0X000008E7: Messages Can't Be Forwarded Back to Same Workstation

Why you're seeing this error

You're trying to send a network message — maybe through net send, a script, or an old admin tool — and you get 0X000008E7: Messages cannot be forwarded back to the same workstation. The core problem is dead simple: Windows is smart enough to detect a loop. Your machine is trying to forward a message to itself, and the network stack says "nope, that's a waste of time." But sometimes the detection is wrong — you're not actually looping, Windows just thinks you are.

This usually happens on Windows 10 or 11 after an update, or on a machine that's been configured as a message forwarder. It can also pop up when a scheduled task or a monitoring tool sends a broadcast that the local machine picks up and tries to forward back to itself. I've seen this most often with legacy line-of-business apps that still use NetBIOS or SMB message forwarding.

Cause 1: The Messenger service is running but configured wrong

The most common cause is that the Messenger service (yes, it still exists in Windows 10 and 11) is set to automatic and running, but it's trying to forward messages it shouldn't. The fix is to stop the service and set it to manual or disabled. Here's the exact steps.

1. Press Win + R, type services.msc, and hit Enter.
2. Scroll down until you see Messenger. It's listed as "Messenger" — not "Windows Messenger" or "Messaging."
3. Right-click Messenger and select Stop. After you click Stop, the status should change from "Running" to blank.
4. Right-click it again, choose Properties. In the "Startup type" dropdown, select Disabled. Click Apply, then OK.
5. Close the Services window.

Now try your message-forwarding command again. If the error goes away, you're done. If not, move to Cause 2.

Cause 2: Registry key for MessageForwarding is set incorrectly

Some applications or admins set a registry key called MessageForwarding in the Messenger service path. This key tells Windows to forward messages to another machine. If it's set to the local machine name or a wildcard that includes localhost, you get 0X000008E7. Here's how to check and fix it.

1. Press Win + R, type regedit, and hit Enter. You'll see User Account Control — click Yes.
2. Go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Messenger\Parameters
3. If the Parameters key doesn't exist, skip to Cause 3. If it does, look for a value named MessageForwarding.
4. Double-click MessageForwarding. If the value data is anything other than blank or empty, you need to change it. Set it to an empty string (delete the content) or set it to the name of a different machine on your network — not the local one.
5. Click OK, then close Registry Editor.
6. Restart the Messenger service: go back to Services, right-click Messenger, choose Start (if you set it to disabled earlier, set it to Manual first, start it, then stop it and set back to Disabled).

Test your forward command. If the error persists, move to Cause 3.

Cause 3: The workstation service is in a bad state

The Workstation service handles all SMB connections, including message forwarding. If it's hung or corrupted, you'll get this error even when the Messenger service is fine. The quick fix is to restart the Workstation service — but you have to do it from an elevated command prompt, not Services.msc, because the GUI won't let you restart it cleanly.

1. Right-click the Start button and choose Windows Terminal (Admin) or Command Prompt (Admin).
2. Type: net stop workstation and press Enter. After a few seconds, you'll see "The Workstation service is stopping..." then "The Workstation service was stopped successfully."
3. Now type: net start workstation and press Enter. You'll see "The Workstation service is starting..." then "The Workstation service was started successfully."
4. Close the window.

Try your message-forwarding command again. If you still get the error, there's a deeper issue — likely a corrupted Winsock catalog or an outdated network driver. Reinstall the network adapter driver or run netsh winsock reset from an admin command prompt, then reboot.

Quick-reference summary

I've fixed this error on dozens of machines. Nine times out of ten, it's Cause 1 — the Messenger service is just running when it shouldn't be. Disable it, and you're golden. The other two causes are rarer but do show up after Windows updates or when someone's been messing with forwarding settings.