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Do you know what is Runtime Broker (RuntimeBroker.exe) and why is it running in Windows 10?
Sometimes, you may have seen the RuntimeBroker.exe is running in Task Manager. You might wonder what it is? Is it a virus? Is it safe? Good news, the Runtime Broker (RuntimeBroker.exe) is a core process in Windows 10, which was created by Microsoft.
If you have just logged into Windows 10 and have not open any applications yet, then you probably will not see the Runtime Broker process running yet. So what does RuntimeBroker.exe do?
Runtime Broker is a trusted process in Windows 10, which manages permissions for apps from Windows Store. It checks if an application is declaring all permissions (like accessing Photos) and notifying user if it’s allowed or not. It also checks permissions of an app to have the ability to access hardware or not, such as the webcam. In short, you can think it’s a middleman between your application and your privacy/security of your Windows 10 PC.
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Typically, the Runtime Broker only use several megabytes (MB) of memory and not too much CPU’s resource. However, a faulty application might have caused RuntimeBroker.exe to use up to Gigabytes of memory and a lot of CPU’s resource, in some cases. So, if you found your CPU & RAM usage are high, and your computer is running slowly, then you probably have a serious issue with an application on your computer.
Fix Windows 10 RuntimeBroker.exe (Runtime Broker) Problem
If you feel your computer is running slowly, you can press: Ctrl + Shift + Esc to launch the Task Manager to check how much CPU & memory RuntimeBroker.exe is using.
The simplest & quick method to temporary resolve this issue is to terminate the RuntimeBroker.exe process from running on your Windows PC. From Task Manager window, click on the Processes tab, choose Runtime Broker in the list, right-click and select “End task” to force “Runtime Broker” to close. Then, reboot your Windows 10 computer.
However, the issue will resurface after a short time, or maybe the next day, or even after a reboot. The real problem remains, and RuntimeBroker.exe will return to kill the performance of your PC again.
In this guide, I will show you two methods to fix this issue and prevent Runtime Broker from using too much resource of your PC.
Disable “Show Me Tips About Windows” In Windows 10
According to many users’ reports from PCGuide.Online forum, you can fix this problem and prevent RuntimeBroker.exe from using too much resource of your PC by disabling “Show me tips about Windows” in Settings.
- Firstly, open the Settings of Windows 10 by pressing Windows + R
- Secondly, choose System and then select “Notifications and actions” in the left sidebar.
- Finally, switch off the “Show me tips about Windows” option.
That’s it! It will help you to resolve high CPU & memory usage in Windows 10.
Disable “Updates From More Than One Place” Feature In Windows 10
Many users reported that after turning off “Updates from more than one place” feature in Settings, the Runtime Broker process doesn’t use too much CPU & RAM of your computer anymore.
- In order to disable this feature, press Windows + I to open the Settings.
- In the next step, choose “Update & Security” option.
- Click on the “Advanced options” link.
- Next, click on the “Choose how updates are delivered” link.
- Lastly, switch off “Updates from more than one place” feature.
That’s it!
By turning off this feature in Windows Update, it may help you to reduce a lot of CPU and RAM usage. If two above methods can’t help you to fix the Runtime Broker high CPU & RAM usage issue, then I would recommend you to disable RuntimeBroker.exe process from running on your Windows 10 computer, permanently. Believe me! The Runtime Broker isn’t a necessary process.
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To disable Runtime Broker, press Windows + R and fill in: regedit, then press Enter
From the Windows Registry Editor, navigate to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\TimeBroker]
Double-click on the “Start” field and change the “Value data” from “3” to “4”.
That’s it!
In the future, if you want to turn this feature on, do the same like above but replace number “4” by “3” or “2”.
2 = Automatic
3 = Manually
4 = Disable
Note: There are a few other reasons can be caused this issue on your Windows 10 computer, such as problems with default apps like Photos, Groove Music, News, or Voice Recorder. So you need to diagnose which apps caused this issue, besides two reasons I mentioned above. Then close or force it to close from running to test if the problem has gone or not. From the result you have, do necessary steps to fix Runtime Broker (RuntimeBroker.exe) error.
If you have any questions, feel free to leave your comment below.