[Solved] Antimalware Service Executable High Disk Usage Windows 11/10 2021

If you found that the Antimalware Service Executable high disk usage occurs on Windows 11/10, take it easy, you're not alone. Many Windows users are encountering Antimalware Service Executable high memory problems.

In this article, you'll learn everything about Antimalware Sevice Executable and how to fix Antimalware Service Executable high CPU issue.

Besides, at the end of this article, we recommend a free partition management tool to help you easily create, resize, clone, move, merge, and format partitions to improve computer performance.

Antimalware Service Executable High CPU/Disk/Memory Usage

The Antimalware Service Executable (Msmpeng.exe) process is part of Windows Defender, a built-in antivirus feature that comes with Windows 11/10. You can find this on the Details tab in your Task Manager.

Antimalware Service Executable provides real-time scanning and is responsible for checking files for malware whenever you access them. It also performs background system scans to check for dangerous software, installing antivirus definition updates, and does anything else a security application like Windows Defender needs to do.

Its scanning relies heavily on your computer's CPU; that's why you find Antimalware Service Executable high CPU, huge disk, memory, RAM, and even network bandwidth, draining computer resources, especially after getting a Windows 11/10 update.

5 Ways to Fix Antimalware Service Executable High Disk Usage

If the Antimalware Sevice Executable process takes up a high CPU on your Windows 10, don't worry. We have easy solutions for you to deal with it. Now, read this article in-depth and try the easy methods to fix the problem.

Fix 1. Disable Real-Time Protection 

Antimalware Service Executable high disk usage issue is large because of the real-time feature, which will constantly scan your Windows computer no matter what you do. It acts quickly and consumes much CPU storage, which leads to high CPU and memory usage.

The most probable fix to the Antimalware Service Executable high CPU issue is turning off the real-time protection. After this, the Windows Defender won't work, and your computer will be vulnerable. So, use this method only as a temporary solution.

Step 1. Click the "Start menu > Settings > Update & security".

Step 2. Select "Windows security > Virus & threat protection > Manage settings". 

Step 3. Switch the "Real-time protection" setting to Off.  

Fix 2. Change Windows Defender's Scheduling Options

Change Windows Defender's schedule is an effective way because the real-time protection feature mainly causes the error. Follow the details below and fix the Antimalware Service Executable high disk usage issue.

Step 1. Press Windows key + R at the same time to invoke the Run box. Type taskschd.msc and press Enter.

Step 2. Double-click on "Task Scheduler Library" > "Microsoft" > "Windows".

Step 3. Find and expand "Windows Defender". Then double-click "Windows Defender Scheduled Scan".

Step 4. Uncheck "Run with highest privileges" on the property window. 

Step 5. Uncheck all the items in the "Conditions" section. Then click "OK".

With the steps above, your error should be fixed now. If, unfortunately, it doesn't help you, make sure to try the second solution below.

Fix 3. Add Antimalware Service Executable to Windows Defender's Exclusion List

Step 1. Press the Windows logo key + I at the same time to open the Settings window. Click "Update & security".

Step 2. Click "Windows Defender". Then click "Add an exclusion" in Exclusions.

Step 3. Click "Exclude a .exe, .com or .scr process".

Step 4. Type MsMpEng.exe. Then click "OK".

Fix 4. Disable Windows Defender in Registry 

When your Windows defender got corrupted by being overworked due to continuous file scanning, the Antimalware Service Executable high CPU issue may be settled by disabling Windows defender.

Step 1. Press Windows Key + R to open the Run Dialog Box.

Step 2. In the Run Dialog Box, type regedit and click "OK" to open the Registry Editor.

Step 3. In the navigation pane on the left, double-click the folders to navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender.

Step 4. If you find a registry entry named DisableAntiSpyware, double-click it and set its value data to 1.

Note: If you do not see a registry entry named DisableAntiSpyware, right-click in the main Registry Editor pane and select "New" > "DWORD (32 bit) Value". Name this new registry entry DisableAntiSpyware. Double click it and set its value data to 1.

Fix 4. Update all Available Device Drivers 

Is your Windows 10 still running slow after trying the above? You can also try to update all your available device drivers. The latest drivers can keep your computer running stable and quickly.

You can manually update your device drivers manually by going to the manufacturer's website and searching for the exact device's most recent correct driver. Make sure to choose drivers that are compatible with your variant of Windows system versions.

Run Your Computer Without Antimalware Service Executable High CUP Issue

Windows Defender is a free and valuable tool to protect your computer from a virus attack, but it can certainly eat up your CPU. By following the methods in this article, you'll be able to fix the Antimalware Service Executable high disk usage issue and keep your computer running at full speed.

Bonus Tip: How to Partition Hard Drives on Windows 11/10/8/7 for Free

When we use a computer, we all want it to perform at its best. Disk management is an important way to enhance system performance. EaseUS Partition Master Free makes it effortless to partition hard drives and take full advantage of your disk space. It provides other one-stop partition and disk management solutions for Windows 11/10/8/7, for instances:

• Resize/move partitions (the Pro version allows to move space from D drive to C drive directly), create, format, delete, and merge partitions
• Completely wipe out all the data on the hard disk to prevent information from being leaked or recovered

The following steps show how to resize and move partitions effortlessly and securely with this renowned partition management software.

Step 1: Locate the drive/partition

Select the drive/partition that want to adjust its size and right-click on it to choose "Resize/Move".

Step 2: Resize or move the partition

1.To shrink the partition, simply drag one of its ends to free up unallocated space. Once done, click "OK". 

2. To extend the partition, make sure that there is unallocated space aside (if there isn't, follow the above steps to create some). In the same way, drag your mouse into the unallocated space. Click "OK".

3. To move a partition position, you need to leave unallocated space next to the target partition. If no, free up some unallocated space first.

Right-click the target partition, select "Reize/Move". Then drag the whole partition left or right to adjust its position. Click "OK" to confirm. 

Step 3: Apply changes

At this step, you will see the new disk partition information & diagram.

To save changes, click the "Execute Operation" button and then "Apply".

Read More About Antimalware Service Executable High CPU

Here are the five top frequently asked questions related to the antimalware service executable high disk usage issue. If you also have any of these problems, you can find the methods here. 

Why is antimalware service executable using so much?

Antimalware service executable high disk CPU is mostly caused by the real-time feature that can constantly scan files, connections, and other related applications in real-time. Whenever you download new files or any software or access any files, the antimalware keeps scanning everything to check whether it is malicious or not. It acts quickly, which leads to the problem of high memory and high CPU usage.

Can I end the antimalware service executable?

If you are suffering from antimalware service executable high CPU usage, disk, memory usages problem on your Windows, you can turn off the real-time protection. 

After doing that, Windows Defender will be disabled as well as Antimalware Service Executable. If your computer is unprotected, viruses can easily get into it. We do not recommend that at all. 

How do I disable antimalware service executable from disk?

• Type Task Scheduler in the Search button. Click to expand "Task Scheduler Library > Microsoft > Windows".
• Click "Windows Defender" in Windows. Then double-click "Windows Defender Scheduled Scan".
• Uncheck "Run with highest privileges".
• Uncheck all the items in the Conditions section. Then click "OK".

Why is my disk usage at 100?

If you see a very high disk usage, that means something else is not quite right. First, you can check your disk usage by opening the Task Manager in Windows 10. You'll see a quick overview of CPU, memory, disk, and network utilization on the main process tab.

To fix Windows 10 100% disk usage issue, you can:

• Restart your system  
• Check anti-virus software  
• Update windows 10  
• Check disk error  
• Stop the superfetch service
• Clean up junk files and running memory
• Reset virtual memory and increase the ram
• Perform a clean boot on windows 10
• Upgrade the hard drive to a larger one