diff --git a/mlx/scheduler.cpp b/mlx/scheduler.cpp
index e3612f351..7bd128c10 100644
--- a/mlx/scheduler.cpp
+++ b/mlx/scheduler.cpp
@@ -56,8 +56,16 @@ namespace scheduler {
 
 /** A singleton scheduler to manage devices, streams, and task execution. */
 Scheduler& scheduler() {
+  // Leak the scheduler on Windows to avoid joining threads on exit, can be
+  // removed after Visual Studio fixes bug:
+  // https://developercommunity.visualstudio.com/t/1654756
+#ifdef _WIN32
+  static Scheduler* scheduler = new Scheduler;
+  return *scheduler;
+#else
   static Scheduler scheduler;
   return scheduler;
+#endif
 }
 
 } // namespace scheduler