Why is SFC/scannow Not Working in Windows 11?

The SFC scannow can get stuck and can crash the entire system. Not only that, but you would also be facing various system errors. The SFC /scannow command not working can be attributed to several reasons. Usually, if the data in your hard disk is corrupted, it crashes the SFC scan. It can also be caused by improper PC shutdown, as it might corrupt some system files. Hardware issues are also a prime cause of SFC scannow’s improper functioning, especially faulty RAM.

Fix SFC /scannow Not Working in Windows 11

Now that you know why SFC can fail let us discuss how to fix it. We list various methods for fixing this issue, ranging from basic to advanced fixes. Sometimes, the problem might be as simple as not running the Command Prompt as an administrator. But the underlying issue can also be complex. Go through all these methods one by one to try and fix the problem; one of these fixes should fix the issue of SFC /scannow not working for you. 

1. Run SFC/scannow Command Prompt as Administrator 

This is a basic fix, as you must access the command prompt as an administrator. You might already know about this, but it might have slipped your mind to run the command prompt with admin privileges. To run the command prompt as administrator, search for cmd on Start menu and choose Run as administrator from the right side of the search results. Now run SFC/scannow command and check if it works. If it doesn’t, try the following method.

2. Try Starting the Windows Modules Installer

The Windows Module Installer is a system process that checks for the available Windows updates and features and installs them. It can update the SFC scan if it is outdated. We can update the SFC and try the command to see if it works. Here’s how you can start the Windows Modules Installer:

From Windows Services

Follow this guide to start Windows Modules Installer from Windows Services:

  1. Press the Windows button, and search for Services.
  2. Find Windows Modules Installer from the list, and double-click it.
  3. Under the General tab, check if the Startup type is set to Manual. If not, turn it into Manual.
  4. Now select the Start option to start the service; you can also use Stop, Pause or Resume.
  5. After running this, try running SFC /scannow command again on Command Prompt to see if it works.

From Command Prompt

You can also start Windows Modules Installer from Command Prompt too. In Command Prompt, type this command: net start trustedinstaller and press Enter to run it. Now, rerun the SFC/ scannow command to see if it runs correctly. If it doesn’t, move on to other methods.

3. Run the DISM Scan to Repair Windows 11 Image

DISM, or Deployment Image Servicing and Management, is a tool to prepare, modify and repair system images in Windows. We can try running a DISM scan if it fixes the issue with the SFC scan; here’s how you can run the DISM scan:

  1. Press the Windows button, then enter cmd to open Command Prompt, be sure to run it as administrator. 
  2. Type this command on the Command Prompt: DISM /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth
  3. Click Enter and wait for it to finish. Try the SFC/ scannow command again on Command Prompt to see if it works.

4. Run the CHKDSK Scan to Check Your Hard Disk Condition

CHKDSK or Check Disk is a command used to check a hard drive’s file system and file metadata for any physical errors.

  1. On the Start Menu, type cmd to open the command prompt. Select Run as administrator for it. 
  2. Enter this command: chkdsk [Your System Drive]: /r E.g. (If your system drive is C, type it as chkdsk c: /r).
  3. The prompt will ask you to schedule the system check the next time your restart. Type y to confirm. 
  4. Restart your PC, and chkdsk will run automatically. You will have to wait for the bad sectors of the disk to be recovered. After running the command, try rerunning the SFC scan on Command Prompt.

5. Change Permissions for WinSXS Using icacls

SFC scan might not work if the system doesn’t access the WinSXS folder. Here’s how you can change the permission for WinSXS.

  1. Press the Windows button, and enter cmd to open Command Prompt. Open it with administrator privileges.
  2. Type this command: icacls {your system drive}:\Windows\winsxs. click the Enter button, and let the prompt run. E.g. (If your system drive is C, the prompt will be icacls C:\Windows\winsxs) Try running the SFC scan command once again and check if it works.

6. Run The SFC Scan From Safe Mode

Booting your Windows in Safe Mode and checking if the SFC scan works is the following method you can try. Safe Mode temporarily disables most drivers and features; it will only let you use the basic drivers in the installation. There are several ways to enter Safe Mode in Windows 11. Let us check the two methods with which you can enter Safe Mode:

From System Configuration

Here’s how to turn on Safe Mode from System Configuration on Windows 11:

  1. Open the Run dialog by clicking Windows + R.
  2. Type msconfig on the Run dialog window and press OK.
  3. On the System Configuration windows, tick the Safe boot option under the Boot menu. The minimal option should be ticked by default; if not, ensure it is.
  4. Click OK; now, a dialog box should ask if you want to restart your PC. Click on Restart.
  5. Your PC should boot in Safe Mode.
  6. After it is turned on, launch the Command Prompt and check if the SFC scan works.

From Troubleshoot Mode

You can also get into Safe Mode by using the Troubleshoot Mode. Here’s how to do that in Windows 11:

  1. On the Start menu, click on the power button and the Restart by holding down the Shift button..
  2. The Choose an option screen will come up. Click on the Troubleshoot option from this screen.
  3. Navigate to the Advanced options, select the Start-Up Settings option and select Restart.
  4. Upon restarting, a list of settings will come up. Press 4 or F4 to enter Safe Mode. Press 6 or F6 to enter Safe Mode with Command prompt.
  5. Once in Safe Mode, try running the SFC scan on Command Prompt to see if it works.

7. Try performing A System Restore

System Restore creates snapshots of the current state of the computer and saves them as Restore Points to be restored later. It will not reset and wipe anything from your PC. You can use this to restore and repair any changes made and try to fix the SFC scan issues. Here’s how you can do that.

  1. Open the Settings menu, and select the About option.
  2. Choose the System Protection option from here.
  3. Click the System Restore button.
  4. You can select the Recommended restore or Choose a different restore point.
  5. Click Next. Then click on the Finish button to restore the system.  This will restore your system. After the restore is complete, try running the SFC scan on Command Prompt to see if it fixes the issue.

8. Try Resetting Your PC

If the other solutions don’t work, you must try resetting your Windows 11 PC. Unlike the System Restore option, this will wipe your PC or laptop and delete all the files from your C partition. The last method, resetting the PC, is extreme and should be tried only if every other method fails. So you should keep a backup before trying this. Follow these methods to reset your Windows 11 PC.

  1. Open Settings on your Windows 11 PC. 
  2. Click on System, then click on the Recovery option.
  3. Click the Reset PC option. 
  4. Select the Keep my files option. 
  5. Next, select the reset Windows 11: Cloud Download: Downloads a fresh copy of Windows 11 from the cloud and installs it.  Local reinstall: Uses the local files already available on the PC to reinstall. 
  6. Review the apps you want to reinstall and click Next. 
  7. Click the Reset button. This will reinstall Windows 11 on your PC/Laptop. After it is done, you can try rerunning the SFC scan. This should fix it.

9. Reinstall Windows 11 Using a Bootable USB

You can also try reinstalling Windows 11 using a bootable USB instead of this step. Once again, these are extreme methods, but it is confirmed to work on fixing the SFC /scannow not working issue, just because you’re getting a fresh Windows installation, fixing all and any problems that existed on the previous installation.

Final Words

We hope you got your issue resolved without diving into the last methods. If all the above methods didn’t work for you, we can confirm that the issue of the SFC scannow not working is caused by a hardware issue. You need to check whether the RAM and Hard Disk are working correctly or not.

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