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My cpu seems to spike whenever I open task manager or any other app and it seems to lower whenever i keep my task manager tab open

Anonymous
2025-01-28T19:20:30+00:00

It seems like whenever I open task manager I see my cpu at 100% then slowly drop down, at first I thought it was the game I was playing due to it showing the game as the thing going up to 100% then going down but when I closed the game and closed the task manager and checked again it seemed to have moved to the task manager being the thing going to 100% then back down and I decided to test it with other apps such as opera gx, steam etc and it seems to show whatever I have open as the cause idk if it’s a malware or something since I’m not as educated as most people on pcs, I’ve had my pc for around 2-3 weeks now and my friend who knows a bit more than me couldn’t seem to help me so I’d love to know if anyone has a solution or can make some sense to this.

Thank you

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Performance and system failures

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  1. Anonymous
    2025-01-29T07:25:54+00:00

    Hello , kalum donaldson

    Welcome to Microsoft Community.

    I understand your situation. This behavior is normal to some extent, but there may be potential issues.  Why does CPU usage spike briefly when opening Task Manager?1. Task Manager’s own processing overhead• When you open Task Manager, it temporarily scans all running processes to retrieve CPU, memory, and disk usage data, causing a brief CPU load spike.• This is a normal occurrence, especially on lower-spec PCs or systems with many background processes.2. Task Manager affects process scheduling• When Task Manager is opened, Windows may dynamically adjust process priorities, reducing CPU resource usage for some background processes. This can make CPU usage appear to drop quickly. How to determine if this is a problem? Method 1: Use performance monitoring tools (instead of Task Manager)Try using Resource Monitor or Process Explorer (a Microsoft tool) to check CPU usage:1. Press Win + R, type resmon, and press Enter to open Resource Monitor.2. Go to the “CPU” tab and check for any unusual processes consuming high CPU.3. You can also download Process Explorer, which provides a more detailed CPU analysis.• Download linkMethod 2: Test in Safe Mode1. Restart your computer and enter Safe Mode (Press Shift + Click “Restart”, then go to Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Startup Settings > Enable Safe Mode).2. Open Task Manager in Safe Mode and check if CPU usage still spikes.• If CPU usage is normal in Safe Mode, the issue is likely caused by a background program or driver.Method 3: Check for abnormal processes1. Open Task Manager and switch to the “Details” tab.2. Sort by CPU usage and look for any unfamiliar processes using high CPU.3. If you find an unknown process, right-click it and select “Open file location” to see which software it belongs to.Method 4: Scan for malwareIf you suspect malware, use these tools for a scan:1. Windows Defender (Built-in Windows security tool)2. Malwarebytes (A powerful third-party anti-malware tool, recommended)ConclusionIf CPU usage spikes briefly and then quickly returns to normal, it’s generally due to Windows’ normal process scheduling and is not a concern.However, if CPU usage remains high for an extended period or spikes again after closing Task Manager, there may be background processes or malware affecting your system. In this case, use Resource Monitor and Process Explorer for further analysis.

    Best wishes

    Leo Z | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

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