How to determine the maximum CPU usage during a Windows Defender scan?

Question

I'm experiencing a problem with my system slowing down during a scheduled Windows Defender scan. The program consumes a very high percentage of CPU and SSD resources, significantly impacting my computer's performance.

I'm looking for the best way to limit this resource consumption. Is there an effective method using PowerShell or Group Policy to set a maximum CPU usage limit of, say, 20% or 30%?

I would appreciate it if you could provide me with the necessary commands or technical steps to reduce this load without disabling protection entirely. I'm very careful about preserving my hard drive's lifespan and minimizing unnecessary disk writes.

Thank you in advance.

Answer 1

To reduce Windows Defender CPU usage during scans, use this command:

Code

Set-MpPreference -ScanAvgCPULoadFactor 30

Run it in PowerShell as Administrator. You can change the number to 20 or 30 depending on how much you want to limit CPU usage.

This keeps Defender active while reducing system slowdown.