diff --git a/cmd/containerd/command/main.go b/cmd/containerd/command/main.go
index eb12bb4ba..ca6acfe39 100644
--- a/cmd/containerd/command/main.go
+++ b/cmd/containerd/command/main.go
@@ -190,7 +190,7 @@ can be used and modified as necessary as a custom configuration.`
 
 		if config.Debug.Address != "" {
 			var l net.Listener
-			if filepath.IsAbs(config.Debug.Address) {
+			if isLocalAddress(config.Debug.Address) {
 				if l, err = sys.GetLocalListener(config.Debug.Address, config.Debug.UID, config.Debug.GID); err != nil {
 					return errors.Wrapf(err, "failed to get listener for debug endpoint")
 				}
diff --git a/cmd/containerd/command/main_unix.go b/cmd/containerd/command/main_unix.go
index b8970c6d2..98fd69871 100644
--- a/cmd/containerd/command/main_unix.go
+++ b/cmd/containerd/command/main_unix.go
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ package command
 import (
 	"context"
 	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
 
 	"github.com/containerd/containerd/log"
 	"github.com/containerd/containerd/services/server"
@@ -72,3 +73,7 @@ func handleSignals(ctx context.Context, signals chan os.Signal, serverC chan *se
 	}()
 	return done
 }
+
+func isLocalAddress(path string) bool {
+	return filepath.IsAbs(path)
+}
diff --git a/cmd/containerd/command/main_windows.go b/cmd/containerd/command/main_windows.go
index 774a49618..1803e1808 100644
--- a/cmd/containerd/command/main_windows.go
+++ b/cmd/containerd/command/main_windows.go
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ import (
 	"context"
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
+	"strings"
 	"unsafe"
 
 	"github.com/Microsoft/go-winio/pkg/etw"
@@ -117,3 +118,7 @@ func init() {
 		}
 	}
 }
+
+func isLocalAddress(path string) bool {
+	return strings.HasPrefix(path, `\\.\pipe\`)
+}