorts(0, 0))
+	})
+
+	t.Run("returns error containing port number when port is in use", func(t *testing.T) {
+		ln := holdPort(t)
+		defer ln.Close()
+		port := ln.Addr().(*net.TCPAddr).Port
+
+		err := checkPorts(port)
+		require.Error(t, err)
+		assert.Contains(t, err.Error(), fmt.Sprintf("port %d", port))
+	})
+
+	t.Run("returns error for first occupied port in the list", func(t *testing.T) {
+		ln := holdPort(t)
+		defer ln.Close()
+		busy := ln.Addr().(*net.TCPAddr).Port
+
+		// Port 0 is always free (OS picks an ephemeral port); busy comes second.
+		// We still expect failure once the busy port is reached.
+		err := checkPorts(0, busy)
+		require.Error(t, err)
+		assert.Contains(t, err.Error(), fmt.Sprintf("port %d", busy))
+	})
+
+	t.Run("errors when the first port is occupied, ignoring a free port that follows", func(t *testing.T) {
+		ln := holdPort(t)
+		defer ln.Close()
+		busy := ln.Addr().(*net.TCPAddr).Port
+
+		// busy comes first, port 0 (always free) follows — error must name busy only.
+		err := checkPorts(busy, 0)
+		require.Error(t, err)
+		assert.Contains(t, err.Error(), fmt.Sprintf("port %d", busy))
+		assert.NotContains(t, err.Error(), "port 0")
+	})
+}
+
+// TestCheckSchedulerPorts_PortInUse verifies that checkSchedulerPorts surfaces
+// an error (with the port number) when the gRPC port it is given is already
+// bound. This is the scenario triggered by WSL2 holding scheduler ports.
+func TestCheckSchedulerPorts_PortInUse(t *testing.T) {
+	ln := holdPort(t)
+	defer ln.Close()
+	busyPort := ln.Addr().(*net.TCPAddr).Port
+
+	err := checkSchedulerPorts(busyPort)
+	require.Error(t, err)
+	assert.Contains(t, err.Error(), fmt.Sprintf("port %d", busyPort))
+}
+
+// holdPort binds an OS-assigned port and returns the listener. The caller is
+// responsible for closing it. Using ":0" matches the binding style of
+// utils.CheckIfPortAvailable so the conflict is detected reliably.
+func holdPort(t *testing.T) net.Listener {
+	t.Helper()
+	ln, err := net.Listen("tcp", ":0")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	return ln
+}
diff --git a/pkg/standalone/wsl_windows.go b/pkg/standalone/wsl_windows.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..237f22fde
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/standalone/wsl_windows.go
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+//go:build windows
+
+/*
+Copyright 2021 The Dapr Authors
+Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+You may obtain a copy of the License at
+    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+limitations under the License.
+*/
+
+package standalone
+
+import (
+	"os/exec"
+
+	"golang.org/x/sys/windows"
+
+	"github.com/dapr/cli/utils"
+)
+
+// isWindowsElevated returns true if the current process is running with
+// elevated (Administrator) privileges.
+func isWindowsElevated() bool {
+	return windows.GetCurrentProcessToken().IsElevated()
+}
+
+// isWSLAvailable returns true if the wsl executable is available in PATH.
+func isWSLAvailable() bool {
+	_, err := exec.LookPath("wsl")
+	return err == nil
+}
+
+// shutdownWSL runs `wsl --shutdown` to terminate the WSL2 instance and free any
+// ports it holds.
+func shutdownWSL() error {
+	_, err := utils.RunCmdAndWait("wsl", "--shutdown")
+	return err
+}
+
+// stopWinNAT stops the Windows NAT driver service (WinNat) so that Docker
+// can re-acquire port bindings that WinNAT was caching.
+func stopWinNAT() error {
+	_, err := utils.RunCmdAndWait("net", "stop", "winnat")
+	return err
+}
+
+// startWinNAT starts the Windows NAT driver service after the scheduler
+// container has been created.
+func startWinNAT() error {
+	_, err := utils.RunCmdAndWait("net", "start", "winnat")
+	return err
+}
+
+// startWSLBackground starts WSL in the background to re-initialize WSL
+// networking after a wsl --shutdown. We run a no-op command so the session
+// exits immediately once WSL services are up, then wait in a goroutine to
+// clean up the process handle.
+func startWSLBackground() {
+	cmd := exec.Command("wsl", "--exec", "echo")
+	if err := cmd.Start(); err != nil {
+		return
+	}
+	go func() { _ = cmd.Wait() }()
+}
diff --git a/pkg/standalone/wsl_windows_test.go b/pkg/standalone/wsl_windows_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..1c0de6cec
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/standalone/wsl_windows_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+//go:build windows
+
+/*
+Copyright 2021 The Dapr Authors
+Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+You may obtain a copy of the License at
+    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+limitations under the License.
+*/
+
+package standalone
+
+import (
+	"os/exec"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+)
+
+// TestIsWindowsElevated_Callable verifies the function completes without
+// panicking. The actual return value depends on whether the test process is
+// running as Administrator, so we only log it rather than assert a fixed value.
+func TestIsWindowsElevated_Callable(t *testing.T) {
+	elevated := isWindowsElevated()
+	t.Logf("isWindowsElevated() = %v (test process running as Administrator: %v)", elevated, elevated)
+}
+
+// TestIsWSLAvailable_MatchesLookPath verifies that isWSLAvailable reports the
+// same result as exec.LookPath("wsl"), confirming it accurately reflects
+// whether wsl.exe is on the PATH.
+func TestIsWSLAvailable_MatchesLookPath(t *testing.T) {
+	_, err := exec.LookPath("wsl")
+	expected := err == nil
+	assert.Equal(t, expected, isWSLAvailable(),
+		"isWSLAvailable() should return true iff wsl.exe is on PATH")
+}
+
+// TestStartWSLBackground_DoesNotBlock verifies that startWSLBackground returns
+// promptly regardless of whether WSL is installed. When WSL is absent the
+// internal cmd.Start() fails silently; when present, wsl --exec echo exits
+// immediately and the cleanup goroutine reaps it.
+func TestStartWSLBackground_DoesNotBlock(t *testing.T) {
+	// This must complete without hanging; no assertion on side-effects.
+	startWSLBackground()
+}