The Antimalware Service Executable is a component of the Windows Defender that comes preinstalled on Windows 10. Its primary function is to scan files, connections, and related applications in real time to protect the system against viruses.
Besides, it also regularly checks your PC for security updates. This can cause high CPU usage.
Run a Full Scan
Why is this happening if you’re using Windows 10 and experiencing high CPU usage? You’ve probably run diagnostics and done a restart to clear the RAM, but still, your system is acting strangely.
The leading cause of the issue is that the Windows Defender Antimalware Service Executable process uses a lot of CPU to scan your computer for threats. This is because the program offers real-time protection to your computer, which constantly scans files, connections, and other related applications in real time. This can drain your computer’s resources, especially if you have a low-end CPU.
You can turn off real-time protection to stop this process from using so much CPU. This can help to fix the high CPU issue and improve your PC’s performance.
You can also run a full scan to see if your computer has malware. You can use a lightweight and reputable antimalware solution to do this.
Another possible cause of the problem is that your PC needs to have updated Windows drivers and files. These can cause many issues on your PC, including high CPU and memory usage. Windows Update is one of the best ways to update these drivers and files.
Disable Real-Time Protection
Real-time protection, often known as on-access scanning, is one of the essential functions that antivirus and antispyware products offer. This protects against malicious objects, such as malware or adware, downloaded and executed in real time.
It identifies suspicious files and processes and prevents them from being executed in the computer’s active memory (CPU). This ensures that all data is thoroughly analyzed and scanned before being used or stored, avoiding potentially damaging attacks and malware.
Most antimalware software uses this feature to watch your system and prevent potential attacks or exploits. It also provides a second opinion, allowing your primary antivirus program to catch threats it has missed.
In Windows 10 and Windows 7, you can disable the real-time protection feature of Microsoft Defender using a few simple steps. Start by opening the app, then click the settings button under Virus & Threat Protection.
On the next page, go to the Manage Settings section and turn off the Real-time protection toggle switch. Once done, the antimalware service will stop consuming CPU resources, and your device will return to its average working speed.
If your antimalware service is still consuming CPU resources after you have disabled the real-time protection feature, you can use the Registry to remove it permanently. To do this, simultaneously press the Windows key + R and then type’regedit’ in the run dialogue box.
Disable Windows Defender
Windows Defender is a great tool to protect your computer against malware infections. It scans every file and software that enters your PC to ensure safety.
It also has a real-time protection feature that constantly checks for new threats in the background. This means it keeps scanning everything you do and can cause many CPU and disk usage issues.
One of the reasons why this problem happens is because Windows Defender is greedy when it comes to using CPU resources. The solution is to schedule the scans when you are least likely to notice excessive CPU usage.
You can do this in various ways, but setting up a task scheduler is the most obvious. To do this, open the Start menu and type “task scheduler.”
Next, select when you don’t notice a high CPU usage on your computer. Then, restart the computer and see if the CPU resource consumption decreases after it has finished its scans.
If the above methods don’t fix your issue, you may need to disable Windows Defender. However, it would help if you remember that disabling Windows Defender will leave you vulnerable to many cyber-attacks. This is why it’s essential to have a good antivirus program installed on your PC before disabling Windows Defender.
Restart
You might have noticed that your computer is running very slowly or you’re getting a lot of noise from the fans. These are signs of high CPU, memory, and disk usage. If you want to fix it, there are a few steps you can take.
First, you need to run a full scan with your antivirus software. This will help eliminate any threats on your system and should resolve the issue.
If the problem persists, try temporarily disabling Microsoft Defender’s real-time protection to see if that fixes high CPU usage. However, it’s important to note that this will reset Windows Defender’s default settings.
Another solution is to manually delete any files that might be causing the high CPU consumption. This can be done in the Registry, or you can use a data recovery tool to retrieve your files from the hard drive.
Once you’ve removed any traces of malware, restart your computer and open the Task Manager to see if the Antimalware Service Executable high CPU usage has gone down. If it has, continue to the following method below to learn how to disable this process permanently.
The antimalware service executable is a critical part of Windows that protects your PC from harmful programs. This service is supposed to run in the background, checking your computer for any malicious files or programs. It also updates your library and performs a full scan if you run a system scan.
