That is the real reason why this antimalware service uses high CPU and disk usage. Constant background scans in the operating system require a large amount of disk memory and CPU resources. Further on this article will be explained the causes, detections, and fixes of antimalware service executable high CPU usage.
What Causes High CPU Usage of Antimalware Service Executable?
High CPU usage of antimalware service executable is caused by some features and operations Windows Defender executes in the background of the computer. Firstly, we can mention real-time file scanning because of malware protection. Anytime you download a new file on your computer or make any network connection, the antimalware service executable starts running in the background. It scans all of these things in real-time and makes real-time protection. This operation from the Windows Defender requires a lot of CPU and disk power, and you can notice it in the Task Manager. Another thing that causes high CPU usage because of the antimalware service executable is a complete computer scan feature from Windows Defender. Full scan from Windows Defender means scanning of all files and connections in the computer. This requires a lot of time and high CPU usage for such operation. During the complete computer scan process, you will notice a delay or lag during your work. This feature often slows down the whole system, which causes increased CPU usage in the background. Your CPU performs as hijacked during the process and Windows Defender is credited for it. To fix these problems, you will find how to handle the antimalware service executable further in this article and also tips and tricks about it.
How to Fix Antimalware Service Executable High CPU Usage?
There are several methods you can utilize to fix the high CPU usage when it comes to antimalware service executable.
Windows Defender Settings
The first thing you should do to fix the high CPU usage is by changing the Windows Defender settings and their scheduling. To do this properly, you should do the following steps:
Go to the Windows search box and type “task scheduler”From the navigation panel, open the Task Scheduler Library and find the Windows Defender folder.Double click on Windows Defender Scheduled Scan.Open the Conditions tab, and to clear all scheduled scans you need to uncheck the given fields.Now Windows Defender will not execute the real-time scans and the CPU will be calm for a while.
Windows Defender Rescheduling
Windows Defender rescheduling is a method for executing all the background scans once per week or month. This is a momentum of skipping the constant real-time file scanning that slows down the whole system.
Go to the Windows menu and type Administrative Tools in the search bar.When you open the Administrative Tools, the window will appears and you need to double-click the Task Scheduler file.Next, from the left side of the Task Manager window, open up the Library folder, then Windows folder and you will find the Windows Defender folder here.When you will open this folder, you will see the “Windows Defender Scheduled Scan” option under the section “Name”Click on it and choose the option “Properties”.From here, choose the first tab named as “General” and click the option “Run with Highest Privileges” to uncheck it.Next, from the same “Properties” window, go to the “Conditions” tab and uncheck all the options under the “Idle”, “Network” and “Power” section.Then click the OK button to finish with it.Now it’s time to reschedule all the scans. From the same “Properties” window, choose the “Triggers” tab and choose the “New” option.Click on the Weekly (or Monthly) option by your own desire, choose the date for rescheduling and click the OK button.
These steps will reschedule your constant daily scans in the background on a certain date. The scans will continue with their execution-only that day, and your system will be free the backstage whole time.
Turning Off Windows Defender Using a Registry
Disabling Windows Defender is another option that users prefer to resolve the high CPU usage problem because of the antimalware service executable. Follow these steps to do it using a Windows registry:
First, press the Windows key combined with R from the keyword to launch the Run Box.Then, type the “regedit” command and press EnterWhen the registry window appears, open up the “hkey_local_machine” folder, from here open the “Software” folder, then “Policies” folder, “Microsoft” folder and “Windows Defender” folder in the end.Now, find the “DisableAntiSpyware” registry and double-click it.When the editor box appears, change the Value Data to 1 and click the OK button to finish it.
Disable the Windows Defender Features
Disabling antimalware service executable is a process that many Windows users prefer. There are several steps you need to take into consideration:
First, press the Windows key combined with R from the keyword to launch the Run Box.Then, type the gpedit.msc command and press EnterWhen the Policy Editor of the Local Group appears, go to Computer Configuration, find the administrative templates folder, and then the Windows Defender folder.Here, double click the setting named as “Turn off Windows Defender”Next, check the “Enabled” box to enable the option to turn off your Windows Defender.In the end, click on the Apply button, then OK.
These methods will help you fix the antimalware service executable high CPU usage and prevent the system load.
Adding msmpeng.exe File on the Windows Defender List
The process of adding antimalware service executable on the Windows Defender exclusion list will result in reducing the high CPU usage. Follow these steps for proper implementation:
Open the Task Manager on your computer by clicking “Ctrl”, “Alt” and “Delete” from the keyboard combined.When the Task Manager window appears, locate the process “Antimalware Service Executable” from the list.Right-click it and choose “Open file location” to see where the file is located.From here, you will notice that the “msmpeng.exe” file is highlighted. Go to the file path bar and copy the address location.Now, press the Windows button combined with “I” from the keyboard.When the window appears, click on the “Update and Security” option.From here you need to click on the “Windows Defender” field on the left panel.Scroll down and click on “Add an exclusion” option, remove the .exe, .com or .scr extensions and paste the msmpeng.exe location path you copied before.Click OK to save the changes.
Now you can notice in your Task Manager that CPU usage is drastically lower and your system works properly.
Can I End the Antimalware Service Executable?
To end the antimalware service executable (or msmpeng.exe file) on your computer, open up your Task Manager, right-click on the Antimalware Service Executable process, and click end task.
Is Antimalware Service Executable Important?
Antimalware service executable plays a vital role for computer security and comes as a bundle with Windows. It’s a real-time protection that scans all the files and connections your computer has and provides a real-time protection because of it.
Why Is Antimalware Service Executable Usage of CPU So High?
Antimalware service executable causes high CPU usage because of the constant real-time scanning and making real-time system protection in the background. This antimalware Windows Defender automatic feature requires a lot of CPU and disk power, and you can notice it in the Task Manager.
Why Is My Antimalware Service Executable Running Constantly?
The constant antimalware service executable running means that your computer is facing a full scan provided by Windows Defender. A full computer scan represents a complete scanning of the system, all files, documents, and connections. To reduce the high CPU usage, there is a scheduling option where you can schedule the Windows Defender scans on a concrete date and time. Or, you can simply disable Windows Defender from the Run Box, Control Panel, or Application Control.
Is It Bad for My Computer to Disable the Antimalware Service Executable?
Turning off the antimalware service executable when it causes high CPU, memory and other resource usages it’s totally OK. There is nothing bad to disable it and prevent your computer from lagging and slowing down. But, leaving it enabled if you are not facing any hard time is important too, so only disable it if the system is working incorrectly.
