How to Fix Exchange Service Error 1068? – Tried and Tested Ways

Published On - June 1, 2026

To fix Exchange Service Error 1068,

Check the database size and storage availability.
Set the Service Start Type as Automatic (Delayed Start).
Review the Change Management Request to find new changes.
Change the Logon credentials: Services > Exchange Services > Log On.
Execute the sfc/scannow to confirm the Windows corruption and restart the server.
Reinstall damaged components, including IIS, UCMA, and Exchange prerequisites.
Access the Event Viewer to check Windows log, Application logs, or Exchange errors.

“Exchange Service Error 1068: The dependency service or group failed to start.” appears when a critical dependency service is unavailable. You may face the error while installing Cumulative Update (CU), restarting the Exchange Server, and applying Windows updates.

A sudden interruption in services creates an urgency among the users to resolve the error quickly. For this, we will explore different solutions to fix the Exchange Service Error 1068 and restore server operations.

Common Symptoms & Their Indications of Exchange Service Error 1068

Below, we have provided the list of common issues that administrators mostly reported. Here they are:

Symptoms	Indication
Exchange services won’t start	Dependency failure
Mail flow stopped	Transport service issue
Databases won’t mount	Information Store failure
OWA/ECP inaccessible	IIS-related issue
Outlook cannot connect	Exchange backend service stopped
Event Viewer logs Error 1068	Service dependency problem

Exchange Service Error 1068: Know Why the Issue Occurred?

If you encounter the Exchange Service error 1068, then any of the given reasons may be responsible for it. Check out the most frequent ones now:

Damaged or corrupted system files.
Dependency services failed to start.
Active Directory connectivity issues.
Corruption in the Exchange database.
Incorrect configurations of service startup.
Incomplete or failed Exchange Cumulative Update.
Problem with IIS or World Wide Web Publishing Services.

Top 5 Methods to Fix Exchange Service Error 1068 [Manual Ones]

Explore this section carefully to get the best solutions to resolve the Error 1068 from the Exchange account. Try them individually to pick the most suitable one.

Way 1. Check the Exchange Dependency Services

Use the given steps to verify all the related dependencies from the service console.

Step 1. Access the Run wizard by pressing Windows+R keys.

Step 2. Enter services.msc and proceed to OK.

Step 3. Navigate to Exchange Services:

Transport
Mailbox Assistants
Exchange Information Store

Right-click on it and go to Properties > Dependencies.

Step 4. Check that all the services are Running or Set to Automatic state.

Way 2. Reboot the Necessary Windows Services

Restart the required services to fix the Exchange error code 1068. Below we have listed the relevant commands:

Note: Access and Run the Command Prompt as Administrator to restart the services.

Remote Procedure Call (RPC)
net start RpcSs
Windows Event Log
net start EventLog
IIS Admin Service
net start EventLog
Top Port Sharing Service
net start NetTcpPortSharing

Way 3. Verify the Active Directory Connectivity

Active Directory (AD) requires a stable connection with Exchange Server to manage operations. If the problem occurred due to the AD Connectivity, check the following:

Step 1. Execute the below command to verify the Domain connectivity.

nltest /dsgetdc:yourdomain.com

Step 2. Check DNS configuration and make sure that:

No incorrect external DNS configuration exists.
Preferred DND must be pointed towards the Domain Controller.

Way 4. Repair the Exchange Installation

This method is useful for repairing Exchange if the issue appears due to a failed Cumulative Update or incomplete steps. Here’s how:

Note:
Before you begin, make sure to check the following things.

Active Directory is healthy.
Use the correct Exchange ISO version.
Server reboot is completed before you repair.

Step 1. Mount the Exchange installation ISO and access the Command Prompt.

Step 2. Run the below command to rebuild the damaged Exchange components.

Setup.exe /Mode:RecoverServer

Way 5. Check the Exchange Database Health

If the Exchange Database is damaged or corrupted, it will lead to different issues, like error 1068. Check the Exchange Database Health with the provided steps:

Step 1. Run the Exchange Management Shell as Administrator.

Step 2. Execute the below cmdlet to verify the health status.

eseutil.exe /mh “Path\To\Database.edb”

Step 3. Review the results and act accordingly.

Clean Shutdown means a healthy database.
Dirty Shutdown means the abrupt server stoppage.

Step 4. Execute the following command if the results are not in your favor. Also, make sure to change the log prefix to your database log.

eseutil/r /d “Path\To\Database.edb”

Native Solutions Failed? – Try the Alternative Approach Now

The above-provided solutions will help you fix Exchange Service Error 1068. But if you are still facing the same, it indicates severe corruption in Exchange databases.

To repair corrupt EDB files, advanced recovery solutions like Recoverfix are the most effective ones. The Exchange Server Recovery tool helps to restore data from Exchange database files without manual effort.

Free Download

Last Thoughts

Here, we have covered a detailed guide to fix Exchange Service Error 1068. You can follow the structured approach of the blog that starts with:

IIS restart
Service verification
Dependency checks
Event Viewer analysis

If the native solutions failed, go with the recommended solutions. The software allows to repair and migrate EDB files to Office 365 directly.