A common reason for High CPU usage in Windows computers is due to default tendency of apps to start up with the computer keep running in the background, even when they are not being used.
Apart from this High CPU usage on a Windows computer can also be caused due to heightened activity of certain Windows Services, outdated drivers, corrupted system files, presence of virus/malware and other reasons.
High CPU Usage in Windows 11/10
The first step in dealing with the issue of High CPU usage on a Windows computer is to identify the processes, which are contributing to high CPU usage on the computer.
In the worst case of High CPU usage, you may find the following processes showing up on the Task Manager of your computer.
- Runtime Broker
- Antimalware Service Executable
- Service Host Local System
- The Web browser.
If any of these processes are regularly showing up on the Task Manager, you need to take the steps to prevent them from using excessive amount of resources on your computer.
As far as high CPU usage by the web browser is concerned, it can be addressed in most cases by closing multiple browsing tabs and clearing the browser cache.
1. Identify High CPU Consuming Services
You can easily identify High CPU using processes on your computer by opening “Task Manager” and clicking on the CPU Column.
1. Right-click on Start button and click on Task Manager.
2. On Task Manager screen, click on the CPU Column and this will bring up the high CPU using processes to the top of the column.
3. Now, right-click on the high CPU using Process and click on the End Task option.
4. Similarly, terminate other non-essential processes which are using a high amount of CPU on the computer.
2. Disable Startup Programs
Many Apps have a tendency to automatically starting up with the computer and keep running in the background, unnecessarily using up resources on the computer.
You can easily prevent Apps/Programs from starting up with the computer by using steps as provided below in this guide: How to Prevent Apps from Opening At Startup In Windows.
3. Prevent Apps from Running in Background
Even if apps are prevented from automatically starting up with the computer, they can continue to run in background, when they are manually started by the users.
For the steps to prevent apps from running in background, you can refer to this guide: How to Disable Background Apps in Windows 11/10.
4. Scan the Computer for Malware
As mentioned above, presence of malware/viruses can lead to high CPU usage and other problems on the computer.
You can rule out this possibility by scanning the computer for malware, by using Norton or ant other third-party Antivirus program installed on the computer.
If you are not using a third-party antivirus program, you can use Microsoft Defender Offline Scan.
5. Update Device Drivers
Sometimes, drivers can become outdated after an App or Windows update and lead to high CPU usage problem.
1. Right-click on Start button and click on Device Manager.
2. On the Device Manager Screen, click on Action > Scan for hardware changes.
3. Wait for Windows to scan the computer for Hardware changes and update device drivers.
6. Repair System Files
System Files can sometimes get corrupted during installation of Windows/App updates and lead to high CPU usage.
Luckily, Windows computers come with built-in tools (SFC & DISM), which can be used to check System Files for errors and repair them.
You can find the steps to repair system files using SFC & DISM in this guide: How to Repair Corrupted System Files In Windows 11/10.
7. Setup Visual Effects for Best Performance
Visual effects like animations and transparencies consume processing power, which can have an adverse impact on the performance of low end and budget computers.
You can limit the impact of visual effects on CPU usage by setting visual effects for best performance on your computer (instead of best appearance).
1. Open Run Command (Press Windows + R keys).
2. Type SystemPropertiesAdvanced and click on OK.
3. On the next screen, switch to Advanced tab and click on Settings button under “Performance” section.
3. On the next screen, click on Visual Effects tab and select Adjust for best performance option.
4. Click on Apply > OK to save these settings on your computer.
8. Defragment Hard Drives
Defragmenting the Hard Drive can help, only if your computer is equipped with traditional HDD drive. You can skip this step, if your computer is equipped with SSD drives.
1. Open the Control Panel on your computer.
2. Go to System and Security > scroll down to “Administrative Tools” section and click on Defragment and optimize your drives.
3. On the next screen, select the Drive that you want to defragment and click on Optimize button.
Patiently wait for Windows to complete the process of optimizing the selected drive.