Fix: WMIC Not Recognized as Internal and External Command

1. Launch the Services console by entering services.msc into the Run Command box on your computer.
2. Navigate to the bottom of the page, right-click the Windows Management Instrumentation service, and select Properties from the menu.
3. Within the Properties window, ensure that the Startup Type is set to Automatic, and then click the Start button. After the service has been properly started, you can save your adjustments by clicking the Apply and OK buttons.

Now see if you can execute the WMIC commands successfully. If this is not the case, you should proceed with the solution provided below.

2. Creating Environment Variable to fix WMIC Not Recognized as Internal and External Command

The absence of the environmental variable is another cause of the error message “WMIC not recognized as an internal or external command.” Because of this, merely typing in wmic.exe will not be sufficient because Windows will not know which EXE file to start.

You can resolve this issue in one of two ways: by providing the full path (C:\Windows\System32\wbem\WMIC.exe) to the WMIC.exe program or manually creating the environmental variable.

If you decide to enter the whole path, you must do so each time to run the WMIC program. It is because you cannot skip any steps in the process. That’s why we strongly advise making the variable.

1. To open the System Properties app, click the Run button and type sysdm.cpl into the box that appears.
2. From the new window that displays System Properties, select the tab labeled “Advanced.” Then click the “Environmental Variables” button.
3. In the section titled System variables, select the New option.
4. In the pop-up box, enter the name of any custom variable, and then copy and paste the C:\Windows\System32\wbem\WMIC.exe path into the text field under “Variable value.”

1. To close the Environmental Variables and the System Properties windows, click the OK button on each.
2. Following this step, you must restart your computer for the modifications to take effect.

You should not encounter the same error once it has finished restarting.

Conclusion

In the past, if you needed to reinstall WMIC on your Windows 11 computer, you could navigate to the Optional Features section in the Settings program. However, Microsoft has since removed WMIC from the list of optional features, making it more challenging to fix related issues.

Luckily, there are other methods you can use to address these problems. If you encounter any difficulties or have questions, please leave a comment below, and I’ll be happy to assist you. For additional troubleshooting guides and helpful tips, be sure to follow GetDroidTips.