How to fix Error 553 on Windows 11

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Troubleshooting Guide: Error 553 – “The number of active profiling objects is at the maximum and no more may be started”

Why This Error Happens

This error occurs when the Windows Performance Monitoring or Event Tracing for Windows (ETW) subsystem hits its internal limit for concurrently active trace/profiling sessions. Each profiling session (used by tools like Performance Monitor, WPR, or third-party diagnostic/APM agents) consumes a session slot, and Windows caps the total number of simultaneous logman/ETW sessions (typically 64). This usually happens when previous profiling sessions were not properly terminated (orphaned sessions), leaving them “active” in the registry or kernel session table even though no application is actively using them.

Step-by-Step Resolution Guide

  1. List all active trace sessions to identify orphaned ones:
    Open Command Prompt as Administrator and run:
   logman query -ets

This displays every currently running ETW session by name.

  1. Stop unnecessary or stale sessions manually:
    For each orphaned session identified (common culprits: EventLog-Application, custom APM traces, or old WPR_initiated_* sessions), run:
   logman stop "SessionName" -ets

Repeat for each session that isn’t actively required.

  1. Clear leftover WPR (Windows Performance Recorder) sessions if you used WPR previously:
   wpr -cancel

This forcibly cancels any hung WPR profiling session still holding a slot.

  1. Check and reset the registry session limit (if the issue persists after clearing sessions):
    Navigate to:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\WMI\Autologger

Remove any stale or duplicate autologger entries that no longer correspond to real diagnostic tools, then reboot.

  1. Restart the “Performance Logs & Alerts” and “Diagnostic Policy Service”:
    Open services.msc, locate both services, right-click → Restart. This clears the in-memory session table without requiring a full system reboot.

Alternative or Verification Steps

  • Verify the fix: Re-run logman query -ets — the session count should now be well below the 64-session limit, and the profiling tool that triggered Error 553 should launch successfully.
  • If the error persists: Perform a full system restart to force Windows to release all ETW session handles, then immediately re-check with logman query -ets before starting any new profiling tools.