If you’ve noticed high CPU usage on your Windows desktop or laptop, you’ve come to the right place. Unless you’re running a demanding application, high CPU usage usually means something is using more processing power than it should, causing your computer to feel slow or unresponsive. The good news is that there are several straightforward tweaks you can try yourself to reduce CPU usage, which can improve performance and, in the case of laptops, extend battery life. Reboot your PC Before trying any time-consuming fixes to reduce CPU usage, start with the simplest one of all-restarting your computer. If you came here because you noticed high CPU usage, this should be your first step before diving into more detailed tweaks. A reboot also helps establish a baseline for your CPU usage on a fresh start, making it easier to track how much subsequent tweaks improve performance. A reboot works in several ways: it kills runaway processes (tasks that hang or get stuck in a loop), stops unnecessary background apps and updates, resolves temporary software glitches, and even helps with memory leaks. In short, it gives your system a clean slate and often fixes high CPU usage instantly. Close programs that are not in use If you open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc), go to the “Processes” tab, and click on “CPU” to sort the list by the percentage of CPU power each program uses, you might be surprised at just how much some programs and services can draw. Admittedly, this isn’t the most precise way to monitor CPU usage, since programs and services constantly fluctuate in their demands, but it is a good starting point for identifying candidates to shut down. Of course, if an app is using a huge percentage of your CPU, that’s likely the culprit, and you should close it. Personally, I was shocked by how much processing power my RGB software consumed, to the point that I did some tests and now turn it off before playing intensive games. But don’t ignore the smaller background programs-just a few apps like Discord, Slack, and Asana can add up and hog a lot of your CPU’s capacity. By shutting down these programs when they’re not in use, you’ll reduce CPU load, leaving more processing power available for your foreground tasks. Disable startup apps If you’ve identified apps that are using a lot of CPU, or if you simply want to prevent programs from launching automatically, there’s an easy solution: disable startup apps. This will reduce your CPU usage right from boot and can make your system feel a lot faster, especially during startup. To do this, open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) and head over to the “Startup Apps” tab. Right-click the app you wish to disable during startup, then click “Disable.” Alternatively, left-click the app and click “Disable” in the top-right corner. Do this for all apps that you don’t actively use or require during each startup, and you’ll notice the difference immediately. If you wish to disable all startup apps and services at once, press Win+R, type “msconfig,” and press Enter. Go to the “Services” tab, click “Hide All Microsoft Services,” then select “Disable All” and press “OK.” Note that this will also disable potentially useful apps like your graphics card’s drivers, but it’ll keep Microsoft’s services intact. Generally speaking, I don’t recommend disabling them, as you might disable critical services like the ones responsible for audio and LAN. Optimize Windows services Disabling Windows services without understanding their function can cause certain features or functions on your system to stop working correctly. Only disable services that you know and understand. Windows has numerous services running in the background. They’re critical to supporting your system’s functionality, but depending on your use case, you might not actually need all of them. Disabling a few of the non-essential ones can slightly lower CPU usage, especially on lower-end CPUs. You can find Windows services by pressing Win+R, typing “services. msc,” then hitting Enter. To prevent a service from starting with your system, double-click it and change the Startup Type to Disabled (alternatively, set it to Manual so it only starts when needed by Windows or an application). Some services you might want to consider disabling are: Print Spooler: Manages print tasks sent to your printer. Windows Search: Indexes files and folders so you can search them more quickly in File Explorer. Remote Registry: Allows you to modify the Windows registry remotely. All Xbox Services: Used for the Xbox Live features in Windows, such as the Game Bar. Windows Error Reporting Service: Collects error reports when an app or Windows crashes. Parental Controls: Allows you to use parental controls on their system. Geolocation Service: Provides the geographic location of your system to Windows and apps. Windows Biometric Service: Used for fingerprint or facial recognition. Disable if you’re on a desktop or don’t use it. Sysmain: Preloads frequently used apps into RAM. It can improve performance (especially with HDDs), but also causes high CPU usage. Scan your system for malware Sometimes, malware can cause high CPU usage spikes without your knowledge because malware is often well-hidden and won’t appear in Task Manager. Performing a scan with Windows Defender is one of your first lines of defense. Open the Start menu, type “Windows Security,” and open it. Go to “Virus & Threat Protection” > “Scan Options” > “Full Scan.” In case Windows Defender doesn’t find anything, or if the issue persists, and you suspect that malware could still be at play, try running a full scan using a different antivirus tool like Bitdefender or Malwarebytes. Tweak the Windows power plan If your goal is to set a hard limit on CPU usage to reduce overheating, noise, or improve battery life, you can do so by editing your power plan. As you can probably guess, lowering your CPU’s maximum processor state will also negatively impact performance, especially with demanding tasks like gaming, but you should still be able to handle basic tasks like web browsing and document editing without any issues. To edit the power plan, go to Start, type “Edit power plan,” and open it. Click “Change advanced power settings,” then scroll down to “Processor power management” and expand it. Expand “Maximum processor state” and set it to the percentage you want, for example 85%, then click “OK.” Keeping your applications, drivers, BIOS, and Windows itself up-to-date is essential to ensuring that everything operates correctly. For example, a random glitch in a chipset driver update might have been hotfixed recently, but until you update, you’ll encounter high CPU usage. Apps can also draw more CPU power than necessary, but these issues are often fixed with an update, so make sure to update all programs that you commonly use or run in the background. Similarly, an outdated BIOS can indirectly result in higher CPU usage than necessary because it’s handling the CPU’s clock speeds and voltage suboptimally. In the case of Windows updates, things can be a bit tricky. After an update, Windows often uses extra processing power, so you might see CPU usage spike for a few hours. However, if high CPU usage persists constantly, it could indicate a bug. In that case, you may need to roll back the update or, if available, install a newer version to resolve the issue. Hopefully, you’ve managed to reduce your CPU usage by combining a few of these tweaks. Whether your goal is to maximize how much processing power you have for your games and demanding apps or to reduce power usage and heat on a laptop, these tips will help you control how much of your CPU is being used.
https://www.howtogeek.com/simple-tweaks-to-reduce-cpu-usage-on-windows/