WMI High CPU Usage Solutions on Windows 10

WMI Provider Host High CPU Usage Error

Ever noticed, from the task manager, that the WMI Provider Host process sometimes uses a lot of CPU resources? That can be a real cause for concern considering that it might cause your PC to slow down. Yet annoying as it might be, this problem can be fixed using a number of workable methods. Read on to find out…

Among many Windows 10 users, there are reports of WMI Provider Host hogging CPU resources leading to annoyingly slow PC performance. Ever wondered how this issue can be fixed? You can be sure you’re not alone in this. Many people have complained about this and other WMI Provider Host-related problems in the recent past. Lucky for you, though, because you’ve come to the right place. In this guide, we’ve rounded up some of the best solutions recommended by IT experts to resolve this problem once and for all. Before we start on the actual fixes, let’s begin with some quick definitions.


What's a WMI Provider Host?

WMI Provider Host

Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) provider host is a system process that controls the running environment for many PC programs. Besides, it’s also responsible for enabling error notifications in case of software malfunctions. Normally, WMI has a very small CPU footprint. However, once in a while, you may notice significant spikes in its utilization of CPU resources. The reason for this is simply the result of the other programs and services that rely on it for their operations.


Solutions to Fix WMI Provider Host High CPU Usage Error

That being said, here are some solutions you may consider to help fix the WMI Provider Host High CPU usage error alert:

Method 1: Restart the WMI Provider Host Service

Whenever WMI Provider Host occupies a lot of PC resources, one possible way to resolve that is by simply restarting the service.

Follow these steps to successfully restart the WMI Provider Host service on your PC.

Step 1: Press Windows + R keys simultaneously. That will open a run box.

PC Run program

Step 2: In the run box, type services.msc and hit Enter to access all the services running on your PC.

services.msc

Step 3: Next, locate the Windows Management Instrumentation service. Note that the services are arranged alphabetically. Upon finding Windows Management Instrumentation, highlight then right-clicks on it. In the options window, select Restart. Finish up the WMI Provider Host restart process with the command prompt as indicated in the subsequent steps.

Windows Management Instrumentation

Restart Windows Management Instrumentation

Step 4:  In the search bar, type cmd or command prompt, then on the pane on the right side of the window, choose Command prompt (Admin). Alternatively, simply press Windows + x, then select command prompt (admin).

cmd in the search box

Step 5: Type the following commands on the command prompt window and hit Enter after each command line:

net stop iphlpsvc, net stop wscsvc, net stop winmgmt, net start wscsvc, and net start iphlpsvc

Great! You just completed restarting WMI Provider Host Service successfully. Now, all that’s left is to restart your PC for the changes to take effect.

WMI Provider Host Service command

Now try checking your computer’s CPU utilization to see if resource utilization is back to normal. If the erroneous usage spike is gone, then that’s awesome! You deserve a pat on the back for a job well done. However, if you can still see the usage anomaly, then try resolving it using the next method.


Method 2: Close the Program Causing the Problem

As mentioned earlier, WMI Provider Host's high CPU usage is usually the result of a particular program causing the resource utilization spike. Meaning that if the offending program is disabled, it’s possible the problem will go away.

To do that, first, you need to know the programs using the WMI Provider Host by checking them through the event viewer. Here’s how.

Step 1: To access the event viewer, type Event Viewer, then on the right pane of the window, select run as administrator. Alternatively, you can simply press Windows + X. A menu of options will appear on the right side of your screen. Select Event Viewer.

Event Viewer run as administrator

Step 2: Once the event viewer window appears, proceed as follows:

First, click the View button at the top of the window, then next click

Show Analytic and Debug Logs.

Show Analytic and Debug Logs

Step 3: Next, head over to the left pane of the Event Viewer window, then navigate as follows:

Applications and Service Logs\Microsoft\Windows\WMI-Activity\Operational log.
[/su_list] Applications and Service Logs
Step 4: Record the number of processes on the right-hand side of the latest ClientProcessId. Also, note down the latest error events.

ClientProcessId

Step 5: Next, open the task manager by pressing Windows + X, then select task manager from the list of options.

task manager search option

task manager

Step 6: On the Task Manager window, head over to the Details tab, then under PID, locate processes with IDs that match what you recorded from the Event Viewer.

Task manager PID

Step 7: Once you identify the matching processes, Uninstall, Update Drivers, or Disable the programs.

That’s all you need to do to close any program causing WMI Provider High CPU usage error. You may want to check your PC’s CPU usage to check if the error is resolved. Hopefully, it was, considering that the process was long and a little complicated. Anyway, if that didn’t fix the error, then proceed on to the next method.


Method 3: Restart the Associated Services

Sometimes, restarting the WMI Provider Host service alone won’t resolve the high CPU usage problem. In such a case, it’s likely that other services associated with WMI Provider Host are the culprits. And how do we sort that out? Well, your guess is as good as mine; we need to stop these programs and services as well.

To do that, we’ll make use of command prompt or PowerShell. Here’s how:

Step 1: Type cmd or command prompt in the search bar. You can do the same for PowerShell, then once the app icons appear, on the pane on the right side of the window, choose Run as administrator for either program.

command prompt run as administrator

Step 2: On the command prompt window, type the following commands and hit Enter after each:

net stop iphlpsvc, net stop wscsvc, net stop winmgmt, net start wscsvc, and net start iphlpsvc
WMI Provider Host Service command

Once you hit Enter after typing the last command line, check the CPU usage to see if the error is gone. Hopefully, it did. If not, then try our last solution. Maybe you’ll get lucky this time around.


Method 4: Check for WMI Provider Host Compliance

Virus or malware infections on a computer can sometimes manifest as false WMI Provider Host high CPU usage. Luckily, there is a really quick fix for this. Follow these steps to check the compliance of the process to verify whether the erroneous CPU utilization spike is the result of disguised viruses or just a normal Windows process.

Step 1: Press Windows +X, then on the menu on the left side of the screen, select Task Manager.

task manager

Step 2: On the task manager window that appears, locate the WMI Provider Host.

WMI Provider Host

Step 3: Once you locate it, go ahead and open the file location.

wmi provider host file location

To be considered a normal Windows program, confirm that it’s in the directory “C:\Windows\System32\wbem”. If not, then it's a virus.

WMI Provider Host confirm location

Step 4: Once you’ve confirmed that WMI Provider Host is a normal Windows process, you don’t have to take any further action as far as this method goes. However, if it's a virus, then consider using antivirus software to remove it. After that, restart your PC in order to save the changes.


FAQs

1. Can I disable or uninstall WMI Provider Host?

Though it’s possible to disable the Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) Provider Host service on your PC, it’s simply not advisable to do so. The reason being that a number of Windows programs and services need it to function properly. Your PC won’t function properly without it.

2. What uses WMI Provider Host?

WMI Provider Host is a Windows tool that’s used by developers to keep track of the functionality of various programs and services running on the Windows operating system.

3. Is WMI Provider Host a Virus?

No, it isn’t a virus or malware. Instead, WMI Provider Host is an essential component of the Windows 10 operating system, without which some programs and services won’t be able to work.


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