Jira Windows Service Not Running How to Check and Start It the Right Way
No Jira page, no Jira error - just a browser that cannot connect. Before you touch Java, ports or databases, check the one thing that starts them all: the Windows service.
✍️ Technical Anshu🪟 Windows Server⏱️ 8 minute read
🎥 Watch the full fix in the video — every step shown live on screen
When Jira runs on Windows it is, at heart, a Windows service. The service is what launches Java, opens the port and brings the application up. If the service is stopped, disabled, or set to start manually, nothing else in Jira even gets a chance to run - and the browser gives you the least helpful message possible: a plain connection error. This page covers the service check properly, including the one behaviour that confuses everyone: a service that starts, looks fine, and stops again a minute later.
services.msc - Atlassian Jira service (illustration)
Atlassian Jira
Status: Stopped | Startup type: Manual
Log on as: Local System | Recovery: Take No Action
The classic restart surprise - the service exists but is stopped, and its startup type is Manual. Example values shown as an illustration.
1
Check the Service Before Anything Else
Two minutes in the Services console will either solve this problem completely or tell you exactly where to look next. Resist the urge to reinstall or edit configuration files until you have done this.
Press Windows + R, type services.msc and press Enter
Scroll to the service whose name starts with Atlassian Jira - the exact suffix varies by version
Read two columns: Status (Running or blank) and Startup Type (Automatic, Manual or Disabled)
If the status is blank and the type is Manual or Disabled, you have very likely found your whole problem
2
Start It Properly and Set It to Automatic
Starting the service once fixes today. Setting the startup type fixes every future restart - which is when this problem usually appears, because a Manual service simply never comes back after a reboot.
Right-click the Jira service and choose Start
Wait - Jira is a large application; a healthy start can take several minutes before the browser page responds, even though the service shows Running quickly
Double-click the service, set Startup type to Automatic, and click OK
Open Jira in the browser and confirm your projects load, not just the login page
On the Recovery tab you can optionally set First failure to Restart the Service - useful, but only after the underlying fault is fixed, otherwise the service will restart-crash in a loop
3
When the Service Starts and Then Stops Again
This is the pattern that matters most. The service starting proves Windows and the service configuration are fine. The Java process underneath is starting, hitting a fatal error, and exiting - so Windows honestly reports the service as stopped. The service is the messenger, not the fault.
Start the service once more and time how long it survives - a few seconds points at Java or memory; half a minute points at port or database
Open Event Viewer, go to Windows Logs, then Application, and look for errors from the Jira service at the stop time - they often name the failing component
Then go to the real evidence: the newest catalina log in the logs folder of the Jira install directory
Read the first SEVERE error from the end of that log - it will match one of the known stages: port in use, Java mismatch, database unreachable, or out of memory
Fix that stage, then start the service once - not repeatedly
4
When Start Fails With an Error Message
Sometimes the service refuses with a numbered Windows error, such as the service starting and terminating, or a Java-related failure in the service wrapper. Write the exact error down before clicking it away - the number plus the time points you to the matching entry in Event Viewer, which is far more specific than the popup.
Note the exact error text and the time it appeared
In Event Viewer, check Windows Logs - Application and System at that minute for the service's own entries
A Java virtual machine error at this stage means the service cannot find or cannot run Java - check JAVA_HOME and the Java version next
A fast failure with no Jira logs at all also points at Java: if Java cannot start, Jira cannot write its own logs
🔴 The honest habit: a service that keeps stopping is not a service problem to be retried - it is Jira reporting a real fault through the only channel it has. Restart the service to observe, never as the fix itself. And before deeper repair work, back up the Jira home directory and the database: a stopped Jira still holds every project your team owns.
🎥 See the Complete Fix in the Video
The full Jira startup repair, step by step, with the exact screens and log lines shown live.
Jira works when I start the service manually but is down after every reboot. Why
The service Startup Type is set to Manual, so Windows never starts it at boot. Open services.msc, double-click the Atlassian Jira service, set Startup type to Automatic, and apply. Also check that the database service is set to Automatic - Jira started before its database is ready will fail in a similar way.
How long should I wait after starting the Jira service before testing the page
Longer than feels natural. The service shows Running as soon as the Java process exists, but Jira itself needs time to load plugins, caches and indexes - on a modest server, several minutes is normal. If the browser still cannot connect after ten minutes, stop waiting and read the catalina log; a healthy start does not take that long.
Can I run Jira from a command window instead of the service
Yes, for diagnosis. Running Jira in the foreground from its bin folder with the startup script prints errors directly to the window, which can be faster than digging through logs. It is a troubleshooting technique, not a permanent setup - close it down and return to the service once the fault is fixed, and never leave a production Jira running in a logged-in user's session.
This guide is based on the Technical Anshu video on fixing a Jira that will not start • Stuck on a step? Ask in the video comments — you will get a reply 🙏