The Antimalware Executable Service or MsMPEng.exe is a Windows service responsible for performing security tasks and protecting your PC from threats such as viruses and malware. It can happen that the MsMPEng.exe service is using unusually high CPU resources. While it is quite normal for the antimalware service executable to sometimes use high CPU usage, you will know that it is unusual when this continues to occur more frequently.
As a background task, the antimalware executable service should use no more than 50% of the CPU resources, again for a relatively shorter period. However, if the service continues to continuously use high CPU resources (currently more than 50%) and affects other applications so that they do not function correctly, then you need to take action against it.
Is the executable antimalware service a virus?
One might think that MsMPEng.exe is a virus due to its high CPU usage, but it is not. It is a default Windows service that is meant to keep your PC safe from external threats. The unusually high CPU usage of this service can occur due to internal conflicts on the PC.
Before looking for solutions to get rid of the antimalware service executable on your PC, here are a couple of things to make sure:
Does the MsMPEng.exe service take up more than 50% of the resources?
In general, this service should take up around 50% of the resources. If it is above 50%, there may be a problem.
How long has the MsMPEng.exe service consumed high CPU resources?
If the service bothers you from time to time or you've been there for more than a few minutes, you should look for solutions. This service usually runs for a few minutes and frees up CPU resources as soon as it completes its task.
Solution 1: disable real-time protection
The Real-Time Protection feature in Windows 10 is associated with the Antimalware Service Executable Service. When you disable the real-time protection, the MsMPEng.exe service will not be activated automatically, avoiding the high CPU usage it consumed. Follow the steps below to apply this change to your PC:
Step 1: Open the settings application by pressing the key Win + me keys. In the Settings app, select the Update and security option.
Step 2: In the Update & Security window, go to the left pane and select the file Windows Defender option. Now go to the right panel and use the toggle switch under the file Real-time protection to turn it off.
After making this change, sign out of settings application and restart your PC. After reboot, check if the high CPU usage issue of MsMPEng.exe is still bothering you.
Solution 2: Change the Windows Defender schedule
Windows Defender is programmed to scan your PC after regular time intervals. If you don't want the antimalware service executable service to bother you with high CPU usage, you can disable its scheduling. To do this, you need to make changes to the Agenda file. These are the steps:
Step 1: Press Win + WILL on the keyboard to open the Windows search panel. Here, type program , then, in the search results, select Event Agenda.
Step 2: You will see a series of panels in the Task Scheduler window that opens. Go to the leftmost panel and navigate to the following location:
Task Scheduler Library > Microsoft > Windows > Windows Defender
3 passNow go to the top center panel where you will see four Windows Defender activities. Right-click on each of the tasks and select the file deactivate option.
After applying the changes, close the Task Scheduler window. Restart your PC right away. The high CPU usage issue of the antimalware service will no longer bother you.
Solution 3: try third-party antivirus software
Windows Defender on your PC is in charge of protecting you from threats. While performing timely scans on your PC, Windows Defender may crash due to some issues. This is the reason for the high CPU usage of MsMPEng.exe. One of the ways to prevent this service from affecting PC performance is to run third-party antivirus software.
These are some of the best free antivirus programs for Windows 10. Install one of these antivirus programs on your PC. Doing so will disable Windows Defender on your PC, as antivirus software takes over for security. This way, you won't face any problems related to the antimalware service executable service.
Solution 4: disable Windows Defender
If you wish, you can even disable Windows Defender permanently in Windows 10. Although there is no direct setting in Windows to stop Windows Defender permanently, you can do so by making a few changes in the Registry Editor.
Before making any changes to the registry editor, it's always a good idea to create a registry backup. This way, you can revert changes made to the Windows registry in case something goes wrong or if you want to re-enable Windows Defender. Here's how to back up Registry Editor settings in Windows 10.
Let's take a look at the steps to disable Windows Defender in the registry editor:
Step 1: Press Win + R on the keyboard to open the file run the dialog box. Here, type regedit and press the button Log in key.
Step 2: In the Registry Editor window that opens, go to the left pane. Here, go to the left panel and navigate to the following location:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREpoliciesMicrosoftWindows Defender
3 pass: Go to the right panel now. Here you will find a key called DisableAntiSpyware. Double-click it to change the key value. A new secondary window will open. Here in the Valuable data field changes the value to 0 (zero) as shown in the screenshot below. After entering the value, click ok per salvare I modified it.
Now exit Registry Editor and restart your PC. Once your PC restarts, Windows Defender will be permanently disabled. In this way, the high CPU usage issue of the executable Antimalware service will no longer bother you.
Now whenever you feel the need for Windows Defender on your PC, you can always go back to Registry Editor, follow the same steps mentioned above and change the value from 0 to 1.
Solution 5: Add the antimalware service executable to the Windows Defender exclusion list
Another way to get rid of the MsMPEng.exe process that chokes your PC resources is to add it to the Windows Defender exclusion list. The solution may seem complex to perform, but it is very simple; follow the steps below:
Step 1: Open the settings application on your computer. To do this, simply press the key Win + me keys together. In the Settings app, select the call option Update and security.
Streptococco 2: In the Settings application window, select the file Windows Defender option available on the left panel. Now select the file Add an exclusion option available in the right pane below the file Exclusion section.
3 pass: In the next window that opens, go to the file Processes section and select the file Exclude an .exe, .com, or .scr process.
Phase 4: On the next screen, type MsMpEng.exe in the box as shown below, then click ok button.
That is. This will exclude the antimalware service executable process from the Windows startup process list. This way, you will no longer be affected by high CPU usage. Just restart your PC once after applying the above settings.
Closing words
You can choose one of the solutions mentioned above to get rid of the high CPU usage issue of the Antimalware service executable in Windows 10. In case you end up disabling Windows Defender, it is recommended that you use antivirus software on your PC. It is important to keep your PC safe from threats such as viruses, malware and spyware attacks.
Be sure to mention which of the above methods worked for you and how. It would be really helpful for other users facing similar problems.
.
