So, what exactly is msmpeng.exe? A feature that the Windows OS incorporated since the time of Windows 7, msmpeng.exe is built-in antivirus software, often known as the Windows Defender. The Microsoft Malware Protection Engine (msmpeng.exe) runs in the background each time you start up Windows. It regularly scans your system for any form of threats, viruses, or malware. So, here in this guide, we have mainly focused on helping you understand the functionality and the workflow of msmpeng.exe. By the end of this guide, you’ll be able to use your newfound knowledge to decrease its overall CPU usage as well. Let’s get right to it!
Why does msmpeng.exe have high CPU usage?
As mentioned above, msmpeng.exe actively works in the background. So, whenever you download and install a new file on your system, msmpeng.exe scans it for possible worms and viruses. If a virus is found, the particular file is transferred to the Quarantined sector. You then have the power to either delete or restore this file. So, this ultimately makes msmpeng.exe a resource-hungry application, taking a high CPU disk space. Additionally, the msmpeng.exe program is known to scan its own folder too; C:\Program Files\ Windows Defender. So, this scan process of the Windows Defender is also responsible for the high CPU usage. Other than that, low hardware resources can also influence msmpeng.exe to eat up much of your CPU disk space.
How to lower msmpeng.exe’s CPU usage?
Msmpeng.exe, also known as Antimalware service executable is known to slow down your computer at times. It comes pre-installed on your system and is also a reason for 100% disk usage. Although you cannot end the task or the process formsmpeng.exe, there are a few workarounds you can follow to reduce its overall CPU usage. Listed below are all the methods you can follow to do so.
Prevent msmpeng.exe from scanning its own directory
Preventing the Windows Defender from scanning its own directory is known to reduce its overall disk usage. So, for this,
Reschedule the Windows Defender scan
Rescheduling the Windows Defender to scan your system at a particular date, time, and frequency can limit its overall background activities. So, this will ultimately reduce the overall CPU usage and make your computer faster. Here are the steps to do so:
Turn off real-time protection
Real-time protection is a feature provided by the Windows OS that scans your downloaded files for any viruses in real-time. That is, the file is scanned as soon as it is downloaded. Hence, disabling the real-time protection can very well fix your issue. So,
Turn off Automatic Sample Submission
The automatic sample submission feature is known to upload sample data to Microsoft as a part of their survey process for scanning threats on your computer. So, if this feature is disabled, the overall CPU usage shall also reduce. You can do so by,
Install a third-party anti-virus software
Although Windows Defender is a pretty good built-in protection software, there are much better third-party antivirus applications available on the market. Choosing a reliable antivirus can be a daunting task, however, upon our research, we have found that Kaspersky, Bitdefender, and Norton antivirus are some of the best in the market. We don’t recommend any particular software ourselves, however, we understand the problem you are going through and have decided that a reliable third-party antivirus application is a good workaround for your issue.
Disable Windows Defender
Windows OS allows you to disable the Windows Defender completely, hence minimizing its CPU usage. It is a relatively safe process if you have another antivirus software installed on your computer. Once you do so, follow the steps below to disable Windows Defender:
