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This section contains information regarding the Windows default service configuration for systems using Windows Desktop Experience (User Interface, Taskbar and Explorer). Many of the Windows services are partially or heavily interdependant on eachother as such Microsoft does not have recommendation for changing their default configuration, however some services can be disabled if you're certain you do not use the features.

This guide will be separated into two sub-sections, Microsoft guidelines and recommendations then a section for alternative service configuration overview. Generally I recommend you start with the Microsoft recommendations then review alternative recommendations to review their purpose and potential impacts.

Microsoft Guidelines and Recommendations

This section is based on two specific Microsoft support articles and will summarize the services which may be disabled and their impacts. Although the articles are specific to Windows Server with Windows Desktop Experience, the majority of recommendations will still apply.

For the Microsoft references, see the heading Microsoft - Windows Services in the Technical References page.

System Services Summary

This is a list of services which Microsoft has recommendations for disabling, if a service is not on this list then Microsoft is unsure of the impacts it may have on the desktop experience.

Service Service Name Impacts My Recommendation
AxInstSV ActiveX Installer Provides User Account Control validation for the installation of ActiveX controls from the Internet and enables management of ActiveX control installation based on Group Policy settings Disable
tzautoupdate Auto Time Zone Updater Automatically sets the system time zone. Keep Disabled
bthserv Bluetooth Support Service The Bluetooth service supports discovery and association of remote Bluetooth devices. Stopping or disabling this service may cause already installed Bluetooth devices to fail to operate properly and prevent new devices from being discovered or associated. Disable if you don't use or plan to use Bluetooth devices
CDPUserSvc Connected Devices Platform Service If you deactivate it, the automatic mail retrieval, the update of the LiveTiles and the Infocenter should be dead. In addition, OndeDrive will no longer sync and a number of other synchronization-dependent features will cease the service. See per-user services section
PimIndexMaintenanceSvc ContactData Indexes contact data for fast contact searching. If you stop or disable this service, contacts might be missing from your search results. Disable completely or Per-User for shared computers, see Per-User services section.
dmwappushservice Device Management Wireless Application Service required on client devices for Intune, MDM and similar management technologies, and for Unified Write Filter. Not needed for Server. Disable, for mobile
MapsBroker Downloaded Maps Manager Windows service for application access to downloaded maps. This service is started on-demand by application accessing downloaded maps. Disabling this service will prevent apps from accessing maps. Disable if you don't use any apps that use Map based features.
lfsvc Geolocation Service This service monitors the current location of the system and manages geofences (a geographical location with associated events). If you turn off this service, applications will be unable to use or receive notifications for geolocation or geofences. Disable
SharedAccess Internet Connection Sharing Provides network address translation, addressing, name resolution and/or intrusion prevention services for a home or small office network. Disable
lltdsvc Link-Layer Topology Discovery Mapper Creates a Network Map, consisting of PC and device topology (connectivity) information, and metadata describing each PC and device. If this service is disabled, the Network Map will not function properly. Disable
wlidsvc Microsoft Account Sign-in Assistant Enables user sign-in through Microsoft account identity services. If this service is stopped, users will not be able to log on to the computer with their Microsoft account. Disable if you don't use a Microsoft account to sign-in, or for the Microsoft Store
AppVClient Microsoft App-V Client Manages App-V users and virtual applications Disable
NgcSvc Microsoft Passport Provides process isolation for cryptographic keys used to authenticate to a user's associated identity providers. If this service is disabled, all uses and management of these keys will not be available, which includes machine logon and single-sign on for apps and websites. Leave Enabled
NgcCtnrSvc Microsoft Passport Container Manages local user identity keys used to authenticate user to identity providers as well as TPM virtual smart cards. If this service is disabled, local user identity keys and TPM virtual smart cards will not be accessible. Leave Enabled
NetTcpPortSharing Net.Tcp Port Sharing Service Provides ability to share TCP ports over the net.tcp protocol. Keep Disabled
NcbService Network Connection Broker Brokers connections that allow Microsoft Store Apps to receive notifications from the internet. Leave enabled unless you disable all CDP services (system and user), dependency
CscService Offline Files The Offline Files service performs maintenance activities on the Offline Files cache, responds to user logon and logoff events Keep Disabled
PhoneSvc Phone Service Manages the telephony state on the device Disable
Spooler Print Spooler This service spools print jobs and handles interaction with the printer. If you turn off this service, you won't be able to print or see your printers. Disable unless you use printers or scanners
PrintNotify Printer Extensions and Notifications This service opens custom printer dialog boxes and handles notifications from a remote print server or a printer. Disable, unless you use printers or scanners
PcaSvc Program Compatibility Assistant Service This service provides support for the Program Compatibility Assistant (PCA). PCA monitors programs installed and run by the user and detects known compatibility problems. Pending
QWAVE Quality Windows Audio Video Experience Quality Windows Audio Video Experience (qWave) is a networking platform for Audio Video (AV) streaming applications on IP home networks. Disable
RmSvc Radio Management Service Radio Management and Airplane Mode Service Disable if you don't use or plan to use wifi etc
RemoteAccess Routing and Remote Access Offers routing services to businesses in local area and wide area network environments. Disable
SensorDataService Sensor Data Service Delivers data from a variety of sensors Disable
SensrSvc Sensor Monitoring Service Monitors various sensors in order to expose data and adapt to system and user state. If this service is stopped or disabled, the display brightness will not adapt to lighting conditions. Disable
SensorService Sensor Service A service for sensors that manages different sensors' functionality. Disable
ShellHWDetection Shell Hardware Detection Provides notifications for AutoPlay hardware events. Disable
SCardSvr Smart Card Manages access to smart cards read by this computer. Disable if you don't use smart cards
ScDeviceEnum Smart Card Device Enumeration Service Creates software device nodes for all smart card readers accessible to a given session. Disable if you don't use smart cards
SSDPSRV SSDP Discovery Discovers networked devices and services that use the SSDP discovery protocol, such as UPnP devices. Disable
WiaRpc Still Image Acquisition Events Launches applications associated with still image acquisition events. Disable if you don't use a scanner.
OneSyncSvc Sync Host This service synchronizes mail, contacts, calendar and various other user data. Disable completely or Per-User for shared computers, see Per-User services section.
TabletInputService Touch Keyboard and Handwriting Panel Service Enables Touch Keyboard and Handwriting Panel pen and ink functionality Disable if you don't use these features.
upnphost UPnP Device Host Allows UPnP devices to be hosted on this computer. If this service is stopped, any hosted UPnP devices will stop functioning and no additional hosted devices can be added. Disable
UserDataSvc User Data Access Provides apps access to structured user data, including contact info, calendars, messages, and other content. Disable if you don't use these built-in features
UevAgentService User Experience Virtualization Service Provides support for application and OS settings roaming Keep disabled
WalletService WalletService Hosts objects used by clients of the wallet Disable
FrameServer Windows Camera Frame Server Enables multiple clients to access video frames from camera devices. Disable
stisvc Windows Image Acquisition Provides image acquisition services for scanners and cameras Disable if you don't use image scanners
wisvc Windows Insider Service Windows Insider Service Disable if you don't subscribe to insider services
icssvc Windows Mobile Hotspot Service Provides the ability to share a cellular data connection with another device. Disable
WpnService Windows Push Notifications System Service This service runs in session 0 and hosts the notification platform and connection provider which handles the connection between the device and WNS server. Leave Enabled
WpnUserService Windows Push Notifications User Service This service hosts Windows notification platform which provides support for local and push notifications. Supported notifications are tile, toast and raw. Leave Enabled, see per-user services
WSearch Windows Search Provides content indexing, property caching, and search results for files, e-mail, and other content. Disable
XblAuthManager Xbox Live Auth Manager Provides authentication and authorization services for interacting with Xbox Live. If this service is stopped, some applications may not operate correctly. Disable if you don't use XBox Live Features
XblGameSave Xbox Live Game Save This service syncs save data for Xbox Live save enabled games. If this service is stopped, game save data will not upload to or download from Xbox Live. Disable if you don't use XBox Live Features
  • Use the following to disable all those noted above except those pending review and for some primary services related to per-user services.

    • Paste the following into an administrative Powershell terminal, press enter, the restart your computer for it to take effect.

      Set-Service AxInstSV -StartupType Disabled
      Set-Service tzautoupdate -StartupType Disabled
      Set-Service bthserv -StartupType Disabled
      Set-Service dmwappushservice -StartupType Disabled
      Set-Service MapsBroker -StartupType Disabled
      Set-Service lfsvc -StartupType Disabled
      Set-Service SharedAccess -StartupType Disabled
      Set-Service lltdsvc -StartupType Disabled
      Set-Service AppVClient -StartupType Disabled
      Set-Service NetTcpPortSharing -StartupType Disabled
      Set-Service CscService -StartupType Disabled
      Set-Service PhoneSvc -StartupType Disabled
      Set-Service Spooler -StartupType Disabled
      Set-Service PrintNotify -StartupType Disabled
      Set-Service QWAVE -StartupType Disabled
      Set-Service RmSvc -StartupType Disabled
      Set-Service RemoteAccess -StartupType Disabled
      Set-Service SensorDataService -StartupType Disabled
      Set-Service SensrSvc -StartupType Disabled
      Set-Service SensorService -StartupType Disabled
      Set-Service ShellHWDetection -StartupType Disabled
      Set-Service SCardSvr -StartupType Disabled
      Set-Service ScDeviceEnum -StartupType Disabled
      Set-Service SSDPSRV -StartupType Disabled
      Set-Service WiaRpc -StartupType Disabled
      Set-Service TabletInputService -StartupType Disabled
      Set-Service upnphost -StartupType Disabled
      Set-Service UserDataSvc -StartupType Disabled
      Set-Service UevAgentService -StartupType Disabled
      Set-Service WalletService -StartupType Disabled
      Set-Service FrameServer -StartupType Disabled
      Set-Service stisvc -StartupType Disabled
      Set-Service wisvc -StartupType Disabled
      Set-Service icssvc -StartupType Disabled
      Set-Service WSearch -StartupType Disabled
      Set-Service XblAuthManager -StartupType Disabled
      Set-Service XblGameSave -StartupType Disabled
      
  • Those currently not listed in Powershell command summary:

    • CDPUserSvc
    • PimIndexMaintenanceSvc
    • PcaSvc
    • OneSyncSvc
    • WpnUserService

Per-user Services Summary

This is a list of per-user services which Microsoft has recommendations for, disabling these only prevents the services from being started on login. Per-user services are dynamically created upon creating a user session for example you'll see ContactData service but also see the running service ContactData_37664 (per-user service), each user logged into the system will have their on per user service for those listed below if it is configured to be enabled.

Service Service Name Impacts My Recommendation
BcastDVRUserService GameDVR and Broadcast User Service Used for Game Recordings and Live Broadcasts Disable if not using these features
BluetoothUserService Bluetooth User Support Service The Bluetooth service supports discovery and association of remote Bluetooth devices. Stopping or disabling this service may cause already installed Bluetooth devices to fail to operate properly and prevent new devices from being discovered or associated. Disable if you don't use or plan to use Bluetooth devices
PimIndexMaintenanceSvc Contact Data Indexes contact data for fast contact searching. If you stop or disable this service, contacts might be missing from your search results. Disable, if you don't use Contacts app data.
CaptureService Capture Service Related to Speech capture services, may impact web camera or other voice input Leave Enabled
DevicePickerUserSvc Device Picker Unknown Leave Enabled
DevicesFlowUserSvc Devices Flow Unknown Leave Enabled
MessagingService MessagingService Service supporting text messaging and related functionality Disable
CDPUserSvc CDPUserSvc This service is used for Connected Devices and Universal Glass scenarios Leave Enabled, may have negative impact on user experience
OneSyncSvc Sync Host Synchronizes mail, contacts, calendar, and other user data. Mail and other applications dependent on this service don't work correctly when this service is not running. Leave Enabled, may have negative impact on user experience
UserDataSvc User Data Access Provides apps access to structured user data, including contact info, calendars, and messages. If you stop or disable this service, apps that use this data might not work correctly. Leave Enabled, may have negative impact on user experience
UnistoreSvc User Data Storage Handles storage of structured user data, including contact info, calendars, and messages. If you stop or disable this service, apps that use this data might not work correctly. Leave Enabled, may have negative impact on user experience
WpnUserService Windows Push Notifications User Service Hosts Windows notification platform, which provides support for local and push notifications. Supported notifications are tile, toast, and raw. Leave Enabled, may have negative impact on user experience
PrintWorkflowUserSvc PrintWorkflow Print Workflow Leave Enabled

Alternative Service Configuration Overview

Alternative Services Summary

Service Service Name Impacts My Recommendation
SEMgrSvc Payments and NFC/SE Manager Near field communications for payments, tap to pay Disable
DiagTrack Connected User Experiences and Telemetry The Connected User Experiences and Telemetry service enables features that support in-application and connected user experiences. Additionally, this service manages the event-driven collection and transmission of diagnostic and usage information (used to improve the experience and quality of the Windows Platform) when the diagnostics and usage privacy option settings are enabled under Feedback and Diagnostics. Disable
  • Use the following to disable all those noted above except those pending review.
    • Paste the following into an administrative Powershell terminal, press enter, the restart your computer for it to take effect.

      Set-Service SEMgrSvc -StartupType Disabled
      Set-Service DiagTrack -StartupType Disabled