Smart card PnP Class Filter Driver (scfilter) Service Defaults in Windows 11
Smart card reader filter driver enabling smart card PnP.
Default Settings
| Startup type: | Manual |
| Display name: | Smart card PnP Class Filter Driver |
| Service name: | scfilter |
| Service type: | kernel |
| Error control: | normal |
| Group: | PnP Filter |
| Path: | %SystemRoot%\System32\DRIVERS\scfilter.sys |
| Registry key: | HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\scfilter |
Default Behavior
Smart card PnP Class Filter Driver is a kernel driver. In Windows 11 it starts only if the user, an application or another service starts it. If Smart card PnP Class Filter 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 scfilter service startup failure.
Restore Default Startup Configuration of Smart card PnP Class Filter 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 scfilter start= demand
3. Close the command window and restart the computer.
The scfilter service is using the scfilter.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.