Fix Spooler Service Error 1068 “The dependency service or group failed to start”

When you attempt to start the Print Spooler service (via services.msc), one of the following error messages may appear, and the Print Spooler service fails to start:

Could not start the Print Spooler service on Local Computer.
Error 1075: The dependency service does not exist or has been marked for deletion.

Could not start the Print Spooler service on Local Computer.
Error 1068: The dependency service or group failed to start.

The event log may display the following messages:

Event Type: Error
Event Source: Service Control Manager
Event Category: None
Event ID: 7003
Description:
The Print Spooler service depends on the following nonexistent service: <servicename>

Event Type: Error
Event Source: Service Control Manager
Event Category: None
Event ID: 7001
Description:
The Fax service depends on the Print Spooler service which failed to start because of the following error: 
The dependency service does not exist or has been marked for deletion.

Information in this post applies to all versions of Windows, including Windows 10.

Fix Spooler Service Error 1068 “The dependency service or group failed to start”

To resolve the Spooler service error 1068, fix the dependency for Spooler service.

Using Command Prompt

Open an elevated Command Prompt (Run as administrator) and then type the following command:
```
SC CONFIG SPOOLER DEPEND= RPCSS
```

Using the Registry Editor

Alternately, to accomplish the above using the Registry Editor, follow these steps:

Launch regedit.exe to start the Registry Editor.

Navigate to the following branch:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Spooler

In the right-pane, double-click DependOnService
Delete the existing data, and then type RPCSS
Exit the Registry Editor.

Print Spooler should be able to start now.

Print Spooler service missing in Windows 10?

If you’ve accidentally deleted the Print Spooler service in Windows 10, download spooler_service_windows_10.zip and apply the enclosed registry file. The .reg file was last tested on Windows 10 v21H2. After applying the file, restart Windows. This restores the Print Spooler service to the Services MMC in Windows 10.

Note: The .reg file applies the default settings for the DependOnService registry value. If you encounter the error 1068 when starting Spooler service after applying the fix, perform the troubleshooting steps mentioned at the top of this article.

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