How to Restart Service Using Command Prompt?

You can restart a service using the Command Prompt on Windows by using the net stop and net start commands or the sc command. Below are the steps and details for restarting a service.

Method 1: Using net Command

1. Open Command Prompt with Admin Privileges
   • Press Win + S, type “Command Prompt,” and select Run as administrator.
2. Stop the Service Use the following command to stop the service:

   net stop <service_name>
   

   Replace <service_name> with the actual name of the service.

3. Start the Service After stopping the service, start it again using:

   net start <service_name>
   

4. Example To restart the Windows Update service:

   net stop wuauserv
   net start wuauserv
   

Method 2: Using sc Command

The sc (Service Control) command offers more control over Windows services.

1. Restart Service with sc You can directly restart a service using:

   sc stop <service_name> && sc start <service_name>
   

2. Example To restart the Print Spooler service:

   sc stop Spooler && sc start Spooler
   

3. Query the Service Status Before restarting, you can check the current status of the service:

   sc query <service_name>
   

Finding the Service Name

To find the correct service name:

1. Press Win + R, type services.msc, and press Enter.
2. Locate the desired service in the list.
3. Right-click on it, select Properties, and note the Service Name (not the display name).

Automating the Restart Process

You can create a batch file to automate restarting a service:

1. Open Notepad and enter:

   net stop <service_name>
   net start <service_name>
   

2. Save the file as restart_service.bat.
3. Run the batch file as an administrator.

Important Notes

• Always ensure you have the correct service name, as stopping critical services might impact system stability.
• For critical services, consider restarting the service during a maintenance window.