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AVEVA™ InTouch HMI

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Run WindowViewer as a service

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  • Last UpdatedMar 20, 2026
  • 2 minute read

If you configure WindowViewer to run as a Windows service, WindowViewer automatically starts when the computer on which the application is installed starts. The WindowViewer service runs in the background. If the WindowViewer service is running you cannot start another instance of WindowViewer.

Note: The currently signed-in user must have administrator privileges to start the WindowViewer service.

Running WindowViewer as a service provides the following benefits:

  • Most disaster recovery plans require that essential computer systems start immediately after electrical power is restored. Microsoft Windows Servers can restart automatically after power is restored. When WindowViewer runs as a service, your plant automation system can begin running immediately. The last InTouch application that was opened in WindowViewer automatically starts when the computer restarts.

  • WindowViewer continues to log historical data, gather alarm information, process scripts, act as an I/O Server, and write values as an I/O client, even as different operators log on and off.

    Note: A logged on user must have proper access to the network location if a network application is used to run as a service or a network path is used as a historical logging folder.

If WindowViewer is already running as a service and you attempt to start it again from a shortcut icon or by selecting WindowViewer on the Windows Start menu, a message is logged in the Operations Control Log viewer. The message describes the restrictions to starting WindowViewer when it has been configured to run as a service.

If WindowViewer is already running as a service and you attempt to launch Application Manager or WindowMaker, a warning message will be logged in the Operations Control Log viewer.The message explains that Application Manager and WindowMaker cannot open when WindowViewer is running as a service.

Important: When running WindowViewer as a service, the user account privileges have been set to non-interactive to reduce the potential security exposure of running a service with administrator privileges.

Run WindowViewer as a service in session 0 and as a desktop application in a TSE session

On a Windows Server system with RDS/TSE enabled, if WindowViewer is already running as a service for an application in Session 0, you need to log in with a non-admin (non-elevated) user account to run WindowViewer as a desktop application within a TSE session.

Example steps:

  • Log in as user1 without elevated privileges and run the application (e.g., ClientApp) on the desktop. This also stores the last executed application in that user’s profile.

  • Log in as user2 with elevated privileges, configure the node properties in the application manager to select the application (e.g., ServerApp) to run as a service, and then start the WindowViewer service to launch it.

    Note: In the user1 session, if you need to stop and restart WindowViewer as a desktop application, simply run WindowViewer directly so it uses the previously saved application path. You cannot open the application manager while WindowViewer is running as a service in Session 0.