Set the Service Account for the Full-text Filter Daemon Launcher

Article
03/03/2023

Applies to: SQL Server Azure SQL Database

This topic describes how to set or change the service account for the SQL Full-text Filter Daemon Launcher service (MSSQLFDLauncher) by using SQL Server Configuration Manager. The default service account used by SQL Server setup is NT Service\MSSQLFDLauncher.

About the SQL Full-text Filter Daemon Launcher service

The SQL Full-text Filter Daemon Launcher service is used by SQL Server Full-Text Search to start the filter daemon host process, which handles full-text search filtering and word breaking. The Launcher service must be running to use full-text search.

The SQL Full-text Filter Daemon Launcher service is an instance-aware service that is associated with a specific instance of SQL Server. The SQL Full-text Filter Daemon Launcher service propagates the service account information to each filter daemon host process that it launches.

Set the service account

On the Start menu, point to All Programs, expand Microsoft SQL Server, and then click SQL Server 2016 Configuration Manager.
In SQL Server Configuration Manager, click SQL Server Services, right-click SQL Full-text Filter Daemon Launcher (instance name), and then click Properties.
Click the Log On tab of the dialog box, and then select or enter the account under which to run the processes that the SQL Full-text Filter Daemon Launcher service starts.
After you close the dialog box, click Restart to restart the SQL Full-text Filter Daemon Launcher service.

SQL Full-text Filter Daemon Launch process properties

Troubleshoot the SQL Full-text Filter Daemon Launcher service if it doesn't start

If the SQL Full-text Filter Daemon Launcher service doesn't start, review the following possible causes:

Permissions issues

The SQL Server service group does not have permission to start SQL Full-text Filter Daemon Launcher service.

Make sure the SQL Server service group has permissions to the SQL Full-text Filter Daemon Launcher service account. During the installation of SQL Server, the SQL Server service group is granted default permission to manage, query, and start the SQL Full-text Filter Daemon Launcher service. If SQL Server service group permissions to the SQL Full-text Filter Daemon Launcher service account have been removed after SQL Server installation, the SQL Full-text Filter Daemon Launcher service will not start, and full-text search will be disabled.
The account used to log in to the service does not have privileges.

You may be using an account that does not have login privileges on the computer where the server instance is installed. Verify that you are logging in with an account that has User rights and permissions on the local computer.

Service account and password issues

The user account or password of the service account is incorrect.

In SQL Server 2016 Configuration Manager, make sure the service is using the correct service account and password.
The password associated with the SQL Full-text Filter Daemon Launcher service account has expired.

If you use a local user account for the SQL Full-text Filter Daemon Launcher service and the password expires, you have to:
1. Set a new Windows password for the account.
2. In SQL Server 2016 Configuration Manager, update the SQL Full-text Filter Daemon Launcher service to use the new password.

Named pipes configuration issues

The SQL Full-text Filter Daemon Launcher service is not configured correctly.

If named pipes functionality has been disabled on the local computer, or if SQL Server has been configured to use a named pipe other than the default named pipe, the SQL Full-text Filter Daemon Launcher service might not start.
Another instance of the same named pipe is already running.

The SQL Server service acts as a named pipe server for the SQL Full-text Filter Daemon Launcher service client. If the named pipe was already created by another process before SQL Server starts, an error will be logged in the SQL Server error log and the Windows Event Log, and full-text search will not be available. Determine what process or application is attempting to use the same named pipe and stop the application.