You get a message says “The VSS service is shutting down due to idle timeout” in the Event Viewer, but you don’t know how to fix this error. You can read this post. It will not only tell you a couple of causes of “The VSS service is shutting down due to idle timeout” error, but also show you some workable methods. Get these methods from MiniTool.

Some of you may find that the Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) is not running normally, even though it is configured to start automatically. Some of you may discover a message indicating the problem “The VSS service is shutting down due to idle timeout” after using Event Viewer to investigate the problem. 

This issue is not unique to a particular version of Windows, as it has been confirmed to appear on Windows 7/8.1/10.

Causes of “The VSS service is shutting down due to idle timeout” Error

There are two culprits that might lead to “The VSS service is shutting down due to idle timeout” error. 

1.VSS service is set to Manual

“The VSS service is shutting down due to idle timeout” error can appear when you don’t configure the Startup type of the VSS service to Automatic. This may block some processes by invoking the service, or the VSS service may be turned on without needing it. 

2.System file corruption

System file corruption is the most common reason that trigger these strange errors of Event Viewer. Presumably, some dependencies of the VSS service had been corrupted, eventually causing the problem.

Method 1: Set the VSS Service to Automatic

Follow the steps below to modify the status type of the Volume Shadow Copy Service to Automatic: 

Step 1: Press Win + R to open Run dialog box. Type services.msc and then click OK to open Services.

Step 2: Under the Services (Local) section, right-click Volume Shadow Copy and select Properties

Step 3: Choose the General tab and change the Startup type to Automatic. Click Apply to save the changes.

change the Startup type to Automatic

Restart your computer to see if “The VSS service is shutting down due to idle timeout” error is resolved.

Method 2: Repair System File Corruption

System File Corruption (SFC) and DISM (Deployment Image Servicing and Management) are suitable for fixing different basic Windows components, so it is recommended that you deploy both to make sure to cover every possible aspect that could trigger “The VSS service is shutting down due to idle timeout” error. 

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The following will show you how to run both SFC and DISM scans.

Step 1: Press Win + R to open Run dialog box. Type cmd and then press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open Command Prompt

Step 2: Execute the following commands in order to initiate a DISM scan:

Dism.exe /online /cleanup-image /scanhealth

Dism.exe /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth 

Tip: If the first command does not find a health problem, you should skip to Step 3.

Step 3: After the scan is complete, restart the computer, and check to see if the problem has been resolved by checking for new VSS errors in Event Viewer after the next start sequence is complete. 

Step 4: Follow Step 1 again to open Command Prompt

Step 5: Type the command sfc /scannow and press Enter to initiate an SFC scan. 

Tip: Do not stop the scan process while it is running, or you may cause other system file errors.

Once the scan is finished, restart your computer and see if “The VSS service is shutting down due to idle timeout” error is resolved at the next system startup.

Method 3: Use a System Restore Point

If none of the above methods help you, you can try using the System Restore function to restore your computer to a normal state. 

Step 1: Press Win + R to open Run dialog box. Type rstrui and then click OK to open the System Restore wizard. 

Step 2: Click Next to continue. 

Step 3: Select a restore point you need and click Next.

select a restore point you need

Step 4: After confirming your restore point, click Finish.

confirm your restore point

After you finish these steps, your computer will restart to the previous normal state. Check to see if “The VSS service is shutting down due to idle timeout” error disappears in the Event Viewer.

Bottom Line

This post has shown you two culprits that might cause “The VSS service is shutting down due to idle timeout” error and also shown you how to fix “VSS service is shutting down due to idle timeout” error. Hope this post can help you.

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