How to Troubleshoot Windows Task Scheduler if the task does not run

How to use Windows Task Scheduler to automate computer tasks

Inside This Article

1.	How to use Windows Task Scheduler to automate computer tasks

2.	How to Troubleshoot if the task does not run

How to Troubleshoot if the task does not run

Often, when you set up a task for the first time, it may not run as expected. There could be various reasons behind it. Below is a checklist you can use to figure out what have caused the task to fail.

Check #1: Check if the task has been enabled.

Right-click the task, and then click Properties. On the Task tab, verify that the Enabled check box is selected.

Enable the task

Check #2: Check the scheduled time.

On the Schedule tab, verify that the schedule is set correctly. Also click the Advanced button to make sure if the Advanced Schedule is set properly.

the Schedule tab

Check #3: Check the task's status.

The Status column in the Scheduled Tasks window displays the following status types. If you see the status is Could not start, go to Check #4 to view the log file.

Status	Description
Blank	The task is not running, or it ran and was successful.
Running	The task is currently being run.
Missed	One or more attempts to run this task was missed.
Could not start	The most recent attempt to start the task failed.

Task status:
Task status - Could not start

Check #4: View the log file of scheduled tasks

Task Scheduler comes with a log file SchedLgU.txt at C:\WINNT folder. This log file is used to record the activity of scheduled tasks. You can use the log file to determine why a task failed.

To open the log file, in the Scheduled Tasks window, on the Advanced menu, click View Log.

Open Windows Task Scheduler's log file

When the log file is opened, search for this line of text:

[ ***** Most recent entry is above this line ***** ]

for most recent entries.

If after following these checklist your task still fails, it may be that the program you are trying to run is not supported by the Task Scheduler. For example, if you run a .gif file, the task will fail.

Inside This Article

1.	How to use Windows Task Scheduler to automate computer tasks

2.	How to Troubleshoot if the task does not run

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