High CPU Usage by Antimalware Service Executable on Windows Server 2019

Question

I'm encountering an issue on my Windows Server 2019 machine where the Antimalware Service Executable process is consistently consuming 100% CPU. This is causing the server to become unresponsive.

Has anyone else experienced this issue? Any suggestions on how to resolve it without compromising system security?

Answer 1

Hello

Thank you for posting in Microsoft Community forum.

High CPU usage by the Antimalware Service Executable can be frustrating. Let’s explore some potential solutions to address this issue:

1.Perform a Clean Boot:

A clean boot starts your computer with a minimal set of drivers and programs, allowing you to determine whether a background program is causing the issue.

To perform a clean boot:

• Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog.
• Type msconfig and hit Enter.
• In the System Configuration window, go to the Services tab.
• Check “Hide all Microsoft services” and then click “Disable all.”
• Next, go to the Startup tab, open Task Manager, and disable unnecessary services.
• Restart your computer and check if the CPU usage improves.

2.Adjust Windows Defender Settings:

The high CPU usage may be related to Windows Defender’s real-time protection feature.

Try the following steps:

• Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog.
• Type taskschd.msc and hit Enter.
• Navigate to Task Scheduler Library > Microsoft > Windows > Windows Defender.
• Double-click on “Windows Defender Scheduled Scan.”
• On the General tab, uncheck “Run with highest privileges.”
• Click on the Conditions tab and uncheck all options.
• Click OK and see if the issue persists.

3.Manually Scan and Exclude Files:

Run a manual scan using Windows Defender to ensure there are no malware or threats.

Add specific files or folders to the exclusion list if they are causing excessive CPU usage.

4.Disable Real-Time Monitoring:

Open PowerShell as an administrator and run the following command:

Set-MpPreference -DisableRealtimeMonitoring $true

If this doesn’t help, consider uninstalling Windows Defender using the following command:

Get-WindowsFeature *defender* | Remove-WindowsFeature

After uninstalling, restart the server.

References:

High CPU usage because of Antimalware Service Executable - Microsoft Community

Best Regards,

Wesley Li