If you see the WMI Provider Host process, named WmiPrvSE.exe, running at abnormally high CPU usage in Task Manager on Windows 11 or Windows 10, this post will show you why and what you can do about it.
It’s important to understand what WMI Provider Host is, what it does, and what could cause it to run at high CPU usage before attempting to fix anything.
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What is WMI Provider Host (WmiPrvSE.exe)?
The Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) Provider Host is a process used by Windows to provide information about your OS when requested by an app or service.
For instance, information that can be requested from WmiPrvSE.exe includes your Windows serial number, your hardware model numbers, your device driver versions, and the health status of your hard drive.
The process will run when an application requests this information from Windows, so disabling or stopping the service is not recommended as many Windows components, software, and applications rely on it.
Technically, you can disable WMI Provider Host in Windows 11 or 10, but doing so will break many Windows services and apps on your PC.
WMI Provider Host causes High CPU usage
If the process is running at very high CPU usage, sometimes as high as 100%, it could indicate that an application is requesting a significant amount of data from WMI Provider Host.
If the process continues to run at high CPU usage for an extended period, it probably means that the application requesting information from it is problematic.
You can try restarting your computer or restarting the process to see if it resolves the issue. To restart the WmiPrvSE.exe service, go to the Start menu, search for Services, open it, and look for “Windows Management Instrumentation service” in the list of services. Right-click it and select Restart.
If the problem persists even after restarting the WMI Provider Host service, instead of trying to disable the service, we should identify the problematic application causing the error and then fix it.
- Go to Start Menu in Windows.
- Search for Event Viewer and open it.
- Expand Applications and Service Logs, then browse to the following path.
Microsoft\Windows\WMI-Activity\Operational
- Under Operational, click on the “Error” event.
- Under the General tab, look for ClientProcessId.
- If there are multiple error events, click on each one of them and check their ClientProcessId. This is the ID of the process that causes an error in WMI Provider Host activity. Write it down.
- Now, go to Task Manager by right-clicking the Taskbar and selecting Task Manager.
- Under the Details tab, click on the PID column to sort the ID. Look for the ID you’ve written earlier.
- This is the process causing WmiPrvSE.exe to run at high CPU usage.
- If you know what the process is and which application it is from, you can decide what to do about it. You can update the program, terminate the process, or remove the application.
- If you don’t know what the process is for, do a search on Google to learn about it before terminating or removing it.
- If it is a crucial app that you need, try updating it to see if it resolves the issue. If you don’t need the app or service, you can disable or remove it.
Corrupted or damaged system files
Another common reason for high CPU usage by WMI Provider Host is due to corrupt or damaged system files. In such cases, you can try running the System File Checker (SFC) tool to repair any corrupted files. To do this, follow these steps:
- Press Windows Key + X and select Command Prompt (Admin) or Windows PowerShell (Admin).
- Type “
sfc /scannow
” without quotes and press Enter. - Wait for the scanning process to complete. It may take some time depending on the size of your system files.
- If the SFC tool detects any corrupted files, it will try to repair them automatically. Follow the on-screen instructions if prompted.
- Once the process is complete, restart your computer and check if the WMI Provider Host CPU usage has decreased.
If the SFC tool fails to repair the corrupted files, you can try running the Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) tool to fix them. To do this, follow these steps:
- Press Windows Key + X and select Command Prompt (Admin) or Windows PowerShell (Admin).
- Type “
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
” without quotes and press Enter. - Wait for the scanning process to complete. It may take some time depending on the size of your system files.
- If the DISM tool detects any corrupted files, it will try to download and replace them from Windows Update. Follow the on-screen instructions if prompted.
- Once the process is complete, restart your computer and check if the WMI Provider Host CPU usage has decreased.
If none of the above solutions work, you can try updating your drivers and Windows to the latest version, as outdated software and drivers can cause compatibility issues and lead to high CPU usage by WMI Provider Host. You can also try performing a clean boot to identify any conflicting software or services that may be causing the issue.
Is WmiPrvSE.exe a Virus?
No, WmiPrvSE.exe is not a virus if the file is located at C:\Windows\SysWOW64\wbem
. As long as the file is located under C:\Windows
, it is safe. If it is located elsewhere, it could be a virus or malware pretending to be the process. In such cases, scan your computer with an antivirus software immediately to get rid of it.