[Solved] High Memory/Disk Usage by Antimalware Service Executable on Windows 11/10 in 2024

If you encounter the Antimalware Service Executable high disk usage on Windows 11/10, do not worry – you are not alone. Many Windows users have reported the Antimalware Service Executable high CPU problem.

In this article, you'll learn everything about the Antimalware Service Executable and how to fix high CPU usage issues with it.

Also, at the end of this article, we recommend a free partition manager that can help you easily create, resize, clone, move, merge, and format partitions to boost your computer performance.

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Read more: 100% Disk Usage in Task Manager on Windows 10

What does "Antimalware Service Executable high CPU/memory/disk/memory usage" mean?

The "Antimalware Service Executable" (Msmpeng.exe) process is part of Windows Defender, which is the built-in antivirus feature of Windows 11/10. You can find it in the "Details" tab of Task Manager.

The Antimalware Service executable provides real-time scanning and is responsible for checking files for malware as you access them. It also runs in the background to scan your system for threats, install antivirus definitions updates, and perform any other tasks required by security apps such as Windows Defender.

Its scanning work relies heavily on your computer's CPU, which is why you might notice Antimalware Service Executable high CPU, disk, memory/RAM, and even network bandwidth usage after installing Windows 11/10 updates, eating up your system resources. Continue reading the next section to fix the “Antimalware Service Executable high memory” issue on Windows 11.

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How to Stop Malwarebytes Service Executable High Disk Usage [5 Ways]

If the Antimalware Service Executable process is consuming high CPU on your Windows 10, there's no need to worry. We have simple solutions to deal with it. Now, read on and try out five straightforward methods to resolve the issue of high memory/CPU usage by the Windows antimalware service executable.

Solution 1: Disable Real-Time Protection
Solution 2: Change Windows Defender Scheduling
Solution 3: Add Malwarebytes Service Executable to Windows Defender Exclusions List
Solution 4: Disable Windows Defender via Registry
Solution 5: Update All Available Device Drivers

This video tutorial, published by A2MTech, shows how to disable the high Memory/CPU/Disk usage of the Antimalware Service Executable in Windows 10.

If you found this video helpful, please don't hesitate to share it with your friends. You can use the buttons below to share this article quickly.

Fix 1: Disable Real-time Protection

The issue with high disk usage by an anti-malware service executable is that its real-time features continually scan your Windows computer, no matter what you're doing. It reacts swiftly and takes up a significant amount of CPU space, resulting in high CPU and memory usage.

The most likely way to resolve high CPU usage by the Antimalware Service Executable is to turn off real-time protection. As a result, Windows Defender will not run, and your device will become more vulnerable to attacks. Hence, this should only be used as a temporary solution.

Step 1: Click on 'Start' > 'Settings' > 'Update & Security'.

Step 2. Go to Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Virus & threat protection settings.

Step 3: Turn off Real-time Protection.

Fix 2: Change the Windows Defender scheduling options

Modifying the Windows Defender schedule is an effective method since the Real-Time Protection feature is mainly the cause of the issue. Follow these detailed steps to resolve the high disk usage by Antimalware Service Executable.

Step 1: Hold down the Windows key and press R to open the "Run" dialog box. Type taskschd.msc, then press Enter.

2. Double-click on “Task Scheduler Library” > “Microsoft” > “Windows”.

Step 3: Expand Windows Defender, and then double-click Windows Defender Scheduled Scan.

Step 4: Clear the check box in the Run this program as an administrator dialog box.

(5) Clear all the check boxes in the Conditions area, and then click OK.

If you've done all of the above, your issue should be resolved. If not, make sure to try the second solution below.

Fix 3: Add the antivirus service executable to Windows Defender's exclusion list

Step 1: Press the Windows logo key and I key at the same time to open Settings. Click Update & Security.

Step 2: Click on “Windows Defender.” Then click “Add an exclusion” under “Exclusions.”

Step 3: Click Exclude .exe, .com, or .scr programs.

Please select the corresponding option based on the image.

4. Type MsMpEng.exe, and then click OK.

In addition to using the built-in antivirus tools in Windows, you can also rely on third-party antivirus software for virus removal. TotalAV is a well-known and reliable antivirus program that can scan and eliminate all malware, viruses, and even online threats from your computer.

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Solution 4: Disable Windows Defender via the Registry

When Windows Defender becomes corrupted due to constant scanning of files, disabling it can resolve the issue of high CPU usage by Antimalware Service Executable.

Step 1: Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box.

Step 2: Type regedit in the Run dialog box, and then click OK to open Registry Editor.

3. In the left navigation pane, double-click the folder to navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender.

4. If you find a Registry key called DisableAntiSpyware, double-click it and set its Value data to 1.

Note: If you do not see a registry key named DisableAntiSpyware, right-click in the main Registry Editor window, and then select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name this new registry key DisableAntiSpyware. Double-click it, and then set the Value data to 1.

Solution 5: Update all available device drivers

If your Windows 10 computer is still running slow after trying everything else, try updating all of your available device drivers. The latest drivers can keep your computer running smoothly and quickly.

You can update the driver manually by visiting the manufacturer's website and looking up the correct, up-to-date driver for your device. Make sure you select a driver that is compatible with your version of Windows.

High CPU/Memory/Disk usage issues caused by No Anti-Malware Service executable running on the computer

Windows Defender is a free and useful tool that keeps your PC safe from viruses, but it can hog a lot of CPU resources. Use the methods in this article to fix high disk usage by the Antimalware Service Executable and keep your computer running at full speed.

Additional Tip: How to Free Partition Hard Drive on Windows 11/10/8/7

When using a computer, we all want it to perform at its best. Disk management is an essential way to boost system performance. By using the tools Partition Master Free, you can easily partition your hard drive and make the most out of your disk space. It also provides an all-in-one partitioning and disk management solution for Windows 11/10/8/7, such as:

• Resize/Move partitions (the Professional edition allows you to directly move free space from D to C drive), create, format, delete and merge partitions
• Wipe out all data on the hard drive thoroughly to prevent data leakage or recovery

The following steps will show you how to easily and safely resize and move partitions with this famous partition manager.

Step 1. Launch AOMEI Partition Assistant and check the available space of the disk in the "Partition Manager" section.

• If you have unallocated space on your hard drive, skip to Step 3 to create a partition. • If you do not have any unallocated space, proceed to Step 2.

Step 2. Shrink the partition to create unallocated space.

Right-click on the target disk partition with lots of free space, and select “Resize/Move.”

Then, you can shrink the volume by dragging either end of the partition to free up enough unallocated space. You can see how much space you've shrunken the partition by in the “Size” field. Click “OK.”

Click “Perform XX Task” and then click “Apply” to save all the changes.

Return to the “Disk Management” screen, and you'll see the “Unallocated” space on the same disk. You can now proceed to create a new partition on the hard drive.

Step 3. Create a new partition on the target drive to use the unallocated space.

Right-click the "Unallocated" space and select "New Simple Volume".

Customize the partition size, drive letter, volume label, file system (NTFS, FAT32, EXT2/3/4, exFAT), and so on in the "Advanced Options." Click "OK."

Finally, click “Execute Tasks” and “Apply” to create the partition using the unallocated space on your hard drive. Repeat these steps to partition your hard drive and create more partitions.

Create partition step 3

Learn more about high Memory/CPU/RAM usage by Antimalware Service Executable

Below are five common issues related to high disk usage by antivirus service executable files. If you're experiencing any of these, you'll find solutions here.

Why does "Antimalware Service Executable" use so many resources?

High disk and CPU usage by an anti-malware service executable is mainly due to its real-time protection feature, which constantly scans files, connections, and other related applications in the background. Whenever you download new files, run any software, or access any documents, the anti-malware tool continuously scans everything to check for malicious content. This rapid response can lead to high memory and CPU usage issues.

Can I disable the antimalware service executable?

If you're experiencing high CPU, disk, or memory usage by the Antimalware Service Executable on Windows, you can turn off real-time protection.

This will disable both Windows Defender and the Antimalware Service executable. Your computer will be more vulnerable to viruses without protection, so we don't recommend this.

How to stop/disable the Antimalware Service executable on the disk?

Type "Task Scheduler" in the search bar. Click on "Task Scheduler Library > Microsoft > Windows." Click on "Windows Defender" under "Windows". Then, double-click on "Windows Defender Scheduled Scan." Uncheck "Run with highest privileges." Untick everything under the "Conditions" section. Click "OK."

Why is my disk usage at 100%?

If you see that your disk usage is very high, that means something's wrong. First, you can open the Task Manager in Windows 10 to check on disk usage. On the main Processes tab, you'll see a quick overview of CPU, Memory, Disk, and Network usage.

To resolve the issue of 100% disk usage in Task Manager on Windows 10, you can:

• Restart your system
• Check your antivirus software
• Update Windows 10
• Scan for disk errors
• Disable the Superfetch service
• Clean up junk files and free up RAM
• Reset virtual memory and increase RAM
• Perform a clean boot on Windows 10
• Upgrade your hard drive to a larger one