QWAVE driver (QWAVEdrv) Service Defaults in Windows 11
Quality Windows Audio/Video Experience component driver.
Default Settings
| Startup type: | Manual |
| Display name: | QWAVE driver |
| Service name: | QWAVEdrv |
| Service type: | kernel |
| Error control: | normal |
| Path: | %SystemRoot%\system32\drivers\qwavedrv.sys |
| Registry key: | HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\QWAVEdrv |
Default Behavior
QWAVE driver is a kernel driver. In Windows 11 it starts only if the user, an application or another service starts it. If QWAVE driver fails to start, the failure details will be recorded into Event Log. Then Windows 11 should boot up and notify the user about the QWAVEdrv service startup failure.
Dependencies
If QWAVE driver doesn't work properly, the Quality Windows Audio Video Experience service can't start.
Restore Default Startup Configuration of QWAVE driver
1. Run the Command Prompt as an administrator.
2. Copy the command below, paste it into the command window and press ENTER:
sc config QWAVEdrv start= demand
3. Close the command window and restart the computer.
The QWAVEdrv service is using the qwavedrv.sys file that is located in the C:\Windows\system32\drivers directory. If the file is removed or corrupted, read this article to restore its original version from Windows 11 installation media.