Runtime Broker is an important part of Windows operating system; responsible for managing the process of granting apps with permission to access the camera, microphone, location and other sensitive information.
In general, Runtime Broker should use a negligible amount of CPU (2%) while it is running in the background and go through spikes in CPU usage (20 to 30%); only while it is actively performing its activities.
However, users impacted by heightened Runtime Broker activity have reported noticing as much as 50% CPU and 1 GB of RAM being used up by Runtime Broker; which can significantly degrade the performance of apps and services running on the computer.
Runtime Broker Indicating High CPU Usage
You can quickly bring down the CPU usage by Runtime Broker on your computer by launching Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) and terminating the Runtime Broker process.
However, this is only a temporary solution and it does not prevent Runtime Broker from bothering you again with the same problem.
Hence, the recommended solution is to find if the issue is being caused by an incompatible app, unwanted background running apps and change/disable certain Windows services and features that are known to cause high resource usage by Runtime Broker.
1. Reset Runtime Broker Process Using Task Manager
You can achieve an immediately relief from the high CPU usage issue on your computer by terminating the Runtime Broker process.
1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys to open the Task Manager on your computer.
2. On the Task Manager screen, select Runtime Broker and click on End Task.
As mentioned above, terminating Runtime Broker using Task Manager is only a temporary solution. Runtime Broker will once again launch itself when you restart the computer and may cause the same issue.
2. Disable Windows Tips & Suggestions
While, “Get Tips & Suggestions” feature in Windows is designed to help users with useful tips and suggestions, it has been associated with high Runtime Broker activity.
1. Go to Settings > System > click on Notifications in the right-pane.
2. On the Notifications screen, expand Additional Settings tab and uncheck Get tips and suggestions when using Windows option.
Windows 10: Go to Settings > System > Notifications & Actions > Disable Get tips, tricks, and suggestions as you use Windows option in the right-pane.
Users have reported significant reduction in Runtime Broker activity after making this single change on their computer.
3. Turn OFF Windows Spotlight
If the Lock Screen or Desktop background on your computer is using changing images, it makes the Runtime broker to frequently fetch new images.
Hence, changing the Lock Screen Background from Windows Spotlight and also Slideshow to Static Picture or Solid Color can help in reducing Runtime Broker activity.
1. Go to Settings > Personalization > and click on Background in the right-pane.
2. On the “Background” screen, set Personalize Your Background option to Picture or Solid color.
Windows 10: Go to Settings > Personalization > click on Lock Screen in the left-pane. In the right-pane, set the Background type to Picture.
4. Disable Background Apps
Since, Runtime Broker acts as an intermediary between Apps and Windows; it comes into play every-time a background running app attempts to access the Camera, Microphone, Location and other information.
Hence, disabling unwanted background running apps and allowing only the most essential apps to run in background can help in reducing Runtime Broker activity.
1. Go to Settings > Apps > Installed Apps.
2. On “Installed Apps” screen, make sure only the most essential apps are allowed to run in background and disable all non-essential background running apps.
5. Uninstall Faulty Apps
A common reason for high CPU Usage by Runtime Broker is due to Apps making repeated and unwanted calls to Runtime broker, in order to gain access to hardware and services running on the computer.
This can happen due to the Apps not being properly installed and also due to installation of the apps becoming damaged or corrupted during their operation on the computer.
Hence, if you are noticing High CPU Usage after installing a particular App, you can uninstall the App and this should help in bringing down the Runtime Broker activity on your computer.
Check If Runtime Broker Is a Virus or Malware?
It is highly unlikely for the Runtime Broker process to be hijacked or replaced by malware/virus and you can confirm this by making sure that Runtime Broker process is located in its designated position.
1. Right-click on the Start button and click on Task Manager.
2. On the Task Manager screen, go to Details tab > right-click on RuntimeBroker.exe and select Properties.
Note: It is quite normal to see multiple RuntimeBroker.exe files.
3. On the next screen, switch to Digital Signatures tab and check if the listed Digital Signature is from Microsoft. Select the listed Digital Signature and click on Details.
4. On the next screen, you can get all the details of the listed digital signature.