How to Fix High CPU Usage on Windows 10.
The Central Processing Unit (CPU) is at the heart of any computing device and is responsible for executing any instructions you give it. When these resources are limited, applications may freeze or terminate, the cursor may move slowly, or the computer may start to heat up.
Fortunately, there are quick ways to determine if your processor is overloaded and reduce the CPU usage in Windows 10.
How to Check CPU Usage on Windows 10
Before we get into tips on how to reduce CPU usage, it’s a good idea to look at which programs or processes are causing the high CPU usage. This way, you don’t have to waste time looking for solutions that are irrelevant to your problem.
To check your CPU usage, follow these steps:
- Open Windows Task Manager (Ctrl + Alt + Delete) and click Task Manager or press and hold Ctrl + Shift + ESC on your keyboard.
- Find the Processes and Performance tabs for a closer look at what can contribute to high CPU usage. Select the top of the column to sort by CPU usage.
- Identify the services and system processes, such as wsappx, dwm.exe, ntoskrnl.exe, or csrss.exe, that are consuming RAM and power on your computer.
- To try to fix the problem immediately, you can try to end the process by right-clicking it and choosing End Task.
The task should only be completed if the CPU utilization exceeds 50% for more than 10 minutes. Sometimes Windows will perform scans or updates in the background, resulting in high CPU usage for a short time.
In addition, completing a task is only a short-term solution and does not actually solve the problem. Read the fixes below to find out how to permanently fix this issue.
How to Lower CPU Usage on Windows 10
Use the solutions below to diagnose, troubleshoot, and reduce CPU usage in Windows 10.
Quick Fixes
Try the following quick fixes to lower CPU usage on your Windows 10 PC.
- Save your work and restart your computer to clean up temporary files and possibly fix slow processes.
- Close all background processes that may be running by unchecking them in the Startup tab in Task Manager. Sort by startup impact to see which programs are the most resource intensive. Restart your computer to prevent it from restarting automatically.
- Update your drivers to fix any bugs or compatibility issues. Select Start> Settings> Updates & Security> Check for Updates to update important drivers.
- If you are not sure which version is running on your computer, please see our BIOS version guide and update the BIOS that might fix the errors. CPU load problem.
- Scan your hard drive for potential viruses or malware that is increasing CPU usage.
- Temporarily disable third-party antivirus software, third-party firewall software, or third-party VPN software and see if it helps reduce CPU usage.
- Check Task Manager for WMI Provider Host Process (WmiPrvSE.exe). If the CPU usage is nearly 100 percent, turn off the process and then turn it back on. If another program is causing high CPU usage, go ahead and don’t let it run or uninstall it.
- Run System File Checker to fix any corrupted files on your system.
- Install the latest version of Windows 10 along with the latest updates. You can also temporarily disable automatic download of Windows updates on your system.
Certain power settings can slow down your computer’s processor speed and affect your computer’s performance. It’s worth trying both balanced and high-performance power plans to see which one reduces high CPU usage. Below we’ll show you how to enable High Performance Mode, but if you’re already using it, switch to Balanced.
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Select Create Power Plan.
- Enable tariff without energy saving.
- Press Ctrl + Alt + Delete to open Task Manager and check if CPU usage is back to normal.
Disable Superfetch
Superfetch (Sysmain) is a resource-intensive feature in Windows 10 that improves system performance by preloading frequently used applications into RAM before launching them. You can turn it off by following these steps to see if it lowers your CPU usage.
If you do not see a drop in CPU usage after disabling the service, re-enable it as we do not recommend disabling it.
- Right-click Start> Run.
- Type services.msc in the Run dialog box and press Enter.
- Scroll down to Sysmain in the Services window, right-click it and select Properties.
- Select the drop-down menu next to Startup Type and select Disabled.
- Select Apply, restart your computer and see if this reduces CPU usage.
Leave us a comment and let us know if this guide helped reduce the CPU usage on your Windows 10 PC.
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How to Fix High CPU Usage on Windows 10
How to Fix High CPU Usage on Windows 10