{"id":75787,"date":"2024-07-02T16:40:35","date_gmt":"2024-07-02T11:10:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/198.58.113.91\/blog\/?p=75787"},"modified":"2024-07-02T23:09:55","modified_gmt":"2024-07-02T17:39:55","slug":"wmi-high-cpu-and-memory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wmi-high-cpu-and-memory\/","title":{"rendered":"Fix: WMI consuming High CPU and Memory"},"content":{"rendered":"

When you open Task Manager to investigate a sluggish computer, you may see that the WMI Provider Host (WmiPrvSE.exe) process uses a lot of CPU and memory. <\/p>\n

\"wmi<\/p>\n

Here’s a screenshot from another computer where the Windows Management Instrumentation service (Winmgmt) occupies more CPU usage on some systems than on a regular computer.<\/p>\n

\"wmi<\/p>\n

While 4% usage (in the above screenshot) by might the Winmgmt service may look fine, on a standard system, the WMI service’s CPU usage is usually 0% when idle. If it’s consistently busy, it needs to be investigated.<\/p>\n

Cause<\/h2>\n

The above screenshots indicate that one or more third-party programs are using many WMI calls. The WMI processes using a high amount of CPU implies that another application is requesting data via WMI. The culprit is not WMI but a program that makes frequent WMI calls. When an application requests information using a WMI class, the data is obtained dynamically through a WMI provider.<\/p>\n

Microsoft has an excellent article on Troubleshoot WMI high CPU usage issues<\/a> at the Microsoft Learn portal. The WMIMon utility mentioned in that article is one of the easiest options for tracing WMI calls by processes and services.<\/p>\n

Resolution<\/h2>\n

To see which programs are querying information using the WMI, download WMIMon<\/a> (from GitHub), a tool for monitoring WMI activity on Windows.<\/p>\n

Unzip the archive to a folder. Run WMIMon.exe<\/strong> or WMITrace.exe<\/strong> as administrator.<\/p>\n

\"wmi<\/p>\n

It opens in a console window and starts the trace right away. Keep the utility running for 2 minutes or so. If the WMI CPU usage is high in Task Manager, you’ll see many WMI calls in the WMImon output. The output shows the process name, ID, the WMI namespace accessed by that process, and the user account context in which the process is running.<\/p>\n

Here’s an example where LightingService.exe (part of the ASUS AURA lighting service) frequently accesses\u00a0the WMI.<\/p>\n

(right-click on the following images and choose to open in a new window to see the full-sized image.)<\/em><\/p>\n

\"wmi \"wmi<\/p>\n

Disabling ASUS AURA lighting service<\/strong> via Services MMC fixed the problem.<\/div>\n

On some systems, the LightingService.exe process consumes high CPU and memory usage.<\/p>\n

\"ASUS<\/p>\n

There are many posts on the ASUS forums regarding this issue.<\/p>\n

\nHigh CPU usage by LightingService.exe - Republic of Gamers Forum - 904889:\nhttps:\/\/rog-forum.asus.com\/t5\/rampage-vi-strix-x299-series\/high-cpu-usage-by-lightingservice-exe\/td-p\/904889\n\nAura - Temporary fix for high CPU usage and freezing... - Republic of Gamers Forum - 739086:\nhttps:\/\/rog-forum.asus.com\/t5\/asus-software\/aura-temporary-fix-for-high-cpu-usage-and-freezing-lights\/td-p\/739086\n\nAURA Lighting Service using high CPU resources - Republic of Gamers Forum - 751143:\nhttps:\/\/rog-forum.asus.com\/t5\/asus-software\/aura-lighting-service-using-high-cpu-resources\/td-p\/751143\n\nLightingService.exe causing 5 % CPU load: - Republic of Gamers Forum - 847845:\nhttps:\/\/rog-forum.asus.com\/t5\/asus-software\/lightingservice-exe-causing-5-cpu-load\/td-p\/847845\n<\/pre>\n
I hope WMImon helped you find the root cause of the high WMI usage issue. In the above example, it was ASUS software. But in your case, it might be some other program or your antivirus program itself.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When you open Task Manager to investigate a sluggish computer, you may see that the WMI Provider Host (WmiPrvSE.exe) process uses a lot of CPU and memory.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[6,8,869],"tags":[604,973],"class_list":["post-75787","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-utilities","category-windows-10","category-windows-11","tag-troubleshooting","tag-wmimon"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":78326,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/processor-ram-unavailable-system-properties\/","url_meta":{"origin":75787,"position":0},"title":"Processor and RAM info not shown in System properties","author":"Ramesh","date":"April 10, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"When you open Control Panel \u2192 System and Security \u2192 System, the processor and RAM fields may say \"Not available\". If you open Settings \u2192 System \u2192 \"About\", the CPU or the RAM information may be blank. Additionally, the following WMI command from the admin Command Prompt may return the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Windows 10"","block_context":{"text":"Windows 10","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/windows-10\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"processor and RAM is empty in About System","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/processor-blank-system-properties-cpl.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/processor-blank-system-properties-cpl.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/processor-blank-system-properties-cpl.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":336,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/fix-for-msinfo32exe-error-cant-collect-information\/","url_meta":{"origin":75787,"position":1},"title":"Fix for Msinfo32.exe Error Can’t Collect Information","author":"Ramesh","date":"June 17, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"The System Information Tool (Msinfo32.exe) generates the error Can't Collect Information if the Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) service is not started. Cause The above error occurs if the Windows Management Instrumentation service is not running. Resolution Follow the steps below to resolve the issue. If Step 1 resolves the issue,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Windows"","block_context":{"text":"Windows","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"msinfo32 cannot collect information","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/06\/msinfo32-cant-collect-info-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/06\/msinfo32-cant-collect-info-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/06\/msinfo32-cant-collect-info-1.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":32077,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/cbs-wmi-error-80041002-windows-updates\/","url_meta":{"origin":75787,"position":2},"title":"[CBS] Error 80041002 When Installing Windows Updates","author":"Ramesh","date":"January 18, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"After being unable to install Windows Updates, the error code 80041002 may have been recorded when you checked the CBS logs. Here's an excerpt from CBS.log: 000009a4 (F) Installer: Mof Binary Name: cmiadapter.dll ErrorCode: 80041002 Phase: 32 Mode: Install (upgrade) Component: Microsoft-Windows-NetworkProfile-CIM, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31bf3856ad364e35, ProcessorArchitecture=amd64, versionScope=NonSxS[gle=0x80004005] Error CSI 00000944@2023\/1\/4:13:48:41.970 (F)\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Windows 10"","block_context":{"text":"Windows 10","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/windows-10\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"wmi repository rebuild wmimgmt","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/wmimgmt-rebuild.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/wmimgmt-rebuild.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/wmimgmt-rebuild.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":30085,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/defender-snoozed-other-antivirus-providers\/","url_meta":{"origin":75787,"position":3},"title":"Microsoft Defender Antivirus is Snoozed; You\u2019re using other antivirus providers","author":"Ramesh","date":"November 22, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"When you open Windows Security, the security dashboard may show the message \"You're using other antivirus providers.\" even though you don't have any third-party antivirus program installed. In some cases, the real-time protection option would be available. But it reverts to \"off\" status immediately after you try to turn it\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Windows 10"","block_context":{"text":"Windows 10","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/windows-10\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"defender enabled in security providers","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/ms-defender-snoozed-fixed.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/ms-defender-snoozed-fixed.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/ms-defender-snoozed-fixed.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/ms-defender-snoozed-fixed.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3151,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/incorrect-uptime-taskmgr-wmi-refresh\/","url_meta":{"origin":75787,"position":4},"title":"Incorrect Uptime Reported by Task Manager and WMI. Refresh it Manually","author":"Ramesh","date":"May 29, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Task Manager's Performance tab (CPU section) shows the Uptime information of the system, but you may be wondering why your boot-up time doesn't match the uptime data reported. This is because Task Manager or WMI wouldn't deduct the duration of sleep\/hibernation when calculating uptime. And, with Fast Startup introduced and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Windows 10"","block_context":{"text":"Windows 10","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/windows-10\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/uptime1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4527,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/view-resources-usage-each-service-svchost-windows-10\/","url_meta":{"origin":75787,"position":5},"title":"View Resources Usage by Individual Services in Windows 10","author":"Ramesh","date":"November 5, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"With the Windows 10 Creators Update (codenamed \"Redstone 2\") Preview Build 14942, the way in which services are hosted has changed. In Windows 10 v1703 systems with more than 3.5 GB of RAM, each service would get its own service host (svchost.exe), instead of running under a shared service process.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Windows 10"","block_context":{"text":"Windows 10","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/windows-10\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"svchost separate windows 10","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/services_1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/services_1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/services_1.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75787","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=75787"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75787\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=75787"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=75787"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=75787"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}