How to Fix 100 CPU Usage in Windows 11

Overview of 100 CPU usage on Windows 11 issue

What is the CPU on your Windows computer? And what will happen if high CPU usage on Windows 11 happens? In this part, let’s learn some information about CPU and then, we’ll analyze the error Windows 11 CPU usage at 100%.

▍ What is CPU on Windows?

CPU, Central Processing Unit, is the primary component of a computer system that performs most of the processing and calculations. In Windows computers, CPU is referred to as the processor or microprocessor. This unit plays a crucial role in executing instructions of computer programs and performing arithmetic and logical operations.

▍What will happen if high CPU usage on Windows 11?

The CPU's performance is determined by several factors. However, if you find your PC has high CPU usage, some symptoms will inform you:

1. Slow performance When the CPU is overloaded with tasks, it may not be able to process them efficiently, resulting in a slower overall performance of the computer. Some apps also run slowly or even crash, and it takes a long time to execute some simple tasks.

2. Overheating High CPU usage can generate more heat, which may cause the processor to throttle its speed to prevent damage. This can further degrade performance and may even damage the CPU if the issue persists.

3. System instability If the CPU is constantly running at high usage, it may lead to system instability, causing PC crashes, computer freezes, and potentially even data loss.

4. Battery drain High CPU usage can also drain the battery of laptops faster, as the processor consumes more power to execute tasks.

▍Why is CPU usage high in Windows computer?

The CPU's performance is determined by several factors. Here are some reasons why your Windows 11 shows high CPU usage:

1. Multitasking simultaneously Running multiple applications or processes at the same time can cause increased CPU usage, especially if some of these tasks are demanding or resource-intensive.

2. Antimalware Service Executable The Antimalware Service Executable is also known as MsMpEng.exe. This is a background process within Windows Defender, which is an antivirus program. When it scans your PC, it needs large CPU resources to perform the task, which will cause Antimalware Service Executable high memory usage in Windows 11.

3. Malware & viruses If your computer is infected with viruses or malware, not only will it do damage to your data, but it will also cause your Windows 11 device to utilize a significant amount of its CPU.

4. Windows services usage Not only do applications use CPU of your computer, but Windows services do as well. On occasion, a Windows service could temporarily put a significant amount of strain on your CPU. This might lead to an increase in the amount of CPU time that your machine uses.

Check CPU usage on Windows 11

You can check how much CPU usage on time.

Step 1. Right-click the Start button from the taskbar and select Task Manager from the WinX menu to open Task Manager.

Step 2. Click More details if you only see a few running programs.

Step 3. Under Processes, you can see the CPU usage of your device.

How to fix 100 CPU usage in Windows 11

In this section, we’ll introduce you to some solutions to fix high CPU usage Windows 11. You can follow the step-by-step guide to solve the problem.

Way 1. Reboot PC

Restarting your computer will effectively close all running applications and services simultaneously. Once you've rebooted your computer, head over to the Task Manager to see if the CPU usage remains elevated. If you still need to, you can continue using your PC as usual. A friendly reminder: it's advisable to avoid opening an excessive number of applications. It is advisable to properly close an application instead of simply minimizing it when it is not in use.

Way 2. Use CMD to change power plan setting

According to some users, using CMD to change power plan settings can also fix CPU running at 100%. To apply the fix, you need to open a command prompt as admin.

Step 1. Hit Windows Key + X together and click on Terminal (Admin)

Step 2. Copy and paste the texts and press “Enter” after each:

• PowerCfg /SETACVALUEINDEX SCHEME_CURRENT SUB_PROCESSOR IDLEDISABLE 000

• PowerCfg /SETACTIVE SCHEME_CURRENT

The power plan setting changes are hidden and not accessible from within the power plan settings GUI and must be corrected through the command prompt. After that, open the task manager to verify your CPU usage.

Way 3. End some running programs

Step 1. Open Task Manager on your Windows 11 computer.

Step 2. Click More details to continue.

Within the Processes section, you'll find the CPU column that displays the current CPU usage on your device. To view CPU usage in descending order, simply click on the CPU column in Task Manager.

Step 3. Right-click the app you want to close and select End task from the right-click menu. You can also select the target app and then click the End Task button on the bottom right corner to close it.

After that, you can repeat this step to close all the unnecessary apps and reduce CPU usage.

Way 4. Disable Startup programs

Step 1. Open Task Manager by pressing Ctrl +Shift + Esc. You can also right-click on the taskbar and select "Task Manager" to open the window.

Step 2. Click on the startup tab to see all your startup programs here.

Step 3. Right-click the app you wish to change. You will see the operations you can take.

Step 4. Select "Enable" or "Disable" to enable or disable the startup program.

Way 5. Update Windows 11

A flaw might potentially harm your Windows 11 machine, and this could likely happen. If Microsoft becomes aware of the problem, they will swiftly fix it and release a remedy through either a minor update or a large upgrade.

Step 1. Go to Start > Settings > Windows Update.

Step 2. Click the Check for updates button to see if there is an available Windows 11 update. If yes, the update will be downloaded and installed on your computer.

Way 6. Disable update service

Windows Update can obtain and install updates on your computer in addition to performing an automatic scan for updates. Obviously, this will enhance the amount of CPU utilization. You can open Task Manager if the CPU usage is excessive to determine whether Windows Update is consuming a great deal of power.

If so, disabling the Windows Update service on Windows 11 will resolve the issue with excessive CPU utilization.

Step 1. Press “Windows” + “R” and type “services.msc”.

Step 2. Find and click “Windows Update” to open Windows Update Properties.

Step 3. Click “Startup type”, select “Disable”, then click “OK” to save the change and close all windows to exit.

Way 7. Clean your computer

When dust accumulates on the components of your computer, it may cause the CPU to work harder than it should. It is possible that the problem might be fixed by cleaning your personal computer of any dust that has gathered on it. So, deep cleaning your computer is also a helpful solution to fix high CPU usage issue.

Further reading: How to rescue your files if data loss caused by CPU usage too high

As we’ve mentioned, 100% CPU usage will cause PC frozen or system crash, and this may cause data loss on your disk. If this situation happens, what can you do to rescue your data?

To quickly save your data to avoid more serious loss, the best way is to use professional data recovery software.

One of the most powerful file recovery tools available is AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional. It is possible to use it to recover a wide variety of files from a variety of data storage devices, including but not limited to external hard drives, internal hard drives, memory cards, USB flash drives, pen drives, and more. It’s compatible with Windows 11/10/8/7 system.

Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI software and click "Recover" > "Recover Data" on the taskbar.

Step 2. Then, the Recover Windows Data tool will pop up. Select the partition from which you want to recover the data and click "Start Scan".

Step 3. Once the scan is completed, all the deleted files, recycle bin, and other missing files will be listed. Please select the file you would like to recover and then click "Recover".

Step 4. Then, select a folder path for your recovered files and wait patiently for it finish.

Tip: If your computer can't boot, you can use this tool on another running computer to create a bootable media to recover your data.

Ending

If the CPU usage on your Windows 11 computer is high or reaches 100%, it can significantly impact its performance. However, the techniques outlined in this article can be employed to minimize CPU usage. They are functional. If your data is at risk because of crash caused by Windows 11 CPU usage at 100%, you can try AOMEI Partition Assistant to save it.

Besides data recovery, this handy tool also has features like disk cloning, OS migration, app mover, etc. Also, this tool has the Server edition for Windows Server systems to solve disk and partition problems.