How to Fix Service Host: Local System High Disk (svchost.exe) Usage

Have you ever meet this situation: "Your PC runs into a problem that it couldn't handle, and the disk usage is nearly 100 percent, which is caused by Service Host: Local System."

This article tells you how to deal with this bad situation. Before we start to fix the high disk usage problem, we must know what is the Service Host and Service Host Superfetch to get a better understanding of your problem.

What is the Service Host and Service Host Superfetch?

Service Host

Svchost.exe is a generic host process name for services that run from dynamic-link libraries. Microsoft started changing much of the Windows functionality from relying on internal Windows services (which ran from EXE files) to using DLL files instead. From a programming perspective, this makes the code more reusable and arguably easier to keep up to date. The problem is that you can’t launch a DLL file directly from Windows the same way you can an executable file. Instead, a shell that is loaded from an executable file is used to host these DLL services. And so the Service Host process (svchost.exe) was born.

Windows requires a lot of services. If every single service ran under one Service Host process, a failure in one service could potentially bring down all of Windows. Instead, they are separated out. Services are organized into logical groups that are all somewhat related, and then a single Service Host instance is created to host each group. 

Service Host Superfetch

Superfetch is part of Windows Vista and onwards. This technology allows Windows OS to manage random memory so that your apps can perform efficiently.

It helps third-party apps and critical Windows components to execute quickly common tasks. To achieve this, Superfetch stores and reads data for regularly used apps directly from RAM instead of resorting to the hard drive.

Superfetch is like drive caching. It copies all your commonly used files to RAM. This allows programs to boot faster. However, if your system doesn’t have the latest hardware, Service Host Superfetch can easily cause high disk usage. High disk usage due to this service isn’t always a problem. It’s how this service works to optimize your system performance.

If you're using Windows 10 and you find that Service Host: Local System is taking much of your CPU, Disk or Memory usage, you're not alone. Many Windows users are reporting this problem as well. But no worries, it's possible to fix. Read the tried and true solutions below to fix your high disk usage right now.

Solution One. Stop the Superfetch to Fix Service Host: Local System High Disk Usage

SuperFetch decreases the boot time and make must-load programs more efficiently. However, it has been identified as a potential cause of disk performance issues in Windows 8 and later versions of Windows, including Windows 10. Here's how to stop this service: 

Method 1. Disable Superfetch with "Run" Command

• Just press Windows + R and type services.msc” command.
• Now find “Superfetch”.
• Edit Superfetch clicking on the property.
• Now “Stop” from stopping the Superfetch service.
• Superfetch to be Disabled and click OK

If this method does not work very well, directly go to the second method.

Method 2. Disable Superfetch with Command Prompt

♦Click on Start and search for Command Prompt, right-click on it and click Run as administrator then click Yes to continue.

♦Type the following command: net.exe stop Superfetch 

♦Press the Enter key on your keyboard

♦Wait for a few minutes to see if changes can be seen in your computer's performance. 

♦If you want, you can also run a disk check by typing the following command: chkdsk.exe /f /r and press the Enter key on your keyboard. 

♦Then type Y to confirm the disk check. 

See if the problem is resolved.

Solution Two. Fix This Problem With Windows Troubleshooting

Windows Update is said to be one of the causes for abnormally high CPU or Disk usage. You can run the troubleshooter to see if it's the culprit: 

1. On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and click Control Panel.

2. View by Category, click System and Security.

3. Click Security and Maintenance.

4. Click Troubleshooting.

5. Click Fix problems with Windows Update. 

6. Click Next.

7. Click Try troubleshooting as an administrator.

If this solution also fails to work, do not hesitate to try the last solution 

Solution Three. Clear Up Junk Files to Optimize Your PC

For those who got this problem very recently, performing a junk files cleanup should be taken into account. 

In order to perfectly solve this case, we need a free tool to help us - EaseUS free partition tool. This professional tool can help get this work done, and here is the detail:

1. Download, install and run EaseUS Partition Master Free on your PC

2. Click Cleanup and Optimization > Select Junk File Cleanup > Click Analyze to scan and find junk files from your computer

3. Check and then choose found junk files to Clean up.

When you finish all the steps, reboot your Windows 10. Go to Task Manager to see if the disk usage of "Service Host: Local System" is normal.

If all the solutions above all fail to help you, you can contact us and ask for help. We are very glad to help you.