How to fix Error 318 on Windows 11

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Windows 11 Troubleshooting Guide: Error 318 – “The Scope Specified Was Not Found”

Why This Error Happens

Error 318 occurs when an application or system process attempts to reference a scope object—such as a DHCP scope, a Group Policy scope, or a Windows Firewall connection security rule scope—that no longer exists in the configuration database. This typically happens due to a corrupted or incomplete configuration file, a scope that was manually deleted while still referenced elsewhere, or a registry entry pointing to an outdated or removed scope ID. It can also surface when a service starts before its dependent configuration has fully loaded, causing it to look for a scope that hasn’t been initialized yet.

Step-by-Step Resolution Guide

  1. Identify the source service triggering the error.
    Open Event Viewer (eventvwr.msc) → navigate to Windows Logs > System → filter by Event ID 318. Note the source (e.g., DHCP-Server, GroupPolicy, or Windows Firewall) to determine which component is affected.

  2. If related to DHCP Server scope:

  • Open DHCP Manager (dhcpmgmt.msc).
  • Right-click the server node → All Tasks > Reconcile All Scopes.
  • If a scope is missing, recreate it manually via Action > New Scope, matching the original IP range and subnet mask.
  1. If related to Group Policy scope:
  • Open Group Policy Management Console (gpmc.msc).
  • Check for orphaned GPO links under Group Policy Objects.
  • Run the following command to force a policy refresh and clear stale scope references:

    gpupdate /force
  • If the error persists, use gpresult /h report.html to generate a report and identify the broken scope link.
  1. If related to Windows Firewall or IPsec scope:
  • Open Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security (wf.msc).
  • Navigate to Connection Security Rules, right-click the affected rule → Properties > Scope tab.
  • Remove and re-add the IP address range or subnet that is missing, then click Apply.
  1. Rebuild the configuration database (if corruption is suspected):
  • Stop the affected service (e.g., net stop dhcpserver).
  • Navigate to C:\Windows\System32\dhcp\ (for DHCP) and rename the .mdb and .log files to .bak.
  • Restart the service to regenerate a clean database: net start dhcpserver.

Alternative or Verification Steps

  • Verify the fix: Reopen Event Viewer and confirm no new Event ID 318 entries appear after restarting the affected service. Also check the relevant management console (DHCP/GPMC/Firewall) to ensure the scope now displays correctly without errors.
  • Alternative fix: If the issue persists, restore the last known good configuration using System Restore (rstrui.exe) to a point before the scope was deleted or corrupted.