The RuntimeBroker.exe in Windows 10 manages permission for applications we download from the Windows Store. It works fine on our computer, but when dealing with a faulty program, it can show 100% CPU usage at times. You don’t have to worry about the RuntimeBroker.exe 100% CPU error anymore. In this post, we will give you some comprehensive solutions you should learn.
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What is RuntimeBroker.exe?
When you launch Windows Task Manager in Windows 10, you will find a running RuntimeBroker.exe in the list of processes. Windows 10 Task Manager separates tasks into various applications and background processes. Hence, you can find the runtime broker process under the application listed. You can click on Details and find more information about the Windows 10 process. Runtime Broker is connected to the Universal Windows Apps. Hence, you will find Runtime Broker running in Task Manager whenever you launch these applications on your computer.
In short words, runtime broker checks whether or not the applications have received all the required permissions. If it finds one or two applications that have not received the permissions, it will inform you about the same. Therefore, the Runtime Broker works as the middleman between these applications and your hardware components.
Easy Ways to Remove RuntimeBroker.exe 100% CPU Error
When the RuntimeBroker.exe high disk usage error appears, your Windows performance begins to degrade. To find out the status of the run time broker from your task manager, press Ctrl + Shift + Esc together. And the simplest of ways to resolve the problem is to terminate the process. Here’s how you can do it-
- Open your Task Manager and visit the Processes window
- There are some processes running in the list, find out Runtime Broker among them
- When found, right-click on it and click on End task
- When the process is over, reboot your computer.
This method only works temporarily in some cases. And if after the reboot high disk usage error comes again, follow the next method.
Disable the“Show me tips about Windows” Option in Windows 10
Many Windows users have explained that disabling the “Show me tips about Windows” resolves the runtime broker issue. It drops the high CPU usages instantly and protects your PC from getting heat up again. Here is what you can do to disable the “Show me tips about Windows” option.
- Open Settings on your computer
- Then click on System and go to Notifications from the left sidebar
- Toggle the “Show me tips about Windows” option off
- Reboot your computer
After rebooting your system, open Task Manager again and see if it still consumes CPU. If it still does, move on to the next process.
Disablethe “Updates from more than one place” Option
Sometimes “Updates from more than one place” removes the runtime broker high disk usage error from Windows 10. Follow the steps mentioned below to help yourself in the process.
- Open Settings on your computer
- Locate the Update and Security option
- And then, click on the Advanced options
- Click on the Choose how updates are delivered option
- Toggle off the option that reads “Updates from more than one place”
After then, reboot your computer and check if the Runtime Broker CPU usage has been dropped or not. If not, try out the next method-
Disable Background Applications
If the above methods didn’t work for you then maybe this one shall. Disable the background applications from your settings window and this will loosen the load from CPU. Here go the steps-
- Open the Settings window
- And go to Privacy settings
- Search for the Background apps from the left pane of the Window
- Now toggle off all the running applications you can see
Now open your task manager again and see if the error still persists or not. If the error is still there, try out the next method.
Update your Windows
If none of the above-mentioned solutions worked, then try to install all the available Windows updates. Microsoft’s developer team constantly works on creating Windows updates. So, updating your system can simply resolve the error for you. Here is how you do it-
- Click on Start
- And then search for Updates
- When the Windows Update option pops up, click on Install Updates
- If there is any new update available, your system will install them quickly
If this too does not resolve the problem, time to find the next available solution.
Edit the Registry
If your Runtime Broker process is causing high CPU usage on your computer, then you can stop it by editing your Windows registry. Here is how you do it-
- Press Windows Key + R on your keyboard and type regedit
- Then head over to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetServicesTimeBroker
- You will have to change Start=dword:00000003 to dword:00000004
After this, you won’t find the high CPU usage with Runtimebroker anymore. If this does not help, then go to the next method I have mentioned below.
Remove OneDrive
Sometimes due to your OneDrive application, you experience Runtime Broker high CPU usage. Therefore, to get rid of this problem, you can remove OneDrive from your PC or disable it for sometimes. To remove OneDrive, you can follow the steps given below-
- Open Command Prompt with admin access. The simple way to do it is by pressing Windows Key + X together. If CMD is not available, you can use the PowerShell (Admin) option.
- In the command prompt tab, you will have to enter the taskkill /f /im OneDrive.exe command and kill all OneDrive processes
- Type %SystemRoot%System32OneDriveSetup.exe /uninstall on 32-bit system or %SystemRoot%SysWOW64OneDriveSetup.exe /uninstall on 64-bit system
- This will help you uninstall OneDrive
After removing OneDrive from your computer, you won’t find the runtime broker 100% CPU usage error anymore.
Clean Up Your System Junk Files
We use our system frequently and it creates and saves so many junk files. Of you don’t clean up your computer regularly, this can trigger CPU problems and decreases your computer’s performance.
Cleaning up your system’s junk files can also speed up your system performance. So, you need to download and install an ideal disk clean up tool. Then, below are the steps you can follow-
- Open your Start menu
- In the search bar, type “Command” and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter simultaneously
- Now a dialogue box will appear that will ask for your permission. Click on Yes
- Now a black box will appear and it will have a blinking cursor
- Type “cleanmgr” inside the box and hit Enter
- Now the Disk Cleaner tool will analyze your computer’s disk space and calculate how much you can free up
- Now the application will show you a list of checkboxes and among them, the “Temporary Files” folder consists of occupied space mostly
- Then select all the category of boxes you want to clean
- Click OK
- The Disk Cleanup will then clean up all the files and you shall not encounter the runtime broker CPU usage problem anymore.
If this too does not help, check out other solutions given below and try to resolve the runtime broker .exe high CPU usage issue.
Check if Runtime Broker is a Virus
Though we all know what RuntimeBroker.exe is all about, it can also be a virus in different cases. You can check if what you are dealing with is a virus or not by following some simple steps. Here is what you can do to check whether the RuntimeBroker.exe is a virus.
- The service process should be in the c:\windows\system32 directory.
- You can open the Task Manager by pressing Ctrl-Shift-Esc on your keyboard
- Under the Processes section, you will find the Runtime Broker process
- Now, right-click on the process and choose “open file location”
If you find the process in c:\windows\system32 directory, then it is okay and not a virus. However, if you find it anywhere else rather than in the said directory, then it is probably a virus. So, in that case, all you can do is getting read of this malicious threat as soon as possible. Use the antivirus software you already have and scan your whole computer. After getting rid of the fake executive file, you won’t find the problematic 100% CPU usage problem anymore.
Switch your LockScreen Background Slideshow
Some users have complained that the runtime broker high disk usage is caused by your lock screen background. If that’s true, you can disable it and switch the background to your one picture. You can do it from your settings app by going to the lock screen and background picture section.
Conclusion
If Runtime Broker uses too much of your disk resources, then you should stop it to save your PC’s performance. And in many cases, the Runtime Broker error comes up due to corrupted system files. And that can lead to system performance issues. Also, it can be a virus that is hampering your system performance. In that case, resolve it quickly to avoid more future damage.