{"id":324,"date":"2013-12-28T13:31:21","date_gmt":"2013-12-28T21:31:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.coretechnologies.com\/blog\/?p=324"},"modified":"2026-09-05T20:17:39","modified_gmt":"2026-09-06T03:17:39","slug":"essential-tools-for-windows-services-net-command","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.coretechnologies.com\/blog\/windows-services\/essential-tools-for-windows-services-net-command\/","title":{"rendered":"Essential Tools for Windows Services: The NET Command"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><!-- Video: How to use NET to Start and Stop your Windows Services. --><\/p>\n<div align=\"left\" class=\"video-responsive image-padding\">\n<iframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" class=\"lazyload\" data-src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/SsHR-BEy0U4?rel=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"margin-top:30px;\">If you manage Windows Services and are comfortable working from the <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.microsoft.com\/en-us\/windows-server\/administration\/windows-commands\/windows-commands\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">command line<\/a>, then the Windows NET.EXE command should be in your toolkit. Use it to easily start, stop, pause or restart any service from an <a href=\"\/WindowsServices\/FAQ.html#ElevatedPrompt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">elevated command prompt<\/a>, or in a convenient script\/batch file.\n<\/p>\n<hr class=\"blog-section\">\n<div style=\"width:100%;margin-bottom:30px;\">\n<div style=\"margin:0px;float:right;\"><a href=\"#top\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.coretechnologies.com\/images\/top.jpg\" border=\"0\" width=\"50\" height=\"18\" title=\"Go to the top\" alt=\"\"><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"blog-caption\">Using NET to stop a Windows Service<\/h2>\n<p>To stop a service, run:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><b>net stop &lt;Service-Name&gt;<\/b><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>where &lt;Service-Name&gt; is the <a href=\"\/WindowsServices\/FAQ.html#FindServiceName\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">name of the service<\/a>. Be sure to enclose it in quotes if it contains a space!\n<\/p>\n<p>\nFor example, to stop the Print Spooler service (named &#8220;Spooler&#8221;), run:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><b>net stop Spooler<\/b><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>\nHere is what it looks like on our Windows Server 2016 computer:<br \/>\n<a href=\"\/blog\/images\/stop-spooler-windows-service.gif\" class=\"zoomPopup\" title=\"NET: Stopping the Print Spooler Service\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/blog\/images\/stop-spooler-windows-service.gif\" border=\"0\" title=\"NET: Stopping the Print Spooler Service (click to enlarge)\" alt=\"NET: Stopping the Print Spooler Service\" \/><\/a>\n<\/p>\n<p>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.\n<\/p>\n<hr class=\"blog-section\">\n<div style=\"width:100%;margin-bottom:30px;\">\n<div style=\"margin:0px;float:right;\"><a href=\"#top\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.coretechnologies.com\/images\/top.jpg\" border=\"0\" width=\"50\" height=\"18\" title=\"Go to the top\" alt=\"\"><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"blog-caption\">Starting a Windows Service with NET<\/h2>\n<p>To start an idle Windows Service, run:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><b>net start &lt;Service-Name&gt;<\/b><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>If all goes well, your service (and any other service it depends on to operate) will be started after a few seconds:\n<\/p>\n<p>\n<a href=\"\/blog\/images\/start-spooler-windows-service.gif\" class=\"zoomPopup\" title=\"NET: Start the Print Spooler Service\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/blog\/images\/start-spooler-windows-service.gif\" border=\"0\" title=\"NET: Start the Print Spooler Service (click to enlarge)\" alt=\"NET: Start the Print Spooler Service\" \/><\/a>\n<\/p>\n<hr class=\"blog-section\">\n<div style=\"width:100%;margin-bottom:30px;\">\n<div style=\"margin:0px;float:right;\"><a href=\"#top\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.coretechnologies.com\/images\/top.jpg\" border=\"0\" width=\"50\" height=\"18\" title=\"Go to the top\" alt=\"\"><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"blog-caption\">How to Restart a Windows Service with NET.EXE<\/h2>\n<p>\nTo restart a service, say from a batch file, chain the &#8220;net stop&#8221; and &#8220;net start&#8221; commands together like this:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><b>net stop &lt;Service-Name&gt;<br \/>\nnet start &lt;Service-Name&gt;<\/b><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<hr class=\"blog-section\">\n<div style=\"width:100%;margin-bottom:30px;\">\n<div style=\"margin:0px;float:right;\"><a href=\"#top\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.coretechnologies.com\/images\/top.jpg\" border=\"0\" width=\"50\" height=\"18\" title=\"Go to the top\" alt=\"\"><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"blog-caption\">NET will also Pause and Resume Windows Services<\/h2>\n<p>\nNot all services support pause and resume, but if you have one that does, NET can come in handy there as well.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nTo pause a service, type:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><b>net pause &lt;Service-Name&gt;<\/b><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>\nTo resume a paused service, run:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><b>net continue &lt;Service-Name&gt;<\/b><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<hr class=\"blog-section\">\n<div style=\"width:100%;margin-bottom:30px;\">\n<div style=\"margin:0px;float:right;\"><a href=\"#top\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.coretechnologies.com\/images\/top.jpg\" border=\"0\" width=\"50\" height=\"18\" title=\"Go to the top\" alt=\"\"><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"blog-caption\">Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>\n<h3>Why does NET START or NET STOP return &#8220;System error 5 has occurred. Access is denied&#8221;?<\/h3>\n<p>\nThat happens when you don&#8217;t have permissions to control the service.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n<a href=\"\/blog\/windows-services\/net-fix-access-denied\/\">This article<\/a> explores the problem and offers a few solutions.\n<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h3>What service name should I use with NET START and NET STOP?<\/h3>\n<p>\nNET accepts the display name or the official service name. Either one will work:\n<\/p>\n<div align=\"center\"><a href=\"\/blog\/images\/windows-service-names.png\" class=\"zoomPopup\" title=\"Windows Service Names\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"image-padding\" src=\"\/blog\/images\/windows-service-names.png\" title=\"Windows Service Names (click to enlarge)\" alt=\"Windows Service Names\" border=\"0\"><\/a><\/div>\n<p>\nHowever, you must <b>enclose the name in double-quotes<\/b> (&quot;) if it contains a space.\n<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h3>What should I do if NET STOP times out before my service stops?<\/h3>\n<p>\nNET STOP will only wait for 30 seconds for the service to stop. If that&#8217;s not enough and the command times out, you have a few options:\n<\/p>\n<ol type=\"a\">\n<li>\nWait for the service to stop on its own. It may just need a bit more than 30 seconds to wrap up its work.\n<\/li>\n<li>\nUse or free <a href=\"\/products\/ServicePilot\/\">ServicePilot<\/a> utility. It&#8217;s well suited for slower services because it will wait more than 30 seconds &mdash; however long you tell it to.\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<a href=\"\/WindowsServices\/FAQ.html#StuckPending\">Terminate the service<\/a>. That may be your only option if the service is truly stuck and will never finish on its own.\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h3>Can I use NET to control a service on another computer?<\/h3>\n<p>\nNo. For remote control, you can use the <a href=\"\/blog\/windows-services\/essential-tools-windows-services-sc-exe\/\">SC command<\/a> instead.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nHowever, be sure to review <a href=\"\/blog\/windows-services\/net-vs-sc\/\">the differences between NET and SC<\/a>. SC is not a drop-in replacement for NET.\n<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h3>What&#8217;s the difference between NET START\/STOP and SC START\/STOP?<\/h3>\n<p>\n<a href=\"\/blog\/windows-services\/net-vs-sc\/\">This article<\/a> compares NET and SC. There are important differences!\n<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<div style=\"margin-top:40px\" align=\"center\">\n<div class=\"cta-button-1\">\n<table role=\"presentation\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\" align=\"left\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"center\"><a href=\"\/blog\/tag\/windows-services-2\/\" title=\"More about Windows Services\"><span class=\"nobr\">Read more about Windows Services\u2026<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- relpost-thumb-wrapper --><div class=\"relpost-thumb-wrapper\"><!-- filter-class --><div class=\"relpost-thumb-container\"><h3>You may also like...<\/h3><div style=\"clear: both\"><\/div><div style=\"clear: both\"><\/div><!-- relpost-block-container --><div class=\"relpost-block-container relpost-block-column-layout\" style=\"--relposth-columns: 3;--relposth-columns_t: 3; --relposth-columns_m: 2\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.coretechnologies.com\/blog\/srvany\/stop-srvany-service\/\"class=\"relpost-block-single\" ><div class=\"relpost-custom-block-single\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"relpost-block-single-image\" alt=\"Q&amp;A: Why doesn&#039;t Srvany Close my Application when I Stop the Service?\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.coretechnologies.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/gear-question-150x150-1.png\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1\/1\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1\/1\"><\/img><div class=\"relpost-block-single-text\"  style=\"height: 100px;font-family: Arial;  font-size: 12px;  color: #333333;\"><h3 class=\"relpost_card_title\">Q&amp;A: Why doesn&#039;t Srvany Close my Application when I Stop the Service?<\/h3><\/div><\/div><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.coretechnologies.com\/blog\/windows-services\/gui-applications-as-windows-services\/\"class=\"relpost-block-single\" ><div class=\"relpost-custom-block-single\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"relpost-block-single-image\" alt=\"How to Run Your GUI Applications as Windows Services (Without Breaking Them)\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.coretechnologies.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/run-gui-applications-windows-services-150x150-1.webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1\/1\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1\/1\"><\/img><div class=\"relpost-block-single-text\"  style=\"height: 100px;font-family: Arial;  font-size: 12px;  color: #333333;\"><h3 class=\"relpost_card_title\">How to Run Your GUI Applications as Windows Services (Without Breaking Them)<\/h3><\/div><\/div><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.coretechnologies.com\/blog\/windows-services\/windefend\/\"class=\"relpost-block-single\" ><div class=\"relpost-custom-block-single\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"relpost-block-single-image\" alt=\"Essential Windows Services: Microsoft Defender Antivirus Service \/ WinDefend\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.coretechnologies.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/microsoft-defender-150x150-1.webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1\/1\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1\/1\"><\/img><div class=\"relpost-block-single-text\"  style=\"height: 100px;font-family: Arial;  font-size: 12px;  color: #333333;\"><h3 class=\"relpost_card_title\">Essential Windows Services: Microsoft Defender Antivirus Service \/ WinDefend<\/h3><\/div><\/div><\/a><\/div><!-- close relpost-block-container --><div style=\"clear: both\"><\/div><\/div><!-- close filter class --><\/div><!-- close relpost-thumb-wrapper -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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 &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.coretechnologies.com\/blog\/windows-services\/essential-tools-for-windows-services-net-command\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2263,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[291,77,108,139,196],"class_list":["post-324","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-windows-services","tag-access-denied-error","tag-essential-tools","tag-net-exe","tag-sc-exe","tag-windows-services-2"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.coretechnologies.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/324","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.coretechnologies.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.coretechnologies.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.coretechnologies.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.coretechnologies.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=324"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.coretechnologies.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/324\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13713,"href":"https:\/\/www.coretechnologies.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/324\/revisions\/13713"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.coretechnologies.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2263"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.coretechnologies.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=324"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.coretechnologies.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=324"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.coretechnologies.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=324"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}