It’s not unusual for some third-party apps to hog your CPU in the background. But what happens when this unwelcome occurrence appears to be inflicted by none other than one of Windows’ essential processes? That’s what many users reported to be the issue, with wuauserv taking up to 60% of CPU, even in idle mode, which is preposterous. For that purpose, we enlisted some solutions that should come in handy and, hopefully, relieve you of this annoyance. If you can’t deal with the service host Windows Update’s high CPU usage on your own, check out the troubleshooting steps below.

Why does Windows Update take so much CPU?

There are a few reasons your computer is significantly tasked during Windows Update. If this has bothered you, then you should consider the following reasons:

Low system capacity – To summarize, you may use an old PC, and new updates and software may be too much. In this case, you will constantly have Windows Update high CPU usage. Insufficient RAM – You may also be low on RAM, which will mean that your system’s memory is easily congested. Multiple concurrent updates – You should disable P2P update distribution in this case. Conflicting applications – In most cases, the conflicting applications will be antivirus software, and you may need to disable or uninstall them altogether.

Many users have noticed this problem in the following variations:

Windows update using CPU wuauserv high CPU Windows update high disk usage Windows modules installer worker high CPU

Regardless of your situation, trying the fixes below would help.

What can I do if Windows Update causes high CPU usage?

1. Restart the Windows Update service

Service host Windows Update high CPU usage and issues of Windows Update running on 100 percent CPU should be resolved after these commands.

2. Run the Windows Update troubleshooter

2.1 Update troubleshooter on Windows 10

2.2 Update troubleshooter on Windows 11

The dedicated troubleshooter will solve the Windows Update service high CPU issue, and if you look into Task Manager, all should be normal again.

3. Disable the third-party antivirus

The beef between Windows and specific third-party solutions is already a known fact. However, that doesn’t mean you’ll need to ditch your antivirus when the system behavior takes the wrong turn. Just disable it for the remainder of updating. Then, once the Windows Update service locates and downloads all updates, you can enable it again. If you discover that the antivirus is causing this problem, you may consult our list of the best antiviruses and get a better one.

4. Disable P2P update distribution within the local network

4.1 Disable P2P update distribution Windows 10

4.2 Disable P2P update distribution Windows 11

With the introduction of the Windows update feature, users can update multiple PCs in one local network with the P2P update distribution. At first glance, this sounds great, as it should substantially speed up the update process. SPONSORED However, there are some flaws in this update approach, and they can, eventually, result in a constant, never-ending update cycle. In that case, your Windows Update service will continuously run in the background and hog your system resources.

5. Pause Windows updates

5.1 Pause updates on Windows 10

5.2 Pause updates on Windows 11

Pausing the updates for a while can fix the problem, but only temporarily. So it’s imperative to install your updates to keep your system safe, so don’t abuse this feature.

6. Uninstall recent updates

Furthermore, specific updates can provoke a malfunction within the updating procedure and prevent the Windows Update feature from looking for new updates or downloading already queued updates. Even though this is rare, it might just be the case. Therefore, it’s a viable solution to uninstall recent updates and move from there.

6. Reset Windows to factory settings

The last place on the list is reserved for the painful but sometimes needed recovery options. More precisely, the Reset this PC feature enables you to reset your PC to factory settings. In a system shell as complex as Windows, many things can go south for you, especially if you decide to upgrade your system rather than perform a clean reinstallation. Luckily, Windows has an advanced recovery option that enables you to restore default system values but keep hold of your files. On the other hand, if the clean reinstallation is your cup of tea, check a detailed walkthrough article on how to perform a clean reinstallation of Windows 10. That should do it. These solutions will fix high CPU usage in Windows 10 and 11 updates and some cases, even when nothing is running. Pick what solutions seem most appropriate, as we have not written these in any particular order. If you have questions regarding the enlisted solutions or additional solutions you are aware of, feel free to tell us in the comments below.

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