Smbdirect Service Defaults in Windows 11

The Smbdirect service does not exist in:

Default Settings

Startup type: Manual
Display name:Smbdirect
Service name:smbdirect
Service type:filesys
Error control:normal
Group:Network
Path:%SystemRoot%\System32\DRIVERS\smbdirect.sys
Registry key:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\smbdirect

Default Behavior

Smbdirect is a file system driver. In Windows 11 it starts only if the user, an application or another service starts it. If Smbdirect fails to start, the failure details will be recorded into Event Log. Then Windows 11 should boot up and notify the user about the smbdirect service startup failure.

Restore Default Startup Configuration of Smbdirect

1. Run the Command Prompt as an administrator.

2. Copy the command below, paste it into the command window and press ENTER:

sc config smbdirect start= demand

3. Close the command window and restart the computer.

The smbdirect service is using the smbdirect.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.