WMI Provider Host Using 100% CPU
The WMI (Windows Management Instrumentation) provider host is a core service in Windows 10, which can link with various software on your PC to send you information about your operating system. In other words, this is a very important process and you shouldn’t easily disable it. However, if you see under the Processes tab of the Task Manager that it uses a lot of CPU, then you should take some action about it.
The first thing you can try is to restart the WMI service. Go to the service application. (You can get there quickly by entering services in the search menu “Start”). Scroll down to Windows Management Instrumentation, right-click and click Restart.
If this doesn’t work, the next solution will be a bit more complicated, but it can also provide a longer-term solution to your CPU problem.
If your 100% CPU usage is caused by the WMI provider host process in Task Manager, then you can dig into the problem. Press Win + R, then open “eventvwr.”. In the left pane, go to “Applications and Service Logs> Microsoft> Windows> WMIActivity> Operational”. This will show all the processes that the WMI provider host is processing.
Check the middle column “Operation”, look for errors in the service and then under the “General” tab check the number “ClientProcessId”. This should help you scale your application or deal with the WMI provider’s hosting services that are blocking it.
Return to the task manager, click the “Details” tab, and then sort the processes by “PID”. Find the error process, right-click and click “Open File Location”. This will let you know what software the process is attached to, and whether you can reinstall, uninstall, update drivers, etc.
There may be multiple errors like this on the WMI provider host. In this case, you need to repeat the above process to fix different errors. It is also possible that only one application/process has been occupying your CPU, in which case you should move on after dealing with the culprit.
Disable Superfetch (or Windows Search)
Superfetch is the process by which Windows 10 understands which apps you use most often and then pre-fetches them so they load faster each time you use them. This is an ongoing process in the background and usually doesn’t cause problems, but it doesn’t always work well on older devices.
To find out if Superfetch (or other services) is consuming your CPU, open the Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Escape), click on “More details” and then click on “CPU” to press the usage of The CPU quantity is used to order the process.
If you see that a “service host” or something like Superfetch is using a lot of CPU, you can try right-clicking and clicking “End Process”.
Alternatively, to disable it permanently (or until Windows switches it on again, which can happen after you update the OS), press Win + R, type services, then in the Services window scroll down to Superfetch.
Right-click Superfetch, click Properties, then in its Properties window click the drop-down next to “Startup type,” click “Disabled,” and OK.
You can technically do this to any service that’s hogging CPU, but some services are system-critical, so you need to be careful. Another culprit of high CPU usage is “Windows Search,” which you can safely disable, too.
Reset Your Power Plan
Using the Windows power option can have a significant impact on the performance of the PC. If it is set to “High Performance”, especially if you adjust the “Plan Settings”, then your CPU may be overloaded. (Again, older devices are susceptible to this.)
Type power plan in the Start search ,bar then click “Choose a power plan.” If you’re on “High performance” or “Power Saver,” then switch to “Balanced.”
For extra certainty, click “Change plan settings,” then on the new screen click “Restore default settings for this plan.”
Check Your Power Supply
This is an issue that affects Windows 10 desktop and laptop users. If your power supply fails (the power cord of the laptop, the power supply of the desktop), then it will automatically start to reduce the voltage of the CPU to save power. When it is at a low voltage, your CPU can only run at a fraction of its full power, so in Windows 10 this may show up as 100% CPU usage.
Solving this problem on a laptop is very simple: unplug the laptop from the power cord, and then click the battery icon in the lower right corner of the Windows 10 desktop> Battery settings> Power and sleep settings> Other power settings and select high performance. If the problem occurs On your power supply, the CPU usage should return to normal in the task manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc).
On a desktop computer, the situation may be a little more complicated because you need to physically remove the power supply from the PC and try a different power supply. We recommend following the other tips listed below before trying.
Disable Third-Party Antivirus Software
This can be a bit controversial, but our point is that if you use antivirus software in Windows 10, it can put unnecessary pressure on the CPU (especially if it is older). There’s usually nothing wrong with having extra security, but you may not need it.
Every year we write detailed features of Windows Defender, the built-in security software for Windows 10, and it gets better every year. At this point, it is more or less on par with the best antivirus software.
Don’t be afraid to disable your third-party antivirus software and see if it helps with your CPU usage.
Related: How to Clean Up and Make Space on Your Windows 10 “C” Drive
