Windows Time (W32Time) Service Defaults in Windows 11
Maintains date and time synchronization on all clients and servers in the network. If this service is stopped, date and time synchronization will be unavailable. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.
Default Settings
| Startup type: | Manual |
| Display name: | Windows Time |
| Service name: | W32Time |
| Service type: | share |
| Error control: | normal |
| Object: | NT AUTHORITY\LocalService |
| Path: | %SystemRoot%\system32\svchost.exe -k LocalService |
| File: | %SystemRoot%\system32\w32time.dll |
| Registry key: | HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time |
| Privileges: |
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Default Behavior
Windows Time is a Win32 service. In Windows 11 it starts only if the user, an application or another service starts it. When the Windows Time service is started, it logs on as NT AUTHORITY\LocalService and running in a shared process of svchost.exe. If Windows Time fails to start, the failure details will be recorded into Event Log. Then Windows 11 should boot up and notify the user about the W32Time service startup failure.
Restore Default Startup Configuration of Windows Time
1. Run the Command Prompt as an administrator.
2. Copy the command below, paste it into the command window and press ENTER:
sc config W32Time start= demand
3. Close the command window and restart the computer.
The W32Time service is using the w32time.dll file that is located in the C:\Windows\system32 directory. If the file is removed or corrupted, read this article to restore its original version from Windows 11 installation media.