How to Fix System Idle Process High CPU Usage in Windows 10

At times, Windows 10 PC faces unusual problems of certain process consuming high CPU resources. Most of the time, this issue is very temporary as the process comes into action to perform a certain task. But the process may continue with high CPU usage. This usually slows down the PC and, at certain times, won’t let applications run on your PC smoothly. One of the processes responsible for this is the System Idle Process. If you, too, face System Idle Process high CPU usage issue on your PC, this article will help you get rid of it.

What is System Idle Process?

The System Idle Process comes into the picture when your PC is in an idle state. This means, when no task is being performed on your PC, it enters an idle state. Although being idle means not carrying out any task, this process leads to high CPU usage.

Usually, when you begin working on your PC and start any application, the process is supposed to lower its usage. However, it may happen that the Process is utilizing high CPU resources even after the PC is not in idle.

Solutions to Fix System Idle Process High CPU Usage?

There are various solutions that you can try to get rid of this issue. These methods include fixes that are simple to carry out and methods that include multiple steps. Let us take a look at them:

Restart Your PC

You can begin by simply giving your PC a restart. Sometimes, all you need to fix an issue in Windows is carrying out a reboot. According to various users, all it took to get rid of this issue was a restart.

Update Windows 10

The Windows operating system in your PC needs to be up to date to perform without any issue. An outdated version of Windows could lead to a range of issues troubling you, including high CPU usage when idle. Follow the steps provided below to make sure that Windows 10 on your PC is up to date:

Step 1: Open the Settings app in Windows. To do so, press the Win + I buttons. When the Settings app opens up, select the Update & Security option.

Step 2: A new window will open. Here, go to the left pane and check if the Windows Update option is selected. Now, go to the right panel of this window and click on the Check for updates option.

A new sub-window will open. Here, you will see whether an update to the current Windows version is available. If yes, you will be prompted about the same. Now, follow the on-screen instructions to complete the update process.

Your PC will restart when the update process is finished. If the System Idle Process troubles you with utilizing high CPU usage, try the next solution.

Clean Boot your PC

You can perform a clean boot on your PC to fix various issues. Windows 10 High CPU usage when the idle issue is one issue you can fix through this process. Check out the steps below:

Step 1: Press the Win + R keys on your keyboard, then in the Run box that opens, type MSConfig, and press the Enter kid.

Step 2: The System Configuration window will open. Here, go to the Services tab and select the checkmark beside the Hide all Microsoft services section. Now, go ahead and click the Disable all option.

Step 3: Now, go to the Startup tab, then select the Open Task Manager option.

Step 4: A new window will open. Here, you will see a list of startup processes that start as PC boots. Make sure to select each one of these tasks and click on the Disable option.

Step 5: Now, go back to the System Configuration window, click on Apply and then the Ok button.

Run the Disk Cleanup Utility

Accumulation of temp files and junk files in your PC can cause issues in Windows 10. The high CPU usage issue of System Idle Process may occur because of these files. Run the Disk Cleanup Utility to get rid of this issue; here are the steps:

Step 1: Open the Run dialog box on your PC. For this, press the Win + R keys. In the Run box, type cleanmgr /low disk and press the Enter key.

Step 2: The Disk Cleanup window will open. Here, you will find a dropdown to select the drive partition to cleanup. Select the C drive and click on Ok.

Step 3: After running a scan and a few calculations, a new window will open. Here, make sure that all the checkbox options are selected. Then, select the Cleanup system files option and click on the Ok button.

Now, wait for the utility to run a scan on your system and delete all the unnecessary files from your PC. Carry out a reboot once the Disk Cleanup process is complete.

Disable the SysMain Service on your PC

If none of the above methods worked for you, you could try to disable the SysMain service in Windows 10. Here are the steps:

Step 1: Open the Services window. For this, press the Win + R keys and type services.msc in the Run box that opens and press the Enter key.

Step 2: In the Services window, look for the service with the name SysMain. When found, make a right-click on it and select the Properties option. In the Properties window that opens, first click on the Stop button, then from the Startup type dropdown, select the Disabled option. Click on Ok to apply the settings, then exit the Services window.

Restart your PC now and see if the issue persists.

Run SFC Scan

You can run the SFC scan on your PC to get rid of the high CPU usage in Windows 10 when idle. Here are the steps:

Step 1: Run Command Prompt in Admin mode. To do so, press the Win + X keys, then from the menu that will open, select the Command Prompt (Admin) option.

Step 2: The Command Prompt window will open. Here, type SFC /scannow and press the Enter key. Let the scan complete.

Once done with the scan, any corrupt or problematic system files in your PC will be fixed. Now, give your PC a restart and see if the issue is still there.

Carry Out Disk Defragmentation

Disk Defragmentation is another system utility that you can run to fix the high CPU usage when the idle issues in Windows 10.

Step 1: Open File Explorer on your PC. Here, open This PC, make a right-click on the C drive and select the Properties option.

Step 2: In the Properties window, go to the Tools tab. Here, select the Optimize button.

Step 3: Here, in the Optimize Drives window, select the C drive. First, click the Analyze option, and when the Analysis is over, click on the Optimize button.

Once the Disk Defragmentation is complete, it will eliminate the chances of Drive issues messing with your PC. After this, make sure to restart your PC.

So, which one of the above solutions helped you fix the isle system process with high CPU usage on Windows 10? If your issue was still not fixed, we recommend you carry out a System Restore.