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On Windows 10, services are programs that run in the background without a user interface and enable system features (such as printing, networking, remote access, File Explorer, Windows Search, updates, etc.) and apps to operate as intended.
Although the system does a pretty good job managing background services, you may sometimes need to control them manually when a feature or app isn’t working correctly or requires you to manage its services manually.
Whatever the case might be, Windows 10 includes at least four methods to stop, start, disable, or enable services using the Services console, Task Manager, Command Prompt, and PowerShell.
This guide will walk you through the steps to manage system and app services on Windows 10.
How to manage services from Services console
Using the Services consoles is perhaps the simplest method to stop, start, disable, or enable one or multiple services on Windows 10.
Stop service
To stop a running service using Services, use these steps:
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- Open Start.
- Search for Services and click the top result to open the console.
- Double-click the service that you intend to stop.
- Click the Stop button.
- Quick tip: You can also manage the state by right-clicking the service and selecting the option. Or you can select the service and then use the controls at the top to start, stop, pause, or restart.
- Click the Apply button.
- Click the OK button.
Once you complete the steps, the service will stop running on the device.
If you’re unable to stop a system service, consider that some services are required for the operation of Windows 10, and they can’t be stopped.
Start service
To start a service on Windows 10, use these steps:
- Open Start.
- Search for Services and click the top result to open the console.
- Double-click the service that you intend to stop.
- Click the Start button.
- Click the Apply button.
- Click the OK button.
After you complete the steps, the service you specified will start for the current session.
Disable service
To set a service a disabled, use these steps:
- Open Start.
- Search for Services and click the top result to open the console.
- Double-click the service that you intend to stop.
- Click the Stop button.
- Use the «Start type» drop-down menu and select the Disabled option.
- Click the Apply button.
- Click the OK button.
Once you complete the steps, the service will no longer start automatically after restarting your device.
Enable service
To enable a specific service, use these steps:
- Open Start.
- Search for Services and click the top result to open the console.
- Double-click the service that you intend to stop.
- Click the Start button.
- Use the «Start type» drop-down menu and select the Automatic option. These are the Startup types on Windows 10:
- Automatic – service starts at boot.
- Automatic (Delayed Start) – service start after boot.
- Manual – starts service manually as needed.
- Disabled – stops service from running.
- Click the Apply button.
- Click the OK button.
After you complete the steps, the Windows 10 or app service will enable, but if it was in a stopped state, you’d need to start it manually or restart the device for the service to run.
How to manage services from Task Manager
Task Manager also includes a section to manage services for Windows 10 and apps quickly.
To stop, start, or restart a service using Task Manager, use these steps:
- Open Start.
- Search for Task Manager and click the top result to open the app.
- Quick tip: Windows 10 includes many other ways to open the experience, including right-clicking the taskbar and selecting the Task Manager option, and using the «Ctrl + Shift + ESC» keyboard shortcut.
- Click the Services tab.
- Right-click the service name and select one of the options:
- Stop.
- Start.
- Restart.
- Quick note: Task Manager only displays the service name, not the display name. For example, if you’re using this method, you’ll the «Print Spooler» defined as «Spooler.»
Once you complete the steps, the service will respond to the option you selected.
How to manage services from PowerShell
You can also use PowerShell commands to manage background services for Windows 10 and apps.
Stop service
To stop a specific service with PowerShell, use these steps:
- Open Start.
- Search for PowerShell, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.
- (Optional) Type the following command to view a list of all the services and press Enter: Get-Service
- Type the following command to stop a service and press Enter: Stop-Service -Name «SERVICE-NAME»
For example, this command stops the printer spooler service on Windows 10: Stop-Service -Name «spooler»
In the command, replace «SERVICE-NAME» with the name of the service you intend to stop. If you want to use the display name, replace -Name with -DisplayName and then specify the service’s display name.
Alternatively, you can also use this variant of the command to stop the service: Set-Service -Name «SERVICE-NAME» -Status stopped
In the command, replace «SERVICE-NAME» with the name of the service you intend to stop. If you want to use the display name, replace -Name with -DisplayName and then specify the service’s display name. You only need quotation marks if there’s a space within the name.
- Quick tip: If you’re getting a dependency error, you can append the -force option in either of the commands to stop the service. For example, Stop-Service -Name «SERVICE-NAME» -Force.
After you complete the steps, the PowerShell command will stop the service on your device.
Start service
To start a Windows 10 or app service with PowerShell, use these steps:
- Open Start.
- Search for PowerShell, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.
- Type the following command to start a service and press Enter: Start-Service -Name «SERVICE-NAME»
For example, this command starts the printer spooler service on Windows 10: Start-Service -Name «spooler»
In the command, replace «SERVICE-NAME» with the name of the service. Using the display name is supported, replacing -Name with -DisplayName and specifying the service’s display name.
Alternatively, you can also use this variant of the command to start a service: Set-Service -Name «SERVICE-NAME» -Status running
In the command, replace «SERVICE-NAME» with the name of the service. If you want to use the display name, replace -Name with -DisplayName and then specify the service’s display name.
Once you complete the steps, the service will start on your computer.
Disable service
To disable a service using a PowerShell command, use these steps:
- Open Start.
- Search for PowerShell, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.
- Type the following command to disable a service and press Enter: Set-Service -Name «SERVICE-NAME» -Status stopped -StartupType disabled
In the command, update «SERVICE-NAME» for the name of the service. If you want to use the service’s display name, replace -Name with -DisplayName and specify the service name. If you want to disable the service without stopping it immediately, you can remove the -Status stopped portion of the command.
For example, this command disables the printer spooler service on Windows 10: Set-Service -Name «spooler» -Status stopped -StartupType disabled
After you complete the steps, the PowerShell command will disable the specified service.
Enable service
To enable a specific background service with PowerShell, use these steps:
- Open Start.
- Search for PowerShell, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.
- Type the following command to enable a service and press Enter: Set-Service -Name «SERVICE-NAME» -Status running -StartupType automatic
For example, this command enables the printer spooler service using PowerShell: Set-Service -Name «spooler» -Status running -StartupType automatic
- Quick note: You may able to use the display -DisplayName option, but the command may also prompt you to supply the name of the service, adding an extra step to the process. If you want to enable the service without starting it immediately, you can remove the -Status running portion of the command.
Once you complete the steps, PowerShell will enable the service specified with the command.
How to manage services from Command Prompt
If you’re comfortable using the command line, Command Prompt offers the «net» command (older) to stop or start or the «sc» command (newer) to stop, start, disable, or enable services on Windows 10.
Stop service
To stop a Windows 10 or app service with Command Prompt, use these steps:
- Open Start.
- Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.
- (Optional) Type the following command to view a list of all the services and press Enter: sc queryex state=all type=service
- Type the following command to stop a service and press Enter: net stop «SERVICE-NAME»
In the command, replace «SERVICE-NAME» with the name or display the name of the service. You only need quotation marks if there’s a space within the name. For example, this command stops the printer spooler using the service name: net stop «spooler»
Alternatively, you can also use the more advanced «sc» command: sc stop «SERVICE-NAME»
For example, this command stops the printer spooler using the service name: sc stop «spooler»
After you complete the steps, the command will stop the specified service on Windows 10.
Start service
To start a service with the command line, use these steps:
- Open Start.
- Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.
- Type the following command to start a service and press Enter:
n
et start «SERVICE-NAME»
In the command, replace «SERVICE-NAME» with the name or display the name of the service. You only need quotation marks if there’s a space within the name. For example, this command starts the printer spooler using the service name: net start «spooler»
Alternatively, you can also use the «sc» command: sc start «SERVICE-NAME»
For example, this command starts the printer spooler using the service name: sc start «spooler»
Once you complete the steps, the command will execute and start the service you specified.
Disable service
To disable a service with Command Prompt, use these steps:
- Open Start.
- Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.
- Type the following command to disable a service and press Enter: sc config «SERVICE-NAME» start=disabled
In the command, replace «SERVICE-NAME» with the name of the service that you want to disable.
For example, this command disables the printer spooler using the service name: sc config «spooler» start=disabled
- (Optional) Type the following command to stop the service and press Enter: sc stop «SERVICE-NAME»
- Quick note: When you disable a service, it doesn’t stop the current state of the service. You can either restart your computer or stop the service using the above command.
After you complete the steps, the sc command will run disabling the Windows 10 or app service you specified.
Enable service
To enable a service with a command, use these steps:
- Open Start.
- Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.
- Type the following command to enable a particular service and press Enter:
s
c config «SERVICE-NAME» start=auto
In the command, replace «SERVICE-NAME» with the name of the service that you want to enable. For example, this command enables the printer spooler automatically using the service name: sc config «spooler» start=auto
These are alternative commands to enable a particular service:
- Manual: sc config «SERVICE-NAME» start=demand
- Automatic Delayed: sc config «SERVICE-NAME» start=delayed-auto
- (Optional) Type the following command to start the service and press Enter: sc start «SERVICE-NAME»
Once you complete the steps, the service will enable and start automatically on reboot according to the command you used.
You can only use the «net» command to start or stop services. The «sc» command allows you to perform more tasks, including start, stop, enable, or disable services, among other options. If you’re choosing to manage services with command lines, then, in either case, it’s best to use the service name instead of the display name.
Also, when using any of the methods outlined above, consider that making modifications to the default settings can alter the operation of one or more features that depend on that service, negatively affecting the experience. Furthermore, if you restart a service, you might be required to start its dependencies manually as well to make the app or feature operational again.
We’re focusing this guide on Windows 10, but the ability to manage services has been available for several years, which means that you can refer to this guide if you’re still running Windows 8.1, Windows 7, and older versions.
More resources
For more helpful articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10 and Windows 11, visit the following resources:
- Windows 11 on Windows Central — All you need to know
- Windows 10 on Windows Central — All you need to know
Cutting-edge operating system
A refreshed design in Windows 11 enables you to do what you want effortlessly and safely, with biometric logins for encrypted authentication and advanced antivirus defenses.
Mauro Huculak has been a Windows How-To Expert contributor for WindowsCentral.com for nearly a decade and has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides. He also has an IT background and has achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft, Cisco, VMware, and CompTIA. He has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years.
In this post, we will be discussing the topic of how to Enable or Disable Services and how to Start, Stop, Refresh and Restart Services in Windows 11 or Windows 10 using PowerShell, Command Prompt, Task Manager and Net Command.
Windows Services are applications that typically start when the computer is booted and run quietly in the background until it is shut down. Essentially, a service is any Windows application that is implemented with the services API and handles low-level tasks that require little or no user interaction.
The Windows OS when installed and running on your device, actually does a great job of automatically managing services, but sometimes you may need to manually enable or disable a service on demand. Keep in mind that if you disable a service, any dependent services are also affected; and enabling a service does not automatically restart its dependent services.
All Windows Services can be accessed after opening the Windows Services Manager and you can Start, Stop, Disable Windows Services using it.
But you can also use PowerShell and Command Prompt to manage Services.
You must be signed in as an administrator to enable and disable services. It is not recommended to disable services unless you know what functions will be affected, and how the system performance will be impacted generally. If you disable a service and you’re unable to access your computer, you can boot into Safe Mode to enable the service.
Before making changes to the services, we recommend you create a system restore point as a necessary precautionary measure in case the procedure causes system malfunction, you can be able to perform System Restore using the restore point to undo the changes.
Use Task Manager to Stop, Restart or Start Windows Services
You can also Stop, Restart or Start Services using the Task Manager.
Open the Services tab, right-click on the Service and you will see the available options.
Enable or Disable Windows Services using PowerShell
To enable or disable Services using PowerShell in Windows 11/10, do the following:
- Press Windows key + X to open Power User Menu.
- Tap A on the keyboard to launch PowerShell (Windows Terminal) in admin/elevated mode.
- In the PowerShell console, type or copy and paste in the command below and hit Enter to check the current state of all Services:
Get-Service | Format-Table -Auto
To Enable a Service, type the command below you want into the PowerShell console and hit Enter:
Note: Substitute the ServiceName placeholder in each of the commands with the actual service name you want to enable or disable.
(Automatic (Delayed Start))
Set-Service -Name "ServiceName" -StartupType AutomaticDelayedStart
OR
(Automatic)
Set-Service -Name "ServiceName" -StartupType Automatic
OR
(Manual)
Set-Service -Name "ServiceName" -StartupType Manual
To Enable and Start a Service, type the command below you want into the PowerShell console and hit Enter:
(Automatic (Delayed Start))
Set-Service -Name "ServiceName" -StartupType AutomaticDelayedStart -Status Running
OR
(Automatic)
Set-Service -Name "ServiceName" -StartupType Automatic -Status Running
OR
(Manual)
Set-Service -Name "ServiceName" -StartupType Manual -Status Running
To Stop and Disable a Service, type the command below into the PowerShell console and hit Enter:
Set-Service -Name "ServiceName" -StartupType Disabled -Status Stopped
- Exit PowerShell when done.
Enable or Disable Windows Services using Command Prompt
To enable or disable Services using Command Prompt in Windows 11/10, do the following:
- Press Windows key + X to open Power User Menu.
- Tap A on the keyboard to open Windows Terminal in admin/elevated mode.
- Select Command Prompt.
- In the CMD prompt console, type or copy and paste in the command below and hit Enter to check the current state of all Services:
sc queryex state=all type=service
To Enable a Service, type the command below you want into the CMD prompt console and hit Enter:
Note: Substitute the ServiceName placeholder in each of the commands with the actual service name you want to enable or disable.
(Automatic (Delayed Start))
sc config "ServiceName" start=delayed-auto
OR
(Automatic)
sc config "ServiceName" start=auto
OR
(Manual)
sc config "ServiceName" start=demand
To Enable and Start a Service, type the command below you want into the CMD prompt console and hit Enter:
(Automatic (Delayed Start))
sc config "ServiceName" start=delayed-auto && sc start "ServiceName"
OR
(Automatic)
sc config "ServiceName" start=auto && sc start "ServiceName"
OR
(Manual)
sc config "ServiceName" start=demand && sc start "ServiceName"
To Stop and Disable a Service, type the command below into the CMD prompt console and hit Enter:
sc stop "ServiceName" && sc config "ServiceName" start=disabled
- Exit Command Prompt when done.
That’s it!
You must be signed in as an administrator to start, stop, or restart service. Also, you will not be able to start a disabled service until you enable the service.
Start, Stop, or Restart Windows Services using PowerShell
To Start, Stop, or Restart Services in PowerShell in Windows 11/10, do the following:
- Open PowerShell (Windows Terminal) in admin/elevated mode.
To Start a Service, type the command below you want into the PowerShell console and hit Enter:
Note: Substitute the ServiceName and DisplayName placeholder in each of the commands with the actual service name and display name respectively for the Service you want to Start, Stop, or Restart.
Start-Service -Name "ServiceName"
OR
Start-Service -DisplayName "DisplayName"
To Stop a Service, type the command below you want into the PowerShell console and hit Enter:
Stop-Service -Name "ServiceName"
OR
Stop-Service -DisplayName "DisplayName"
To Restart a Service, type the command below you want into the PowerShell console and hit Enter:
Restart-Service -Force -Name "ServiceName"
OR
Restart-Service -Force -DisplayName "DisplayName"
- Exit PowerShell when done.
To Start, Stop, or Restart Services in Task Manager in Windows 11/10, do the following:
- Open Task Manager.
- Click/tap on the Services tab.
- Now, right-click or press and hold on a Service.
- Click/tap on Start, Stop, or Restart.
Note: Start will only be available if the service status is currently stopped. Stop and Restart will only be available if the service status is currently running.
- Exit Task Manager when done.
Start, Stop, or Restart Windows Services using Net Command
To Start, Stop, or Restart Services using Net Command in Windows 11/10, do the following:
- Open Windows Terminal in admin/elevated mode.
- Select Command Prompt or PowerShell.
To Start a Service, type the command below you want into the console and hit Enter:
Note: Substitute the ServiceName and DisplayName placeholder in each of the commands with the actual service name and display name respectively for the Service you want to Start, Stop, or Restart.
net start ServiceName
OR
net start "DisplayName"
To Stop a Service, type the command below you want into the console and hit Enter:
net stop ServiceName
OR
net stop "DisplayName"
- Exit Windows Terminal when done.
Start, Stop, or Restart Services using Command Prompt
To Start, Stop, or Restart Services using Command Prompt in Windows 11/10, do the following:
- Open Windows Terminal in admin/elevated mode.
- Select Command Prompt.
To Start a Service, type the command below into the CMD prompt console and hit Enter:
Note: Substitute the ServiceName placeholder in each of the commands with the actual service name for the Service you want to Start, Stop, or Restart.
sc start ServiceName
To Stop a Service, type the command below into the CMD prompt console and hit Enter:
sc start ServiceName
- Exit Command Prompt when done.
How to Refresh a Windows Service?
When you refresh any Windows Service, the contents are re-read into the memory and the changes are reflected the next time the service is accessed. Here’s how you can Refresh a Service:
- Open Services Manager
- Locate the Service you want to refresh
- Right-click on it and select Refresh.
That’s it! Hope you find this post informative and helpful enough.
Read: Services Start, Stop or Startup type grayed out in Windows
What Microsoft startup services can I disable?
There are a couple of Windows 11/10 Services that are safe to disable, including:
- AVCTP service – Disable it if you do not use Bluetooth Audio Device or Wireless Headphones.
- BitLocker Drive Encryption Service – disable it if you do not use BitLocker storage encryption.
- Bluetooth Support Service – Disable it if you do not use any Bluetooth device
- Computer Browser – This will then disable Network discovery of systems on the local network
- Connected User Experiences and Telemetry – Disables Feedback, Telemetry and Data Collection
- Diagnostic Policy Service
- Etc.
Read: Services Start, Stop or Startup type grayed out in Windows
What happens if I disable all Microsoft services?
For example, the wireless services control your Wi-Fi card and if you disable that service, you may be unable to wirelessly connect your Windows 11/10 to a network. Intel has quite a few services which never really hog system resources. Lastly, any graphics card services should remain enabled.
HOT TIP: Windows 11 Repair and Recovery Tool is available FREE for now; go get it while you can as you never know when you may need it!
This post discusses how to enable, disable, stop, or start different services on Windows 11. If you are facing issues with any service installed on your computer, this article will guide you on how to find and resolve the underlying causes.
Windows 11 relies on services, which are small background programs responsible for the smooth operation of the system and applications. These services perform diverse tasks such as file sharing, printing, network connections, and user authentication.
To manage these essential services in Windows 11, you can utilize the Services snap-in. This user-friendly interface allows you to view, start, stop, pause, resume, and configure services effortlessly. Moreover, you have the option to configure services using Task Manager and execute commands through PowerShell or Command Prompt.
Read Also: Which Services You Can Safely Disable on Windows 11
1. Start and Stop Services on Windows 11 using Task Manager
Task Manager offers users the ability to stop or start services on Windows 11 right on its interface. However, with this, you don’t get the option to modify the startup type of any services. Here’s how to use task manager to configure a service in Windows.
- Right-click anywhere on the taskbar, and select Task Manager. Alternatively, one may also use the Ctrl + Shift + Esc hotkey to open the Task Manager.
- Go to the last tab on the left navigation and you will enter the Services list.
- Scroll down and locate the service that you would like to modify from here.
- Right-click on a specific service, and choose between the options – Start, Stop, or Restart.
Note: Since the services list is quite long in Windows, you may use the Search bar to search for any particular service. Type the Services name in the text field, and press the Enter key.
2. Stop and Start Services using the Services app
The Services is an inbuilt app on Windows that let you stop, start, disable, or even re-enable services. Using this app is quite easy and for that, you need to follow these simple steps –
- Press Windows + R to launch the Run dialog.
- Type “
services.msc
” without quotes inside it, and hit OK. - When the Services app launches, scroll down and locate the service that you want to modify.
- Once found, right-click on that particular service, and select Properties.
- When its properties window opens up, use the drop-down menu next to Startup type, and select your preferred option.
- In the end, click Stop/Start to turn off/on the selected service on your computer.
- Click Apply > OK to confirm the recent changes on your Windows 11 PC.
Note: It is possible to stop and start a service right from the context menu. However, you can’t modify its startup type option proceeding this way.
3. Configure Services using Command Prompt
You may also use Command Prompt as administrator to stop, restart, enable, or disable different services on your Windows PC. Before you proceed ahead and perform any of the above-mentioned tasks, it is essential to know the name of a service that you would like to configure.
For this, you require opening CMD as administrator and then running the following code on it.
sc queryex state=all type=service
You will now be able to view all services with their specific Service Names. Now that you know the Service Name of a particular service, perform either of the below tasks on your computer.
3.1 Stopping a Service
To stop a service using CMD on your Windows 11 PC, copy/paste the below code on it, and press Enter.
net stop Service_Name
Note: Make sure to replace the Name-Service in the above command with the exact name of the Service Name of the service.
Doing so will stop the typed-in service in the above command. For example, use net stop "spooler"
to stop the Print Spooler service on your PC.
3.2 Restarting a Service
If you would like to start or restart an already-stopped service in Windows 11, run this code on the elevated console.
net start Service_Name
3.3 Disabling or Turning off a Service
To turn off or disable a particular service from running on your computer, copy/paste the below code, and press Enter.
sc config Service_Name start=disabled
3.4 Enabling or Turning On a Service
To re-enable a service on Windows 11, you require to execute the following code on the elevated console.
sc config Service_Name start=auto
Type the following command to enable a specific service and press Enter:
3.5 Set the Service to start on demand
If you want a particular service to start on demand, run this code.
sc config Service_Name start=demand
3.6 Automatic Delayed start of a service
To start a service automatically but with a delay, you need to execute the below command.
sc config Service_Name start=delayed-auto
4. Manage Services in Windows 11 using PowerShell
If you want, you may configure internal as well as external services in Windows 11 using PowerShell as well. For this, you need to first launch Windows Terminal (Admin) and when this launches, execute the below codes inside it –
Windows 10 users may launch PowerShell as administrator instead, and then run the following cmdlets on it.
4.1 View all Services
Before you make any changes to the existing service, you need to first know about the service name and all. So, copy/paste the below code on the elevated console, and press Enter.
Get-Service
Windows PowerShell will now display all the services with their Service_Name which you require to either stop, start, enable, or disable on your PC.
4.2 Stopping a Service
To stop a service from running on your Windows PC, you may copy/paste the following on the elevated PowerShell, and press the Enter key.
Stop-Service -Name "Service_Name"
Note: Make sure to replace the Service_Name in the above code with the exact name of the service which you would like to remove from your system.
For example, you may use this code Stop-Service -Name "defragsvc"
to stop the Disk Defragmenter Service on your PC.
4.3 Starting a Service
To start or restart a service using PowerShell, execute the following code on the elevated console.
Start-Service -Name "Service_Name"
4.4 Disabling a Service
If you would like to disable a particular service from running on your computer, you may run this simple code –
Set-Service -Name "Service_Name" -Status stopped -StartupType disabled
4.5 Enabling a Service
In case you would like to restart an already disabled service in Windows, copy/paste the below code, and press Enter.
Set-Service -Name "Serivce_Name" -Status running -StartupType automatic
4.6 Enable a service using the automatic delayed startup option
You may run the following command to enable a service with a delayed automatic startup option.
Set-Service -Name "Service_Name" -StartupType AutomaticDelayed
That’s it, I hope you are now able to stop and start services on your Windows 11 PC.
on August 15, 2010
We normally use Services.msc to start or stop or disable or enable any service. We can do the same from windows command line also using net and sc utilities. Below are commands for controlling the operation of a service.
Command to stop a service:
net stop servicename
To start a service:
net start servicename
You need to have administrator privileges to run net start/stop commands. If you are just a normal user on the computer, you would get an error like below.
C:\>net start webclient System error 5 has occurred. Access is denied. C:\>
To disable a service:
sc config servicename start= disabled
To enable a service:
sc config servicename start= demand
To make a service start automatically with system boot:
sc config servicename start= auto
Note: Space is mandatory after ‘=’ in the above sc commands.
This SC command works on a Windows 7 machine and also on the down-level editions of Windows i.e Windows XP/2003 and Windows Vista. Again, if you do not have administrator previliges you would get the below error.
C:\>sc config webclient start= auto [SC] OpenService FAILED 5: Access is denied.
Note that the service name is not the display name of a service. Each service is given a unique identification name which can be used with net or sc commands. For example, Remote procedure call (RPC) is the display name of the service. But the service name we need to use in the above commands is RpcSs.
So to start Remote procedure call service the command is:
net start RpcSsTo stop Remote procedure call service
net stop RpcSs
These service names are listed below for each service. The first column shows the display name of a service and the second column shows the service name that should be used in net start or net stop or sc config commands.
Display Name of the service | ServiceName which should be used with ‘net’ and ‘sc config’ commands. |
Alerter | Alerter |
Application Layer Gateway Service | ALG |
Application Management | AppMgmt |
ASP.NET State Service | aspnet_state |
Windows Audio | AudioSrv |
Background Intelligent Transfer Service | BITS |
Computer Browser | Browser |
Bluetooth Support Service | BthServ |
Bluetooth Service | btwdins |
SMS Agent Host | CcmExec |
Indexing Service | CiSvc |
ClipBook | ClipSrv |
.NET Runtime Optimization Service v2.0.50727_X86 | clr_optimization_v2.0.50727_32 |
COM+ System Application | COMSysApp |
Cryptographic Services | CryptSvc |
Cisco Systems, Inc. VPN Service | CVPND |
DCOM Server Process Launcher | DcomLaunch |
DHCP Client | Dhcp |
Logical Disk Manager Administrative Service | dmadmin |
Logical Disk Manager | dmserver |
DNS Client | Dnscache |
Lenovo Doze Mode Service | DozeSvc |
Error Reporting Service | ERSvc |
Event Log | Eventlog |
COM+ Event System | EventSystem |
Intel(R) PROSet/Wireless Event Log | EvtEng |
Fast User Switching Compatibility | FastUserSwitchingCompatibility |
Windows Presentation Foundation Font Cache 3.0.0.0 | FontCache3.0.0.0 |
Group Policy Monitor | GPMON_SRV |
Help and Support | helpsvc |
HID Input Service | HidServ |
HTTP SSL | HTTPFilter |
ThinkPad PM Service | IBMPMSVC |
Windows CardSpace | idsvc |
IMAPI CD-Burning COM Service | ImapiService |
iPassConnectEngine | iPassConnectEngine |
iPassPeriodicUpdateApp | iPassPeriodicUpdateApp |
iPassPeriodicUpdateService | iPassPeriodicUpdateService |
IviRegMgr | IviRegMgr |
Server | lanmanserver |
Workstation | lanmanworkstation |
Lenovo Camera Mute | LENOVO.CAMMUTE |
Lenovo Microphone Mute | Lenovo.micmute |
TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper | LmHosts |
Intel(R) Management and Security Application Local Management Service | LMS |
McAfee Framework Service | McAfeeFramework |
McAfee McShield | McShield |
McAfee Task Manager | McTaskManager |
Machine Debug Manager | MDM |
Messenger | Messenger |
NetMeeting Remote Desktop Sharing | mnmsrvc |
Distributed Transaction Coordinator | MSDTC |
Windows Installer | MSIServer |
Net Driver HPZ12 | Net Driver HPZ12 |
Network DDE | NetDDE |
Network DDE DSDM | NetDDEdsdm |
Net Logon | Netlogon |
Network Connections | Netman |
Net.Tcp Port Sharing Service | NetTcpPortSharing |
Network Location Awareness (NLA) | Nla |
NT LM Security Support Provider | NtLmSsp |
Removable Storage | NtmsSvc |
Microsoft Office Diagnostics Service | odserv |
Office Source Engine | ose |
Plug and Play | PlugPlay |
Pml Driver HPZ12 | Pml Driver HPZ12 |
IPSEC Services | PolicyAgent |
Power Manager DBC Service | Power Manager DBC Service |
Protected Storage | ProtectedStorage |
Remote Access Auto Connection Manager | RasAuto |
Remote Access Connection Manager | RasMan |
Remote Desktop Help Session Manager | RDSessMgr |
Intel(R) PROSet/Wireless Registry Service | RegSrvc |
Routing and Remote Access | RemoteAccess |
Remote Registry | RemoteRegistry |
Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Locator | RpcLocator |
Remote Procedure Call (RPC) | RpcSs |
QoS RSVP | RSVP |
Intel(R) PROSet/Wireless WiFi Service | S24EventMonitor |
Security Accounts Manager | SamSs |
Smart Card | SCardSvr |
Task Scheduler | Schedule |
Secondary Logon | seclogon |
System Event Notification | SENS |
Windows Firewall/Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) | SharedAccess |
Shell Hardware Detection | ShellHWDetection |
Print Spooler | Spooler |
System Restore Service | srservice |
SSDP Discovery Service | SSDPSRV |
Windows Image Acquisition (WIA) | stisvc |
System Update | SUService |
MS Software Shadow Copy Provider | SwPrv |
Performance Logs and Alerts | SysmonLog |
Telephony | TapiSrv |
Terminal Services | TermService |
Themes | Themes |
ThinkVantage Registry Monitor Service | ThinkVantage Registry Monitor Service |
Telnet | TlntSvr |
On Screen Display | TPHKSVC |
Distributed Link Tracking Client | TrkWks |
TVT Scheduler | TVT Scheduler |
Windows User Mode Driver Framework | UMWdf |
Intel(R) Management & Security Application User Notification Service | UNS |
Universal Plug and Play Device Host | upnphost |
Uninterruptible Power Supply | UPS |
Volume Shadow Copy | VSS |
Windows Time | W32Time |
WebClient | WebClient |
Windows Management Instrumentation | winmgmt |
Portable Media Serial Number Service | WmdmPmSN |
Windows Management Instrumentation Driver Extensions | Wmi |
WMI Performance Adapter | WmiApSrv |
Security Center | wscsvc |
Automatic Updates | wuauserv |
SMS Remote Control Agent | Wuser32 |
Wireless Zero Configuration | WZCSVC |
Network Provisioning Service | xmlprov |
Table of Contents
In this tutorial, we will see 3 ways to start/stop/restart services in Windows. Services are mostly required when you need to have some long running functionality in your Server. As you might be aware Microsoft Windows has number of services running at any point of time. A service is basically a long running executable applications that run in their own Windows sessions. You can run services in multiple user contexts. You don’t have to necessarily use the logged in user account. A service can be started, stopped and restarted. In Windows System, you can use multiple methods to stop/start/restart service that we will see in below section. More on Microsoft official website.
Also Read: VBoxManage — An Introduction to VirtualBox CLI with Examples
Method 1: Using CMD
a) Open CMD
You can go to search box and type CMD
to open the command line. Once it shows up, right click on it and then click on Run as administrator
.
b) Start/Stop/Restart a Service
If you want to start a service then you need to use net start <service>
command. Here we are starting Windows Update services by using net start wuauserv
command as shown below.
C:\>net start wuauserv
The Windows Update service is starting.
The Windows Update service was started successfully.
If you want to stop a service then you need to use net stop <service>
command. Here we are stopping Windows Update service by using net stop wuauserv
command as shown below.
C:\>net stop wuauserv
The Windows Update service is stopping.
The Windows Update service was stopped successfully.
In CMD, there is no such option called restart so what you can do is that you can perform net stop <service_name>
and net start <service_name>
simultaneously as shown below. This will work as if you have restarted the service.
C:\>net stop wuauserv && net start wuauserv
The Windows Update service is stopping.
The Windows Update service was stopped successfully.
The Windows Update service is starting.
The Windows Update service was started successfully.
Method 2: Using PowerShell
a) Open PowerShell
You can go to search box and type PowerShell
. Once it shows up, right click on it and then click on Run as administrator
.
b) Start/Stop/Restart a Service
If you want to start a windows service then you need to use Start-Service -Name <service_name>
command. You can also check the progress by using -Verbose
option.
PS C:\> Start-Service -Name wuauserv -Verbose
VERBOSE: Performing the operation "Start-Service" on target "Windows Update (wuauserv)".
If you want to stop a windows service then you need to use Stop-Service -Name <service_name>
command. You can also check the progress by using -Verbose
option.
PS C:\> Stop-Service -Name wuauserv -Verbose
VERBOSE: Performing the operation "Stop-Service" on target "Windows Update (wuauserv)".
If you want to restart a windows service then you need to use Restart-Service -Name <service_name>
command. You can also check the progress by using -Verbose
option.
PS C:\> Restart-Service -Name wuauserv -Verbose
VERBOSE: Performing the operation "Restart-Service" on target "Windows Update (wuauserv)".
Method 3: Using GUI
a) Open Services
You can open Run prompt by pressing Windows+R
and then typing services.msc
to open Services or you can directly search services.msc
in the Search section to open Services. Once it shows up, right click on it and then select Run as administrator
.
b) Start/Stop/Restart a Service
You can double click and open the service as shown below. Then Click on Start
to start the service. The other way is to right click on that service and then start from there.
Similarly if you want to stop any service then double click on that service and open it as shown below. Here you can click on Stop
to stop the service. Alternatively, you can also right click on that service and then Click on Stop
to shutdown the service.
You will also have the option to restart the service. For example here I am restarting the Windows Event Log service by clicking on Restart
as shown below. Alternatively, you can also right click on that service and then click on Restart
.