The Services.msc Extended View Tab is Blank: Here's How to Fix

If you use the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in Services (services.msc) to manage your Windows services, you may have noticed that sometimes when you switch to the Extended view, the list of services won’t appear. The problem can be caused by some unrelated changes in the system, which might have broken the registration of some of the required system DLLs.

How do I fix the blank extended view tab?

1. Reregister the jscript.dll and vbscript.dll system files

1. Click the Start button, type cmd and select Run as administrator from the results.
2. Type the following commands one by one, and hit Enter after each to run it:
   • regsvr32 jscript.dll
   • regsvr32 vbscript.dll
3. Close the command prompt window and restart the Windows services MMC snap-in.

Now the services should be visible in the Extended view.

2. Use the System File Checker tool

1. Click the Start button, type cmd and select Run as administrator from the results.
2. Type or paste the following command and press Enter: sfc /scannow

The System File Checker tool that might be able to find and fix any damage to the system files. After the scan is complete, restart your PC and see if the Extended tab is now populated.

3. Enable Active Scripting

1. Press Win + R to start the Run console, type regedit and press Enter.
2. Navigate to the following locations:
   • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Zones\0 HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Zones\0
3. Double-click the value named 1400 (if exists in the above locations), and set its data to 0. The value 1400 corresponds to Active Scripting, and Zone 0 represents the local computer zone. Setting 1400 value data to 0 enables Active Scripting.
4. Exit the Registry Editor, then close and re-open Services.msc.

4. Re-register the MMC Snap-in Components

Some Microsoft Management Console files may be unregistered. You can re-register them with:

1. Open Command Prompt as administrator.
2. Run these commands one by one:
   • regsvr32 msxml3.dll
   • regsvr32 msxml6.dll
   • regsvr32 mmcndmgr.dll

5. Reset the MMC Configuration

Corrupt MMC settings can cause a blank Extended tab.

1. Press Windows + R, type %AppData%\Microsoft\MMC, and press Enter.
2. Locate services.msc in the folder and delete it.
3. Reopen services.msc and check if the Extended view works.

6. Install or Repair the Microsoft Management Console

On older or damaged installations, MMC components may be missing.

1. Open Control Panel > Programs > Turn Windows features on or off.
2. Ensure Microsoft Management Console is enabled.
3. If already enabled, uncheck it, reboot, and re-enable it.

7. Repair Windows Image with DISM

If the blank tab is caused by damaged system files, DISM can fix it.

1. Open Command Prompt (Admin).
2. Run:
   • DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
3. Once complete, restart your PC.

This solution is a long stretch, because many users don’t have the value present in the Registry Editor. However, it worked for some, so you should try it nevertheless. Moreover, if you’re experiencing similar problems with the “Services.msc Access Denied” error, we’ve got you covered.

Hopefully, by using our solutions you fixed the services.msc Extended tab blank issue.