High resource utilization by any process slows down a Windows operating system and one of the services that could cause it is utcsvc.exe process which at times, is known to cause high CPU and Disk usage.
UTCSVC high CPU and Disk usage
Microsoft is committed to making its Windows 10 product better. One of the most effective methods to do so is by collecting customer feedback, analyzing their problems and pushing the resolution through updates. Microsoft collects this information through the Universal Telemetry Client (UTC) software which in turn runs a service named Diagnostic Tracking Service or DiagTrack. It is an executable file that could be translated to Service Host. While the process usually doesn’t cause problems, if it results in high resource utilization, you could consider disabling the service.
Says Microsoft about this process-
We collect information about you, your devices, applications and networks, and your use of those devices, applications and networks. Examples of data we collect include your name, email address, preferences and interests; browsing, search and file history; phone call and SMS data; device configuration and sensor data; and application usage.
How to disable utcsvc.exe
1] Disable Connected User Experience & Telemetry Service using Service Manager
For standalone systems, we could disable the Connected User Experience & Telemetry service to resolve the issue.
The Connected User Experiences and Telemetry service enables features that support in-application and connected user experiences. Additionally, this service manages the event driven collection and transmission of diagnostic and usage information (used to improve the experience and quality of the Windows Platform) when the diagnostics and usage privacy option settings are enabled under Feedback and Diagnostics.
The procedure to do so is as follows:
Open the Service Manager and search for the Connected User Experience service in the list of services.
Right-click on the service and select Properties.
Change the Startup Type to Disabled.
Click on Apply and then on OK to save the settings.
2] Disable Connected User Experience & Telemetry Service using Registry Editor
You can disable it through the Registry Editor. Press Win + R to open the Run window and type the command regedit. Press Enter to open the Registry Editor.
Navigate to this path:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DataCollection
Right-click on the DataCollection folder and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
Name the new value AllowTelemetry. Verify that the Value Data should be 0.
Click on OK to save the settings and restart the system.
3] Disable Connected User Experience & Telemetry Service using Group Policy Editor
In case you need to disable the service associated with Universal Telemetry Client (UTC) for company-managed systems, the same could be done through the Group Policy Editor.
Press Win + R to open the Run window and type the command gpedit.msc. Press Enter to open the Group Policy editor. It needs to be accessed as the administrator.
Navigate to this path:
Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components> Data Collection and Preview Build
Double-click on Data Collection and Preview Build to open its settings.
Find the item “Allow Telemetry” and then double-click on it to open its properties.
Set the radio button at Disabled.
Click on Apply to save the settings.
Restart the system.
This should help!
Related: Fix XboxStat.exe High CPU Usage.