Windows Error Reporting Service
The Windows Error Reporting Service is part of Windows Error Reporting (WER).
since 0.9.8.11
Purpose
Identifier: WerSvc
Setup Foundry sets the service startup type to Manual.
The Windows Error Reporting Service is part of Windows Error Reporting (WER). It processes reports about crashed or unresponsive applications and certain operating-system and driver failures. These reports support fault analysis and the delivery of known solutions when available.
The service also enables log generation for Windows diagnostic and repair components. With its startup type set to Manual, Windows can start it in response to a relevant failure or when another component requests it.
Notes
Additional effects
Diagnostic and repair services can use WerSvc to generate logs and display their results. The service is also required for Corporate Error Reporting. Microsoft therefore advises against disabling it.
Privacy and security
WER reports contain information about the failure and the affected application or system component. Depending on the diagnostic-data settings and applicable policies, Windows may also submit memory dumps. A dump can unintentionally contain personal information or fragments of documents, webpages, and other content present in memory when the failure occurred.
Reports selected for transmission are sent to Microsoft services. Microsoft documents the use of HTTPS with TLS and certificate pinning for this traffic. Microsoft and participating software or hardware vendors can use the resulting information to investigate reliability defects and security-related bugs.
Changing the startup type to Manual does not change diagnostic-data settings, consent choices, or reporting policies. Because Windows can still start the service on demand, this change does not inherently prevent error reports from being collected or transmitted.
Effects of the change
Changing the startup type does not by itself stop an instance that is already running. After a restart, the service is not kept running merely by an automatic startup setting. If Windows or an application requests the service for error reporting, it can still start and operate normally.
On systems where WerSvc already uses Manual as its default startup type, users should not notice an immediate change during normal operation. If the service is not requested after a failure, or if an attempted start fails, error reports might not be processed correctly. Available solutions and the results of some diagnostic or repair services might also not be displayed. The startup-type change neither repairs a failed application nor prevents it from failing.
Notes
Microsoft documentation
Microsoft Learn: Guidance on configuring system services
Microsoft Learn: Configure Windows diagnostic data in your organization