Microsoft Software Protection keeps running in my laptop every few minutes

Question

Hi everyone,

I'm using Windows 11 Pro (Retail license, fully activated), and I’ve been having a strange issue with the Software Protection service .

Even though I set the service to Manual in services.msc and disabled all the related tasks in Task Scheduler (Microsoft > Windows > SoftwareProtectionPlatform*),*** the service still starts by itself — often right after boot and sometimes randomly later.

I even created my own scheduled task to run it only 10 minutes after startup, so that activation works and I avoid the "Activate Windows" message. But despite this, it keeps running more often than expected and uses noticeable CPU when it does.

What’s even stranger is that it seems to run more frequently and with higher CPU usage whenever I plug in the charger. It's like the service detects the device is on power and becomes more active, which is really frustrating.

I don’t want to disable it entirely — I understand it's important for activation — but I just want it to run only when needed (once after startup, for example) and not keep running or restarting on its own.

Any help or explanation would be appreciated.

Answer 1

That's how services work. A service that is set to manual is an on-demand service. Whenever another service that relies on it runs then it automatically gets started. This allows services to not use resources until they are actually needed. If the service is starting at boot then some other service needs it to run.

Once a service starts it will generally run until a reboot. Some services may shut themselves down after being idle for a while but that is rare. If you want this functionality then you'd need to write a scheduled task, or equivalent, to periodically see if the service is running and stop it. Just note that if you stop it then it'll bring down any services that rely on it.

An app running elevated can also start a service if it is stopped. This is often done through Task Scheduler. The only way to prevent a service from starting is to disable it. But that will prevent any service that relies on it from running as well.

I'm curious why you want to ensure this service doesn't run automatically. Are you experiencing performance issues or something? In general this service shouldn't cause any issues and is needed for the general function of Windows. I wouldn't recommend you do anything with it.

Answer 2

Hi,

It sounds like the Software Protection service is behaving unusually by running too often and using a lot of CPU. Here’s why this might be happening and what you can try:

Why it’s happening:

Activation Issues: Windows might be trying to revalidate your activation if there's an issue.

Windows Update: Sometimes updates trigger the service to check activation.

Power Settings: The service may act more aggressively when plugged into power (due to power plan settings).

Corrupted Files: System files might be causing the service to act up.

What to do:

Check Activation: Go to Settings > System > About and make sure Windows is activated properly.

Check Task Scheduler: Look in Task Scheduler (Microsoft > Windows > SoftwareProtectionPlatform) to make sure tasks aren't running too often.

Adjust Power Settings: Set your power plan to Balanced, not High Performance, to stop it from checking too frequently when plugged in.

1. Run System Scans:
   • Open Command Prompt as Admin and run: sfc /scannow Then run: DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
2. Check for Malware: Run a full scan with Windows Defender or Malwarebytes to rule out any issues.

If none of this works, you might want to consider reinstalling Windows as a last resort.

Let me know if any of these steps help!