How to Fix 100% CPU Usage After a Windows Update?

Every program running on a PC shares its CPU and memory. When multiple programs are running simultaneously, or when a particular program is doing the heavy lifting, they use a higher percentage of both these resources. When the CPU usage reaches almost 100%, it means the computer system is trying to work more than what it is capable of. While it is perfectly fine, it may affect the performance of your PC a little, making it run a bit slow.

When You Get 100% CPU Usage Message?

Most of the time, your computer’s CPU usage is close to 100% when it is performing computationally-intensive tasks such as running games. It can also happen when the CPU is being shared between multiple programs. If it runs at its 100% capacity for long, your computer can get annoyingly slow. So, how can you fix that?

How To Fix 100% CPU Usage?

Here are a few fixes that you might want to try to get rid of the problem.

1. Reboot

A simple solution to this issue is to restart your computer. This classic troubleshooting method will fix the problem in most cases. When you reboot your PC, it clears out any temporary files and resolves the computer slowdown issues.

• End/Restart Processes

You can always end/restart processes to bring your CPU usage down. If you still get the 100% CPU usage issue even after restarting your PC, you can end/restart processes causing the problem from Task Manager. Here’s how to do that:

• Press Ctrl+Shift+Escape to launch Task Manager
• Click to open the Processes tab
• Click on the “More Details” option at the bottom and reveal processes running in the background
• Click the “CPU” column at the top of this tab to order processes according to their CPU usage
• Close background programs that you aren’t using

This will fix the problem in most cases as the CPU usage would be reduced.

• Update Drivers

If you’re still facing the problem, you might want to try updating the drivers. Driver software are meant to control different devices linked to your computer’s motherboard. Updating the drivers will eliminate bugs or compatibility issues that might be causing increased CPU usage.

• Disable Third-Party Antivirus

When using third-party antivirus on your Windows PC, it may put unnecessary strain on the CPU. While having that extra bit of security is good, you probably do not need it with Windows stock antivirus app getting better all the time. Conserve your system resources by disabling any third-party antivirus software. If it works, you might even want to uninstall such software to permanently solve the issue and save space on your hard drive too.

There could be other reasons behind 100% CPU usage slowing down your computer. For instance, you may need to rebuild the Windows Search Index, reset/reinstall synchronization tools, or delete any malfunctioning page files to fix the problem. Trying these fixes will definitely make things better.