diff --git a/spiffworkflow-backend/src/spiffworkflow_backend/routes/process_api_blueprint.py b/spiffworkflow-backend/src/spiffworkflow_backend/routes/process_api_blueprint.py
index 3e7eed530..c29cf2148 100644
--- a/spiffworkflow-backend/src/spiffworkflow_backend/routes/process_api_blueprint.py
+++ b/spiffworkflow-backend/src/spiffworkflow_backend/routes/process_api_blueprint.py
@@ -1708,6 +1708,8 @@ def get_file_from_request() -> Any:
     return request_file
 
 
+# process_model_id uses forward slashes on all OSes
+# this seems to return an object where process_model.id has backslashes on windows
 def get_process_model(process_model_id: str) -> ProcessModelInfo:
     """Get_process_model."""
     process_model = None
diff --git a/spiffworkflow-backend/src/spiffworkflow_backend/services/process_model_service.py b/spiffworkflow-backend/src/spiffworkflow_backend/services/process_model_service.py
index d4fa5647b..964981a85 100644
--- a/spiffworkflow-backend/src/spiffworkflow_backend/services/process_model_service.py
+++ b/spiffworkflow-backend/src/spiffworkflow_backend/services/process_model_service.py
@@ -172,7 +172,6 @@ class ProcessModelService(FileSystemService):
         cls, relative_path: str
     ) -> ProcessModelInfo:
         """Get_process_model_from_relative_path."""
-        process_group_identifier, _ = os.path.split(relative_path)
         path = os.path.join(FileSystemService.root_path(), relative_path)
         return cls.__scan_process_model(path)
 
@@ -430,6 +429,9 @@ class ProcessModelService(FileSystemService):
                 # process_group.process_groups.sort()
         return process_group
 
+    # path might have backslashes on windows, not sure
+    # not sure if os.path.join converts forward slashes in the relative_path argument to backslashes:
+    #   path = os.path.join(FileSystemService.root_path(), relative_path)
     @classmethod
     def __scan_process_model(
         cls,
@@ -446,6 +448,10 @@ class ProcessModelService(FileSystemService):
                     data.pop("process_group_id")
                 # we don't save `id` in the json file, so we add it back in here.
                 relative_path = os.path.relpath(path, FileSystemService.root_path())
+
+                # even on windows, use forward slashes for ids
+                relative_path = relative_path.replace("\\", "/")
+
                 data["id"] = relative_path
                 process_model_info = ProcessModelInfo(**data)
                 if process_model_info is None: