Fix and Repair Volume Shadow Copy Service Not Working Error in Windows 10

Volume Shadow Copy Service not working in Windows 10, help!

"Hi guys, does anyone know how to use Volume Shadow Copy Service to copy and backup specific files in Windows 10? Shadow Copy Service shows errors in Windows 10 and I can't use it to copy and backup files.

I restarted the computer again, still, nothing worked. If you know a way to help me backup files as soon as possible or how to repair VSS back to work again, please let me know. Thanks!"

Shadow Copy, also known as Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS), is a Windows built-in tool that allows users to manually or automatically backup copies or snapshots of computer files or volumes. If VSS fails to work or stops working, you can try two quick fixes and three reliable methods to backup files and repair the Volume Shadow Copy Service in Windows 10. These methods can help you find an alternative way to backup files or fix the not working VSS issue, allowing you to make it work again in Windows 10.

Quick Fix 1. Try Shadow Copy Service alternative software to back up Windows 10

Looking for an alternative to the Professional Shadow Copy Service? Qiling Backup is a simple solution that allows you to free backup Windows 10 files, hard drive, and even system in just 3 easy steps. You can directly download, install, and apply it to backup your Windows 10 data for free.

Free Download
Windows 11/10/8/7, 100% Secure

Step 1. On the main page, click "System backup" button to start.

Step 2. Qiling Backup will automatically select your system partition, requiring only a choice of backup destination.

Step 3. You can save the backup file to either a local drive on your computer or a network-attached storage (NAS) device.

Step 4. After completing the backup process, you can verify the backup status, restore, access, or remove the backup by clicking on the backup task on the left side.

Quick Fix 2. Manually enable Volume Shadow Copy Service in Windows 10

If Shadow Copy Service is disabled in Windows 10, showing a state like below, you'll need to manually enable it to make it work again. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Right-click blank area on Taskbar and select "Task Manager".
2. Click "Services" on Task Manager.
3. Click "Open Services" at the bottom of Task Manager window;
4. If the Volume Shadow Copy is disabled, right-click on it and change the Startup type to Automatic in the General tab.
5. To enable Shadow Copy and have it run on your PC, click "Apply", then click "Start", and lastly click "OK".

Manually fix Shadow Copy service error in Windows 10

If the two quick fixes don't work, you can try the following methods to solve the problem with the Shadow Copy service in Windows 10. You can try running the System File Checker (SFC) tool to scan and replace any corrupted system files, or use the DISM tool to repair any corrupted system image.

Method 1. Increase the space available on system drive and one the drive with previous version (Shadow Copy) enabled

1. Click "Start" and then click My Computer/This PC.
2. To access the Shadow Copies settings, navigate to the "Shadow Copies" tab and click on the volume that has Shadow Copies enabled. Then, click on "Settings".
3. In Storage Area, click "Details" and compare the Used and Maximum Size columns to check if disk space is running low.
4. If the system drive and the drive with Shadow Copy are running low on disk space, you can use the Disk Management tool to extend the volume size on both drives. This will provide more storage capacity for the system and the Shadow Copy feature.

Method 2. Reduce the size of Event Log to a maximum of 64 MB

1. To access the Event Viewer, you can follow these steps: Click the "Start" button, select "Administrative Tools" from the list, and then click on "Event Viewer".
2. To resolve the issue of a large Event Log, click on any "Event Log" in the console tree that is larger than 64 MB.
3. In the properties of the log file, set the maximum log size to 64000 kilobytes or less.
4. Click "Clear Log" to put the new setting into effect.
If you want to keep the current log entries, click "Yes" when prompted to save the original log, and then click "OK" to clear the log.

Method 3. Disable Directory Service access auditing

1. Click "Start" > "Server Management" > "Advanced Management" > "Group Policy Management".
2. To access the Small Business Server Auditing Policy, navigate to the Domain Controllers section of your domain's page within the Forest menu. From there, right-click on "Small Business Server Auditing Policy" to access its settings.
3. To edit the Group Policy Object, click the "Edit" button to open the Group Policy Object Editor. From there, navigate to Computer Configuration > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Local Policies > Audit Policy.
4. Double-click "Audit directory service access".
5. Clear the "Success" and "Failure" boxes if they are checked.
6. To refresh the policy setting, open the Command Prompt, type "gpupdate /Force", and press Enter. This will apply any new policy settings to your system.