If you manage Windows Services and are comfortable working from the command line, then the Windows NET.EXE command should be in your toolkit. Use it to easily start, stop, pause or restart any service from an elevated command prompt, or in a convenient script/batch file.
Using NET to stop a Windows Service
To stop a service, run:
net stop <Service-Name>
where <Service-Name> is the name of the service. Be sure to enclose it in quotes if it contains a space!
For example, to stop the Print Spooler service (named “Spooler”), run:
net stop Spooler
Here is what it looks like on our Windows Server 2016 computer:
Notice that the NET command will wait for the service to stop before continuing. The only exception is when the service is unresponsive or takes more than 30 seconds to comply.
Starting a Windows Service with NET
To start an idle Windows Service, run:
net start <Service-Name>
If all goes well, your service (and any other service it depends on to operate) will be started after a few seconds:
How to Restart a Windows Service with NET.EXE
To restart a service, say from a batch file, chain the “net stop” and “net start” commands together like this:
net stop <Service-Name>
net start <Service-Name>
NET will also Pause and Resume Windows Services
Not all services support pause and resume, but if you have one that does, NET can come in handy there as well.
To pause a service, type:
net pause <Service-Name>
To resume a paused service, run:
net continue <Service-Name>
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Why does NET START or NET STOP return “System error 5 has occurred. Access is denied”?
That happens when you don’t have permissions to control the service.
This article explores the problem and offers a few solutions.
What service name should I use with NET START and NET STOP?
NET accepts the display name or the official service name. Either one will work:
However, you must enclose the name in double-quotes (") if it contains a space.
What should I do if NET STOP times out before my service stops?
NET STOP will only wait for 30 seconds for the service to stop. If that’s not enough and the command times out, you have a few options:
- Wait for the service to stop on its own. It may just need a bit more than 30 seconds to wrap up its work.
- Use or free ServicePilot utility. It’s well suited for slower services because it will wait more than 30 seconds — however long you tell it to.
- Terminate the service. That may be your only option if the service is truly stuck and will never finish on its own.
Can I use NET to control a service on another computer?
No. For remote control, you can use the SC command instead.
However, be sure to review the differences between NET and SC. SC is not a drop-in replacement for NET.
What’s the difference between NET START/STOP and SC START/STOP?
This article compares NET and SC. There are important differences!
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