Troubleshooting “Workflow Timer Job Exceeded” Error in SharePoint

The “Workflow Timer Job Exceeded” error occurs when a SharePoint workflow takes longer than the allowed execution time. SharePoint uses timer jobs to run workflows, and if a job exceeds its time limit, it fails.

This issue is common in SharePoint 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and SharePoint Online and can be caused by:
✅ Long-running workflows with multiple steps.
✅ Large data processing operations in the workflow.
✅ Workflow timer service failures.
✅ SharePoint server performance issues.

This guide provides a step-by-step process to diagnose and resolve the issue.

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Step 1: Identify the Workflow Type

Before troubleshooting, determine which type of SharePoint workflow you are using:

• SharePoint 2010 Workflow (Uses SharePoint Workflow Engine).
• SharePoint 2013 Workflow (Uses Workflow Manager).
• Power Automate (Flow) (For modern SharePoint Online).

Check Your Workflow Type in SharePoint Designer

1. Open SharePoint Designer.
2. Click on Workflows.
3. Locate your workflow and check the Platform Type (2010 or 2013).

🔹 If using Power Automate, check execution logs in Power Automate portal.

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Step 2: Check Workflow Execution Logs

To understand why the workflow is exceeding the time limit, check the execution logs.

For SharePoint Online (Power Automate Users)

1. Open Power Automate.
2. Click My Flows > Select the failing workflow.
3. Check the Run History for failed instances.
4. Look for long-running actions (loops, delays, or large queries).

For SharePoint On-Premises (ULS Logs and Workflow History List)

1. Open SharePoint Central Administration.
2. Navigate to Monitoring > Review job definitions.
3. Find Workflow Timer Job and check its status.
4. Open ULS Logs and search for: Get-SPLogEvent | Where-Object { $_.Message -like "*workflow*" }
5. Review the Workflow History List to identify which action is taking too long.

🔹 If a specific action takes longer than expected, proceed to Step 3.

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Step 3: Optimize Workflow Actions

If a workflow includes loops, long delays, or large queries, it may exceed the timer job limit.

Reduce Long-Running Actions

1. Avoid unnecessary loops (For Each, While).
2. Break workflows into smaller parts to prevent long execution times.
3. Reduce query complexity if the workflow retrieves too many items.
4. Use wait conditions efficiently instead of excessive delays.

🔹 If the workflow cannot be optimized further, proceed to Step 4.

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Step 4: Increase Workflow Timer Job Frequency

The Workflow Timer Job runs at scheduled intervals. If it’s too infrequent, workflows may time out.

Modify Timer Job Frequency (On-Premises Only)

1. Open Central Administration.
2. Go to Monitoring > Review Job Definitions.
3. Locate “Workflow Timer Job”.
4. Click Edit Schedule and set a shorter interval (e.g., every 5 minutes).
5. Click OK and restart the timer service: Restart-Service SPTimerV4

🔹 If the issue persists, proceed to Step 5.

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Step 5: Restart Workflow Timer Service (On-Premises Only)

If the Workflow Timer Service is unresponsive, workflows may exceed their time limits.

Restart via Services (GUI Method)

1. Open Run (Win + R) and type services.msc.
2. Locate SharePoint Timer Service (SPTimerV4).
3. Right-click and select Restart.

Restart via PowerShell

1. Open SharePoint Management Shell.
2. Run: Restart-Service SPTimerV4

🔹 If restarting the service does not help, move to Step 6.

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Step 6: Increase Workflow Execution Timeout (For SharePoint 2013+)

If workflows frequently exceed their execution limit, increasing the timeout value can help.

1. Open SharePoint Management Shell as Administrator.
2. Run the following command: Set-SPFarmConfig -WorkflowTimerJobTimeout 300 (This increases the timeout to 300 seconds.)
3. Restart IIS to apply the changes: iisreset

🔹 If the workflow still fails, move to Step 7.

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Step 7: Check SharePoint Server Performance (For On-Premises Users)

A slow or overloaded server can cause workflows to exceed the time limit.

Monitor Server Performance

1. Open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc).
2. Check CPU and RAM usage.
3. If usage is high, consider adding more resources to the SharePoint server.

Optimize SQL Database Performance

1. Open SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS).
2. Run the following query to check for long-running queries: SELECT * FROM sys.dm_exec_requests WHERE status = 'running'
3. If queries take too long, optimize indexing and cleanup logs.

🔹 If the server is running well, proceed to Step 8.

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Step 8: Split the Workflow into Smaller Workflows

If a workflow has too many actions, consider breaking it into smaller workflows.

How to Split a Workflow in SharePoint Designer

1. Identify logical breakpoints where the workflow can be split.
2. Create a new secondary workflow to handle part of the logic.
3. Use the “Start Another Workflow” action to trigger the second workflow.
4. Publish and test the workflows.

🔹 If splitting the workflow does not help, proceed to Step 9.

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Step 9: Migrate to Power Automate (For SharePoint Online Users)

If SharePoint Designer workflows are frequently failing, migrating to Power Automate (Flow) may be a better solution.

Benefits of Power Automate Over SharePoint Designer

✅ More reliable execution.
✅ Better handling of long-running processes.
✅ More integration options.

🔹 If migration is not possible, go to Step 10.

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Step 10: Recreate the Workflow (If All Else Fails)

If none of the above steps resolve the issue, recreating the workflow may be necessary.

1. Open SharePoint Designer.
2. Export the existing workflow as a backup.
3. Create a new workflow with the same logic.
4. Test and optimize it for performance.

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