- Corrupted state files are the most common cause of the problem; fixing the corruption will quickly resolve the issue.
- You should first run a detailed malware scan to ensure a virus is not triggering the problem.
Fix 1: Set Background Intelligent Transfer Service to Automatic (Delayed Start)
If the Background Intelligent Transfer Service or its related services are misconfigured, you must reset them to their default settings using the Services app. Here’s how to do it:
Step 1: Press the Windows key to open the Start menu. Type services in the search box and press Enter to open the utility.
Step 2: Locate the Background Intelligent Transfer Service and check its Startup Type . If it is disabled, double-click on it to open its properties.
Step 3: Click on the Startup Type drop-down list. Select the Automatic (Delayed Start) option.
Step 4: Now, click on the Apply button, followed by OK .
Step 5: Close the Services app.
Fix 2: Run the Background Intelligent Transfer Service Troubleshooter
Windows has a dedicated troubleshooter for the Background Intelligent Transfer Service. You must run this troubleshooter to identify and fix issues with the service. Here’s how to do it:
Step 1: Press the Windows key and open the Start menu. Type troubleshooter in the search box and press Enter to open the Troubleshooter section in the Settings app.
Step 2: Click on the Other troubleshooters option.
Step 3: Scroll down to the Others section. Find Background Intelligent Transfer Service and click the Run button.
Step 4: Click the Yes button.
Step 5: Wait for the troubleshooter to find issues with the service and apply fixes accordingly. After that, close the troubleshooter window.
Fix 3: Run SFC and DISM Scans
If the BITS service doesn’t work properly, it could be due to missing or corrupt system files or a damaged Windows Component store. Run SFC and DISM scans one by one to fix both issues on your Windows PC. Here’s how:
Step 1: Press the Windows key and open the Start menu. Type cmd in the search box and press the Ctrl + Shift + Enter keyboard shortcut.
Step 2: The User Account Control window will pop up. Click on the Yes button to open the Command Prompt with admin privileges.
Step 3: Type the following command and press Enter to execute it:
SFC /scannow
Step 4: Type cls and press Enter to clear the Command Prompt screen.
Step 5: Execute the following commands sequentially:
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealthDISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealthDISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
Step 6: Close the Command Prompt window.
Fix 4: Reset Windows Update Components
If the BITS service keeps changing to manual and you face issues with Windows Updates and other app updates, you must reset the Windows update components on your PC. It is a series of commands that will reset all the services to normal, clear the software distribution folder, and reset network settings on your PC. Here’s how to do it:
Step 1: Press the Windows key to open the Start menu. Type cmd in the search box and simultaneously press Ctrl + Shift + Enter keyboard shortcut.
Step 2: The User Account Control window will launch. Click on Yes to open Command Prompt with admin privileges.
Step 3: Paste the following commands and press Enter to execute them individually.
net stop bitsnet stop wuauservnet stop cryptsvc
Step 4: Once done, type y to stop the Application Identity service after executing the third command. Then, execute the command below to stop the Cryptographic service.
net stop appidsvc
Step 5: Execute the following command to wipe the BITS files. Type Y and press Enter to confirm the deletion:
Del "%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Application Data\Microsoft\Network\Downloader*.*"
Step 6: Execute the following commands one by one to remove the Catroot2 and SoftwareDistribution folder:
rmdir %systemroot%\system32\catroot2 /S /Qrmdir %systemroot%\SoftwareDistribution /S /Q
Step 7: After that, execute the following two commands to reset BITS and Windows Update services to default:
sc.exe sdset bits D:(A;;CCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRRC;;;SY)(A;;CCDCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRSDRCWDWO;;;BA)(A;;CCLCSWLOCRRC;;;AU)(A;;CCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRRC;;;PU)sc.exe sdset wuauserv D:(A;;CCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRRC;;;SY)(A;;CCDCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRSDRCWDWO;;;BA)(A;;CCLCSWLOCRRC;;;AU)(A;;CCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRRC;;;PU)
Step 8: Execute all the following commands to re-register all the DLL files and press Enter after each one:
regsvr32.exe /s atl.dllregsvr32.exe /s urlmon.dllregsvr32.exe /s mshtml.dllregsvr32.exe /s shdocvw.dllregsvr32.exe /s browseui.dllregsvr32.exe /s jscript.dllregsvr32.exe /s vbscript.dllregsvr32.exe /s scrrun.dllregsvr32.exe /s msxml.dllregsvr32.exe /s msxml3.dllregsvr32.exe /s msxml6.dllregsvr32.exe /s actxprxy.dllregsvr32.exe /s softpub.dllregsvr32.exe /s wintrust.dllregsvr32.exe /s dssenh.dllregsvr32.exe /s rsaenh.dllregsvr32.exe /s gpkcsp.dllregsvr32.exe /s sccbase.dllregsvr32.exe /s slbcsp.dllregsvr32.exe /s cryptdlg.dllregsvr32.exe /s oleaut32.dllregsvr32.exe /s ole32.dllregsvr32.exe /s shell32.dllregsvr32.exe /s initpki.dllregsvr32.exe /s wuapi.dllregsvr32.exe /s wuaueng.dllregsvr32.exe /s wuaueng1.dllregsvr32.exe /s wucltui.dllregsvr32.exe /s wups.dllregsvr32.exe /s wups2.dllregsvr32.exe /s wuweb.dllregsvr32.exe /s qmgr.dllregsvr32.exe /s qmgrprxy.dllregsvr32.exe /s wucltux.dllregsvr32.exe /s muweb.dllregsvr32.exe /s wuwebv.dll
Step 9: Reset the Winsock catalog and proxy settings by executing the following commands:
netsh winsock resetnetsh winsock reset proxy
Step 10: Lastly, restart all the services that you stopped in the first step with the following commands:
net start bitsnet start wuauservnet start appidsvcnet start cryptsvc
Step 11: Restart your PC to apply the changes.
Windows will recreate the SoftwareDistribution and Catroot2 folders after the restart. If you face any error while executing the commands, stop all the services again using the first step and reattempt the commands.
Fix 5: Manually Install the Windows Update
If you cannot install a Windows update because the Background Intelligent Transfer Service keeps stopping, you must manually install the update on your Windows 11 PC. To do so, visit the Microsoft Update Catalog website and search for the specific KB update you want to install.
Download the MSU package file and run the installer with administrator privileges. This way, you can manually install Microsoft’s latest update when the BITS service doesn’t work properly.
Fix 6: Run the System Restore Utility
You can use a System Restore point to revert to a point in time when the BITS service and other Windows features worked fine. It won’t affect your personal files. Here’s how to do it:
Step 1: Press the Windows key to open the Start menu. Type rstrui in the search bar and press Enter to open System Restore.
Step 2: Click on the Next button.
Step 3: Pick a suitable restore point from the list. Click on Next and follow the on-screen instructions to apply it.
Your PC will restart and boot to the Desktop. It can take a while.
Fix 7: Do an In-Place Upgrade
The last resort for fixing problems with Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) on Windows is performing an In-place upgrade. This is better than resetting your PC because it preserves all your installed apps, personal data, and settings. You must download the Windows ISO file on your PC, then follow the steps below.
Step 1: Double-click on the ISO file to mount it. Now, double-click on the setup.exe file.
Step 2: The User Account Control window will launch. Click on Yes to launch the Windows Installer.
Step 3: Click on Next .
Step 4: Click the Accept button to agree to the End User License Agreement.
Step 5: Lastly, click on the Install button.
Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the In-place Upgrade on your PC. It can take about 30 minutes to one hour to complete.
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- In most cases, running the printer troubleshooter or configuring the “Print Spooler Service” should resolve the error.
- Deleting old printer devices and print spooler files can also help fix the issue.
- If nothing works, you may need to delete corrupted print spooler registry entries.
Fix 1: Run Printer Troubleshooter
Windows comes with a dedicated printer troubleshooter that can automatically diagnose and fix any printing issues on your PC. It checks all of your printer configurations and corrects any inconsistencies. Here’s how to run it.
Step 1: Press the Windows key + I to launch the Settings app and head to System > Troubleshoot .
Step 2: Go to Other troubleshooters .
Step 3: Click the Run button next to Printer to begin troubleshooting.
From there, follow the on-screen prompts to finish the troubleshooting process.
Fix 2: Check Print Spooler Service
If the Windows troubleshooter fails to identify any issues, you can check the Print Spooler service on Windows to see if it is properly configured. Here’s how.
Step 1: Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog. Type services.msc in the box next to the Open field and press Enter .
Step 2: In the Services window, scroll down to locate Print Spooler . Right-click on it and select Properties .
Step 3: Set the Startup type to Automatic from the drop-down, if it isn’t set already.
Step 4: On the Recovery tab, use the drop-down menus next to First failure, Second failure, and Subsequent failures to select Restart the Service . Then, click on Apply followed by OK .
Restart your PC and check if the print spooler stops again.
Fix 3: Remove Old Printers
Sometimes, the print spooler service may also stop working if several printers are connected to your PC. You can try deleting some of your old printer devices to see if that helps.
Step 1: Click on the search icon on the taskbar, type in printers & scanners and press Enter .
Step 2: Select the printer you want to remove.
Step 3: Click on the Remove button in the top right corner. Repeat this process to remove unwanted printers and try using the printing services again.
Fix 4: Delete Old Print Spooler Files
Existing print spooler cache data can also interfere with the service and cause it to crash repeatedly when corrupted. In that case, you can delete those old print spooler files to fix the issue.
Step 1: Press the Windows key + S to open Windows Search. Type services in the box and select the first result that appears.
Step 2: Right-click on Print Spooler and select Stop .
Step 3: Press the Windows key + E to launch File Explorer on your PC and navigate to the following folder:
C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS
Step 4: Select all folders and click on the trash icon at the top to delete them.
Restart your PC after you delete the files. The print spooler service should start automatically upon reboot.
Fix 5: Update Printer Drivers
Issues with your current printer drivers can also cause the print spooler to stop abruptly. If the printer drivers on your PC are outdated or corrupted, then updating them should help more often than not.
To update printer drivers, download the most recent drivers from the respective manufacturer’s website. Then, open the downloaded file to begin the installation.
Fix 6: Delete Print Spooler Registry Keys
If none of the above solutions work, you can try deleting a few registry keys associated with the print spooler. Here’s how:
Step 1: Press the Windows key + R to launch the Run dialog box. Type regedit in the box and press Enter .
Step 2: Paste the following path in the address bar at the top to navigate to Print Processors:
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Environments\Windows x64\Print Processors
If you’re using a 32-bit version of Windows, use the following path:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Environments\Windows NT x86\Print Processors
Step 3: Delete all keys inside Print Processors except winprint . To delete a key, right-click on it and select Delete . Click on Yes on the prompt.
