How to Fix High CPU usage on Windows 10 (WMI Provider Host)

Windows Management Instrumentation or WMI Host is a system application (wmiPrvSE.exe) that is essential for Windows Applications to run properly. If it stops working many windows features will become unusable. In the worst cases, you cannot even use your computer.

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Many Windows 10 users reported that WMI Provider Host is using too much CPU resources. As a result, this leads to slow performance, CPU overheating, and system lags.

To fix this issue you need to do some basic computer troubleshooting. Don’t worry because in this article we’ll guide you through every step.

See Also: How to Fix Laptop’s wifi keeps on disconnecting

Let’s get started.

Method 1: Repair Corrupted files

If your Windows system has corrupted and missing files most often than not is that it will result in system stability issues.

Follow the steps below to repair corrupted system files.

Step 1: Press Windows key + X on your keyboard and select Command Prompt (Admin).

Step 2: When Command Prompt open, type “sfc /scannow” and press Enter.

Step 3: After the scan is finished a system message will appear. See the list below to guide you on what it means.

• Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations – This means your operating system doesn’t have any corrupted or missing files.
• Windows Resource Protection could not perform the requested operation – The repair tool detected a problem during the scan and an offline scan is needed
• Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files and successfully repaired them – This message will appear when the SFC was able to fix the problem it detected
• Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them. – If this error occurs, you will need to repair the corrupted files manually. See the guide below.

**Try to run SFC scan two to three times to fix all the errors**

Method 2: Restart WMI Service

If Windows Management Instrumentation is showing unusual behavior and it’s using too many computer resources, it is best to try and restart the service.

Step 1: Press on Windows Key + R and type Services.msc

Step 2: On Services page, find Windows Management Instrumentation

Step 3:  Right Click on Windows Management Instrumentation and select restart

Step 4: Restart your computer and check on task manager if WMI is still using too much CPU resource

Method 3: Fix High CPU Usage via Command Prompt

Step 1: Press Windows Key + S and search for Command Prompt

Step 2: Click on Run as Administrator

Step 3: On command prompt enter the following command one by one:

net stop iphlpsvc

net stop wscsvc

net stop Winmgmt

net start Winmgmt

net start wscsvc

net start iphlpsvc

Step 4: Check WMI on task manager and see if it still has a high CPU usage

Method 4: Perform a System Scan

Another cause of high CPU usage is malware and viruses. If your computer is running slowly try performing a virus scan with Windows Defender.

Step 1: Press Windows key + S and search for Windows Defender

Step 2: Open Windows Defender

Step 3: On the scan options select full and click scan now

Step 4: Wait for the scan to finish then reboot your system

Step 5: Check the CPU usage of your system and see if the issue is resolved.

Method 5: Perform a Clean Installation of Windows 10

If WMI service still has a high CPU usage after performing the steps above, the last thing that you could do is to reinstall everything.

Make sure to backup all your files and Perform a new Windows 10 Installation.

For users who don’t know how to install a fresh copy of Windows 10 you can check our guide on How to Perform a Clean Install in Windows 10.