The SharePoint Timer Service (SPTimerV4) is a critical Windows service responsible for executing timer jobs in SharePoint environments. When troubleshooting SharePoint issues, administrators often need to restart this service to apply changes or resolve problems.

Here are three effective ways to restart the service through command line:

Method 1: Using net commands

net stop SPTimerV4
net start SPTimerV4

Method 2: Using sc commands (more robust)

sc stop SPTimerV4
sc start SPTimerV4

Method 3: PowerShell commands (recommended for modern systems)

Restart-Service -Name SPTimerV4 -Force

For frequent maintenance, you can create a batch file with elevated privileges:

@echo off
:: Require admin rights
if not "%1"=="am_admin" (powershell start -verb runas '%0' am_admin & exit /b)

net stop SPTimerV4
timeout /t 5 /nobreak >nul
net start SPTimerV4

echo SharePoint Timer Service restarted successfully
pause

• If service won't stop: Check for running SharePoint processes with tasklist /svc | find "SPTimerV4"
• For permission errors: Run commands as administrator
• If service won't start: Verify SharePoint configuration with psconfig -cmd upgrade -inplace b2b -wait -force

Remember that restarting SPTimerV4 will:

• Pause all timer jobs during the restart
• Temporarily affect workflows and scheduled tasks
• May require IIS reset in some cases: iisreset /noforce

The SharePoint Timer Service (SPTimerV4 or OWSTIMER.EXE) is a critical Windows service responsible for executing scheduled jobs, timer jobs, and workflow tasks in SharePoint environments. When troubleshooting SharePoint issues, administrators often need to restart this service.

Here are three effective ways to restart the service from command line:

Method 1: Using SC Command

sc stop SPTimerV4
sc start SPTimerV4

Method 2: Using NET Command

net stop SPTimerV4
net start SPTimerV4

Method 3: PowerShell Approach

Restart-Service -Name SPTimerV4 -Force

For farm environments where multiple servers run the timer service, you might need to execute commands remotely:

Invoke-Command -ComputerName Server1,Server2 -ScriptBlock {
    Restart-Service -Name SPTimerV4 -Force
}

After restarting, verify the service status with:

sc query SPTimerV4
# OR
Get-Service -Name SPTimerV4

• Run commands as Administrator
• Check SharePoint ULS logs if service fails to start
• Ensure sufficient permissions (must be Farm Admin)
• Consider dependencies (IIS Admin Service should be running)

For regular maintenance, create a batch file:

@echo off
net stop SPTimerV4
timeout /t 5
net start SPTimerV4