What is Bonjour Service on Windows 10? [Complete Guide]

In this article, I’ll show you how to figure out what the Bonjour service is and how to stop it from operating on your computer.  While looking through task management for that pesky little process that’s sucking up all your resources, a few of you may have come upon a process labeled Bonjour Service. Even fewer people are aware of what the service is and how it affects their day-to-day computer usage.

The Bonjour Service is not a virus, first and foremost. It was designed by Apple and has been a part of their iOS and macOS operating systems since 2002. The software is tightly integrated with the Apple ecosystem, resulting in a more fluid overall experience. On the other hand, when a user installs Apple-related software like iTunes or the Safari web browser on a Windows machine, the program is installed.

This article will examine the Bonjour Service to see if it is required or if it can be disabled on your Windows machine. If you choose the latter option, I’ll walk you through disabling or deleting the Bonjour service step by step.

What is Windows 10’s Bonjour Service?

Bonjour, originally known as Apple Rendezvous, is a network discovery and connection service for shared devices and services. It, unlike traditional apps, runs in the background, allowing other Apple apps and programs to automatically communicate across a local data network. As a result, zero-configuration networking allows users to set up networks without having to configure anything (zeroconf).

This is made possible by modern technologies such as hostname resolution, address assignment, and service discovery. At the same time, the Bonjour Service’s use of the multicast Domain Name System (mDNS) ensures that it does not slow down the internet by caching support information. The service is now mostly used for file sharing and printer discovery.

The following are some of Bonjour’s apps:

• iTunes and iPhoto, respectively, are where you can find shared music and photos.
• In Safari, look for local servers and device configuration sites.
• For software license management, such as SolidWorks and PhotoView 360.
• In SubEthaEdit, find contributors for a certain document.
• Use tools such as iChat, Adobe Systems Creative Suite 3, and others to communicate with a large number of customers.

On Windows systems, the Bonjour service serves no purpose and can be stopped

However, if you use Apple applications on your Windows PC (iTunes or Safari), Bonjour is a required service, and deleting it may cause these apps to stop working. The Bonjour service is required for Apple software and third-party products like Adobe Creative Suite and Dassault Systemes’ Solidworks to perform properly. So, before you turn off Bonjour, make sure you don’t have any other apps running on your computer.

How can I turn off the Bonjour service?

The Bonjour service can be uninstalled in two ways. You can either disable the service temporarily or totally uninstall it. Uninstalling the service is a permanent change; if you later decide you need it, you must reinstall it; however, in the other case, you can reactivate it.

Launch the Windows Services app to disable a service on your computer. Set the undesirable service’s launch type to Disabled.

1. To open Services, press Windows + R to bring up the Run command box, type services.msc in the text field, and click OK. Services can also be found by pressing the Windows key + S and typing it into the Windows start search box.
2. Right-click on the Bonjour service in the Services pane to open the options/context menu. From the context menu, choose Properties. You can also access the properties of service by double-clicking on it.
3. Select the Name button at the top of the window to sort all of the services alphabetically, making it easier to discover the Bonjour service.
4. To begin, click the Terminate button next to the Service status label to stop the Bonjour service. The service status should be set to Stop after the activity is completed.
5. Under the general properties tab, click on the drop-down menu next to the Startup type to expand it. From the list of launch types, choose Disabled.
6. To save the changes and disable the service, click the Apply button in the bottom-right corner of the window. Then click OK to exit.

What is the procedure for uninstalling Bonjour?

Bonjour may be uninstalled just like any other program on your computer. Simply go to the Programs & Features section of the Control Panel and uninstall Bonjour from there. Nonetheless, we’ve included step-by-step instructions for uninstalling Bonjour below. From the Control Panel window, go to Programs & Features. To make it easier to find Programs & Features, change the icon size to tiny or large.

1. Open the Run command box, type control or control panel, then click the enter key to start the Control Panel software.
2. Locate Bonjour and select it with a click.
3. Finally, select the Delete option at the top to remove the Bonjour app.
4. You may also uninstall Bonjour by right-clicking on it and selecting Uninstall from the menu that appears.
5. To complete the uninstallation operation
6. Click Yes in the confirmation pop-up box that displays, and then follow the on-screen instructions.

Some parts of Bonjour may stay on your computer after you delete the software because it is included in various Apple programs. Delete the.exe and.dll files related to Bonjour to uninstall it.

1. Start by clicking the Windows key + E to open Windows File Explorer.
2. Make your way to the place listed below.

C:\Program Files\Bonjour
(The Bonjour service folder is stored within the Program Files(x86) folder on some machines, such as those running Windows Vista or Windows 7 x64.)

3.In the Bonjour app folder, right-click on the “mDNSResponder.exe” file. From the choices menu that displays, select Delete.
4. Find the “mdnsNSP.dll” file and delete it.

If you see an error message that states, “This action cannot be completed because the file is open in Bonjour service,” restart your computer and try removing the files again.

Further Steps

The Bonjour Service files can be uninstalled using an elevated command prompt window if the pop-up message persists after restarting the computer.

1. A standard elevated command prompt window will not be able to completely remove Bonjour from your computer. Instead, running the command prompt as an administrator will help.
2. A User Account Control pop-up will appear regardless of the mode of access, requesting permission to allow the Command Prompt to make modifications to your device. To grant the required permission, select Yes.
3. Next, navigate to the Bonjour folder destination from the command prompt. Navigate to the Bonjour application folder in File Explorer (Windows key + E), and take note of the address.
4. Type (Program FilesBonjour) at the command prompt and hit enter.
5. Type mDNSResponder.exe –remove at the command prompt and hit Enter.
6. You should receive the confirmation message Removed Service after the service has been terminated.
7. You can also skip steps 2 and 3 and just type the command below.

“%PROGRAMFILES%\Bonjour\mDNSResponder.exe” -remove

8. To unregister the mdnsNSP.dll file, use the following command:

regsvr32 /u “%PROGRAMFILES%\Bonjour\mdnsNSP.dll”

Restart your computer after that, and erase the Bonjour folder.

Final Thoughts

Dear Readers, I hope this article has clarified what the Bonjour service is and how to remove or disable it from your computer. So, if you have any queries, feel free to ask them in the box below.