What is wuauserv? How to fix wuauserv high CPU usage in Windows 11/10

In this post, we will learn a bit about the wuauserv process in the Windows operating system and how to fix wuauserv high CPU or Memory usage problems in Windows 11/10. The name of this service is Windows Update Service, and we will see how you can stop or restart the Windows Service easily.

What is wuauserv

The wuauserv process or Windows Update Service enables the detection, download, and installation of updates for Windows and other programs. If this service is disabled, users of this computer will not be able to use Windows Update or its automatic updating feature, and programs will not be able to use the Windows Update Agent (WUA) API.

The path to its executable is C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe -k netsvcs. It typically consumes the most CPU resources & memory in svchost.exe, which is normal, but it is sometimes known to consume resources abnormally. In such cases, here is what you can try.

Fix wuauserv high CPU usage on Windows PC

Follow these suggestions to ensure wuauserv high CPU usage doesn’t happen anymore or can be controlled when it happens.

1. Run System Maintenance Troubleshooter
2. Run System Performance Troubleshooter
3. Run Windows Update Troubleshooter
4. Restart Windows Update Service
5. Flush SoftwareDistribution and Catroot2 folders
6. Troubleshoot in Clean Boot State
7. Use the Event Viewer

You will need an administrator account to run these suggestions.

1] Run System Maintenance Troubleshooter

Run System Maintenance Troubleshooter. To run the System Maintenance Troubleshooter. Open Run, type the following, and press Enter:

msdt.exe -id MaintenanceDiagnostic

Does it help?

2] Run System Performance Troubleshooter

Next, run the System Performance Troubleshooter. To do so, open an elevated Command Prompt, type the following, and hit Enter to run the Performance Troubleshooter.

msdt.exe /id PerformanceDiagnostic

This troubleshooter helps users adjust settings to improve operating system speed and performance.

3] Run Windows Update Troubleshooter

Run Windows Update Troubleshooter. Windows 10 users can access all TRoubleshooters via the Troubleshooters Page in Settings.

4] Restart Windows Update Service

• Run services.msc to open the Windows Services Manager.

• Double-click on the Windows Update service to open its Properties box.
• Click on Start. Wait a minute and then click on Start. Click OK and exit.

This will restart the Windows Update Service. Check if it solves the problem.

Read: Windows Update high CPU, Disk, Memory usage

5] Flush SoftwareDistribution and Catroot2 folders

Clear the contents of the SoftwareDistribution folder and the Catroot2 folder.

6] Troubleshoot in Clean Boot State

Boot the system in Safe Mode with networking. If the system works fine in Safe Mode, then you may need to perform Clean Boot. You must follow a different procedure to start Windows in Safe Mode. Once there, select the option to start the system in ‘Safe mode with Networking’. So boot into Clean Boot State and try to troubleshoot, identify, and isolate the offending process manually. Once your work is done, set the system to start usually.

7]  Use the Event Viewer

Ideally, these steps should fix the issue of high CPU usage. However, in case the issue remains unresolved, to identify the offending process, you can also use the Event Viewer, then use it to identify errors.

I hope our suggestions help you fix the issue.

Posts about processes using high resources:

• WMI Provider Host High CPU Usage
• Ntoskrnl.exe high CPU & Disk usage
• Desktop Window Manager dwm.exe consumes high CPU
• Windows Modules Installer Worker High CPU & Disk Usage
• Windows Shell Experience Host uses high CPU.

How do I stop wuauserv in Windows?

wuauserv is available as a service in Windows, which you can choose to disable. However, Windows can launch the service when it’s needed. However, it is handy to stop the service if the CPU usage is high.

How do I fix a corrupted Windows Update?

The only way to do it is by first deleting files available in the update folder and then running the DISM tool to ensure if there is any system file related to the corrupt update process, it can be fixed.