This article lists all the Exchange services and direct dependencies. There are other critical services deployed by the operating system, which may be indirectly used by the Exchange server. Microsoft doesn't test or recommend disabling various dependency services. These services shouldn't be disabled or stopped without proper functionality testing in the environment. If you stop these services and see negative effect on Exchange functionality, you must turn the services back on.
During the installation of Exchange Server 2016 or Exchange Server 2019, Setup runs a set of tasks that install new services in Microsoft Windows. A service is a background process that can be launched during the startup of the server by the Windows Service Control Manager. Services are executable files designed to operate independently and without administrative intervention. A service can run using either a graphical user interface (GUI) mode or a console mode.
All previous versions of Exchange included components that are implemented as services. Each Exchange server role includes services that are part of (or may be needed by) the server role to perform its functions. Note that some services only become active when specific features are used.
The sections in this topic describe the various services that are installed by Exchange 2016 and Exchange 2016 on Mailbox servers and Edge Transport servers. For services that are labeled as optional, you can disable the service if you determine your organization doesn't need the functionality that's provided by the service.
The following table describes the Exchange services that are installed on Mailbox servers.
| Service name | Service short name | Description and dependencies | Default startup type | Security context | Dependencies | Required or optional |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Exchange Active Directory Topology | MSExchangeADTopology | Provides Active Directory topology information to Exchange services. If this service is stopped, most Exchange services can't start. | Automatic | Local System | Net.TCP Port Sharing Service | Required |
| Microsoft Exchange Anti-spam Update | MSExchangeAntispamUpdate | Provides Exchange SmartScreen spam definition updates. |
Note: In November, 2016, Microsoft stopped producing spam definition updates for the SmartScreen filters in Exchange and Outlook. The existing SmartScreen spam definitions were left in place, but their effectiveness will likely degrade over time. For more information, see Deprecating support for SmartScreen in Outlook and Exchange.
If you don't have any subscribed Edge Transport servers, you can disable this service.
If you don't have any IMAP4 clients, you can disable this service.
If you don't have any IMAP4 clients, you can disable this service.
If you don't use UM in Exchange 2016, you can disable this service.
If you don't use UM in Exchange 2016, you can disable this service.
The following table describes the Exchange services that are installed on Edge Transport servers.
| Service name | Service short name | Description | Default startup type | Security context | Dependencies | Required or optional |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Exchange ADAM | ADAM_MSExchange | Stores configuration data and recipient data on the Edge Transport server. This service represents the named instance of the Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (AD LDS) that's automatically created by Exchange Setup. | Automatic | Network Service | COM+ Event System | Required |
| Microsoft Exchange Anti-spam Update | MSExchangeAntispamUpdate | Provides Exchange SmartScreen spam definition updates. |
Note: In November, 2016, Microsoft stopped producing spam definition updates for the SmartScreen filters in Exchange and Outlook. The existing SmartScreen spam definitions were left in place, but their effectiveness will likely degrade over time. For more information, see Deprecating support for SmartScreen in Outlook and Exchange.