Resolve the "Volume Shadow Copy Service Not Working" Error in Windows 10

Volume Shadow Copy Service is not functioning in Windows 10, assistance needed!

"Hey folks, does anyone have an idea on how to utilize the Volume Shadow Copy Service for copying and backing up specific files in Windows 10? I'm encountering errors with the Shadow Copy Service in Windows 10, and I'm unable to use it for file copying and backup purposes."

"I restarted the computer once more, but unfortunately, the issue persists. If you have any suggestions for quickly backing up my files or restoring the Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) functionality, please do share. Thank you!"

Shadow Copy, also known as Volume Snapshot Service or Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS), is a built-in Windows tool that enables users to create manual or automatic backups or snapshots of computer files or volumes. When VSS fails or stops functioning while copying or backing up files in Windows, what should you do? Would you opt for an alternative backup method, or would you seek to repair and fix the non-functional Shadow Copy Service? In the following text, you'll discover two quick solutions and three reliable methods to back up your files and resolve the issue of Volume Shadow Copy Service not working in Windows 10. Simply follow the provided steps to get VSS functioning again in Windows 10.

Quick Fix 1: Utilize alternative software for Shadow Copy Service to backup Windows 10

Professional Shadow Copy Service alternative software - Todo Backup tools enables you to freely back up Windows 10 files, hard drive, and even the system in just 3 simple steps. You can directly download, install, and use it for free to back up your Windows 10 data now:

Step 1. Launch Todo Backup on your computer and click Create Backup on the home screen. Then, click the big question mark to select backup contents.

Step 2. To back up your Windows operating system, click "OS" to start the backup task.

Step 3. Your Windows operating system information and all system-related files and partitions will be selected automatically, so there's no need for manual selection here. Next, click the highlighted area to choose a location to save your system image backup.

Step 4. The backup location can be another local drive on your computer, an external hard drive, network, cloud, or NAS. Generally, we recommend using an external physical drive or cloud to store your system backup files.

Step 5. If interested, you can access customization settings such as enabling an automatic backup schedule for daily, weekly, monthly, or event-based backups, and creating differential and incremental backups by clicking the Options button. Press "Backup Now", and the Windows system backup process will commence. Once completed, the backup task will be displayed on the left side in a card format.

Quick Fix 2: Manually Enable Volume Shadow Copy Service in Windows 10

If the Shadow Copy Service is disabled in Windows 10, displaying a status like the one below, you'll need to follow these steps to manually enable it and restore its functionality:

1. Right-click on an empty area of the Taskbar and choose "Task Manager". 2. In Task Manager, click on "Services". 3. At the bottom of the Task Manager window, click on "Open Services". 4. Locate "Volume Shadow Copy". If its status is "Disabled", right-click on it and in the "General" tab, select "Automatic" under "Startup Type". 5. Click "Apply", then "Start", and finally "OK" to enable Shadow Copy and run it on your computer.

Manually rectify the Shadow Copy service error in Windows 10

If these two quick solutions don't work, proceed with the next three methods to resolve the Shadow Copy service issue in Windows 10 right away.

Method 1: Increase the available space on the system drive and enable Shadow Copy on the drive with the previous version.

1. Click "Start" and then click My Computer/This PC. 2. Click the "Shadow Copies" tab > Select the volume with Shadow Copies enabled, then click "Settings". 3. In the "Storage Area", click "Details" and compare the "Used" and "Maximum Size" columns to determine if disk space is running low. 4. If disk space is indeed low, utilize the Disk Management tool to extend the volume size on both the system drive and the drive with Shadow Copy.

Method 2: Resize the Event Log to a maximum of 64 MB

1. Click "Start" > click "Administrative Tools", and then click "Event Viewer". 2. In the console tree, click any Event Log that is larger than 64 MB. 3. Click Properties > On the "General" tab, under "Maximum log size", specify a log size of 64000 kilobytes or less. 4. Click "Clear Log" to apply the new setting. If you wish to preserve the current log information, when prompted to save the original log before clearing it, click Yes, and then click OK.

Method 3: Disable Directory Service Access Auditing

1. Click on Start > Server Management > Advanced Management > Group Policy Management.
2. Navigate to: /Forest/Domains/your domain/Domain Controllers, then right-click on "Small Business Server Auditing Policy".
3. Click on Edit to open the Group Policy Object Editor and navigate to: Computer Configuration/Windows Settings/Security Settings/Local Policies/Audit Policy.
4. Double-click on Audit directory service access.
5. If checked, uncheck both the "Success" and "Failure" boxes.
6. Click Start, open Command Prompt, and then type: gpupdate /Force to update the policy setting.