Volume Manager Driver (volmgr) Service Defaults in Windows 11

Default Settings

Startup type: Boot
Display name:Volume Manager Driver
Service name:volmgr
Service type:kernel
Error control:critical
Group:System Bus Extender
Path:%SystemRoot%\System32\drivers\volmgr.sys
Registry key:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\volmgr

Default Behavior

Volume Manager Driver is a kernel driver. In Windows 11 it starts by the operating system Boot Loader before the Kernel initialization, as a part of the driver stack. If Volume Manager Driver fails to start, Windows 11 tries to record the error details into Event Log and restart the PC, using the Last Known Good configuration. If the Last Known Good configuration can't be used, Windows 11 startup process halts with a Stop error. If you disable or delete the volmgr service, Windows 11 won't start.

Restore Default Startup Configuration of Volume Manager Driver

1. Run the Command Prompt as an administrator.

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

sc config volmgr start= boot
sc start volmgr

3. Close the command window and restart the computer.

The volmgr service is using the volmgr.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.