The Antimalware Service Executable process plays a critical part in the Windows Defender Service that comes packaged with Windows 10 (and, despite the similarities in name, is totally irrelevant to Emsisoft Anti-Malware!). Be that as it may, it’s additionally scandalous for consuming much more than its fair share of CPU processing power, and can even without any assistance diminish your PC’s speed to a tortoise crawl.
In case you’re a Windows Defender client and have seen high CPU utilisation for long irregular periods, you’ll be satisfied to learn that the issue can without much of a hassle be settled.
In this article, we’ve assembled a couple of basic solutions you can take after to prevent Antimalware Service Executable from hoarding your system’s resources and keep your machine running smoothly.
What is Antimalware Service Executable?
Windows Defender is an elementary part of Windows 10 and is the successor to the free Microsoft Security Essentials antivirus for Windows 7. This guarantees all Windows 10 clients dependably have an antivirus program installed and running, regardless of whether they haven’t opted to install one in their device. If you have an old antivirus application installed, Windows 10 will deactivate it and enact Windows Defender for you.
The Antimalware Service Executable process is Windows Defender’s background service, and it generally stays running in the background at all times. It’s in charge of checking documents for malware when you access them, performing background framework scans to check for perilous software, introducing antivirus definition updates, and everything else a security application like Windows Defender needs to do.
While the procedure is named Antimalware Service Executable on the Processes tab in Task Manager, its document name is MsMpEng.exe, and you’ll see this on the Details tab.
You can configure Windows Defender, perform scans, and check its scan history from the Windows Defender Security Centre application included with Windows 10.
To launch it, utilise the “
“.For what reason does Antimalware Service Executable utilise so much of the CPU?
On the off chance that you see the Antimalware Service Executable process utilising a lot of CPU or disk resources, it is most likely scanning your PC for malware. Like different antivirus apps, Windows Defender performs consistent background scans of the records on your PC.
It additionally scans files when you open them, and routinely installs updates with the latest info about new malware. This CPU usage could likewise demonstrate that it’s introducing an update, or that you simply opened an especially large file Windows Defender needs some additional time to analyse.
Windows Defender, by and large, performs background scans just when your PC is idle and isn’t being utilised. Be that as it may, it might, in any case, utilise CPU resources for performing updates or filtering documents as you open them, even while you use your PC. However, the background scans shouldn’t run while you’re using your PC.
This is all typical with any antivirus software, all of which need to utilise some system resources to check your PC and keep you secure.
Is It a Virus?
We haven’t seen any reports of viruses putting on a show to mimic the Antimalware Service Executable process. Windows Defender is itself an antivirus, so it ought to stop any malware endeavouring to come in its tracks. For whatever length of time that you’re utilising Windows and have Windows Defender empowered, it’s typical for it to run.
Antimalware service executable – How to fix high CPU disk usage?
Windows 10 100 disk usage fix: In case you’re extremely concerned, you can simply run a scan with another antivirus application to confirm that nothing noxious is running on your PC.
Step by step instructions to disable Antimalware Service Executable High CPU?
Method 1: Change Windows Defender’s scheduling options
For many people, the high memory utilisation caused by Antimalware Service Executable ordinarily happens when Windows Defender is running a full scan of the files on your system. We can fix this by scheduling the scans to happen when you’re more averse to feel the drain on your CPU.
- Open the Start menu, type “task scheduler” and tap the first outcome of launching the program.
- In the navigation pane on the left, double tap Task Scheduler Library. Keep on expanding these folders and explore the following: Library/Microsoft/Windows/Windows Defender.
- When you have opened the Windows Defender organiser, double tap Windows Defender Scheduled Scan, situated in the centre pane.
- Click the Conditions tab, uncheck all options and snap OK. This will clear your previously scheduled scans.
- To protect your PC, it is essential to schedule some new scans, yet we can do this in a way that will lessen the effect on your system’s performance. To do as such, double tap Windows Defender Scheduled Scan, select the Triggers tab and click New.
- Create another scan schedule that suits your requirements, choosing alternatives that strike a balance amongst protection and system proficiency. As a rule, we suggest (at least) week after week scans when you’ll be probably not going to see the increased CPU utilisation.
- Repeat the procedure for the three remaining services (Windows Defender Cache Maintenance, Windows Defender Cleanup, and Windows Defender Verification) found in the Library/Microsoft/Windows/Windows Defender organiser.
Method 2: Include Antimalware Service Executable to Windows Defender’s exclusion list
During its scans, Windows Defender scans for each and every file on your PC – including itself. This operation can many times result in some interesting interaction and is a typical source of system lag. To keep this from happening, you can basically instruct Windows Defender to skip itself when performing a system scan.
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Windows Task Manager.
- In the rundown of procedures, look for Antimalware Service Executable. Right tap on the process and select Open File Location.
- In the address bar, you’ll see the full path of Antimalware Service Executable. Tap on the address bar and copy the full path.
- Open the Start menu, type “windows defender” and tap the first outcome of launching the Windows Defender Security Centre.
- Click on Virus and threat protection, at that point click on Virus and threat protection settings.
- Scroll down until “Exclusions” and snap Add or remove exclusions. In the following screen, tap on Add an extension, select File and paste the path to Antimalware Service Executable (MsMpEng.exe) in the address bar. At long last click Open and the file will now be excluded from the scan.
Method 3: Disable Windows Defender
On the off chance that the problem persists in the wake of applying the initial two fixes, you may be enticed to turn to disabling Windows Defender altogether. Remember that doing as such leaves you defenceless against the scope of cyber attacks, so it’s important that you install a viable anti-malware product on your PC before expelling Windows Defender.
- Press Windows Key + R to open the Run Dialog Box.
- In the Run Dialog Box, type regedit and click OK to open the Registry Editor.
- In the navigation sheet on the left, double tap the folders to explore to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender.
- If you discover a registry section named Disable Anti Spyware, double tap it and set its value data to 1.
- On the off chance that you don’t see a registry section named Disable Anti Spyware, right-click on the primary Registry Editor sheet and select New > DWORD (32 bit) Value.
- Name this new registry section Disable Anti Spyware. Double tap it and set its value data to 1.
Method 4: Check for malware infections
It is conceivable that something more malignant is making Windows Defender to disrupt your PC’s performance. Run a full system scan utilising a legitimate and lightweight anti-malware solution, for example, Emsisoft Anti-Malware (it has a 30-day free trial accessible) to check your PC for any malware that might influence your PC’s capacity to run easily and securely.
Windows Defender is a significant tool, especially since it comes free with your working framework, yet it can positively put a drain on your framework’s CPU. By following the means depicted in this article, you’ll have the capacity to take control of Antimalware Service Executable and keep your PC running at full speed.
Have a wonderful (malware free) day!