Why is the wbadmin.msc snap-in missing?
The exact cause of this issue is not clear, but it seems to be related to a bug in the installation process of the Windows Server Backup feature. Some users have suggested that the installation fails to copy the wbadmin.msc file to the system32 folder, or that the file is corrupted or deleted by some other process. Another possible reason is that the installation does not register the wbadmin.msc snap-in module with the Microsoft Management Console (MMC), which is the framework that hosts various administrative tools.
How to fix the wbadmin.msc snap-in missing issue?
There are two methods that you can try to fix this issue and restore the wbadmin.msc snap-in module on your server. The first method is to use Server Manager, and the second method is to use PowerShell. Both methods require you to uninstall and reinstall the Windows Server Backup feature, but with an additional step of installing the Network Load Balancing (NLB) feature as well. The NLB feature is not related to Windows Server Backup, but for some reason, installing it along with Windows Server Backup seems to resolve the issue and make the wbadmin.msc snap-in module appear in the system32 folder and the Administrative Tools menu.
Method 1: Using Server Manager
To fix the wbadmin.msc snap-in missing issue using Server Manager, follow these steps:
Open Server Manager and click on Manage > Remove Roles and Features.
Select your server from the server pool and click Next.
On the Remove Roles and Features Wizard, uncheck Windows Server Backup under Features and click Next.
Click Remove to confirm and wait for the uninstallation to complete.
Click on Manage > Add Roles and Features again.
Select your server from the server pool and click Next.
On the Add Roles and Features Wizard, check Network Load Balancing under Features and click Next.
Click Install to start the installation of NLB feature.
After the installation of NLB feature is done, check Windows Server Backup under Features as well and click Next.
Click Install to start the installation of Windows Server Backup feature.
After both features are installed, close Server Manager and restart your server if necessary.
Open Administrative Tools and you should see Windows Server Backup in the list. You can also find wbadmin.msc in the system32 folder.
Method 2: Using PowerShell
To fix the wbadmin.msc snap-in missing issue using PowerShell, follow these steps:
Open PowerShell as administrator and run the following command to uninstall Windows Server Backup feature:
```powershell Uninstall-WindowsFeature Windows-Server-Backup -Remove
``` Run the following command to install NLB feature:
```powershell Install-WindowsFeature NLB
``` Run the following command to install Windows Server Backup feature:
```powershell Install-WindowsFeature Windows-Server-Backup
``` Restart your server if necessary.
Open Administrative Tools and you should see Windows Server Backup in the list. You can also find wbadmin.msc in the system32 folder.
Conclusion
In this article, we have shown you how to fix the wbadmin.msc snap-in missing issue after installing Windows Server Backup feature on Windows Server 2012, 2016 or 2019. By uninstalling and reinstalling the Windows Server Backup feature along with the Network Load Balancing feature, you can restore the wbadmin.msc snap-in module and access the Windows Server Backup GUI. We hope this article has been helpful for you. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them below.
References:
[Windows Server Backup snap-in module is never installed]
[Windows Server Backup Missing After Installation (Server 2012/2016/2019)]
[No shortcut to app Windows Serwer Backup on Windows Server 2019]
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