Process Explorer v16.32

By Mark Russinovich

Published: April 28, 2020

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Introduction

Ever wondered which program has a particular file or directory open? Now you can find out. Process Explorer shows you information about which handles and DLLs processes have opened or loaded.

The Process Explorer display consists of two sub-windows. The top window always shows a list of the currently active processes, including the names of their owning accounts, whereas the information displayed in the bottom window depends on the mode that Process Explorer is in: if it is in handle mode you’ll see the handles that the process selected in the top window has opened; if Process Explorer is in DLL mode you’ll see the DLLs and memory-mapped files that the process has loaded. Process Explorer also has a powerful search capability that will quickly show you which processes have particular handles opened or DLLs loaded.

The unique capabilities of Process Explorer make it useful for tracking down DLL-version problems or handle leaks, and provide insight into the way Windows and applications work.

Related Links

• Windows Internals Book The official updates and errata page for the definitive book on Windows internals, by Mark Russinovich and David Solomon.
• Windows Sysinternals Administrator’s Reference The official guide to the Sysinternals utilities by Mark Russinovich and Aaron Margosis, including descriptions of all the tools, their features, how to use them for troubleshooting, and example real-world cases of their use.

Download

Download Process Explorer (2.5 MB)
Run now from Sysinternals Live.

Runs on:

• Client: Windows Vista and higher (Including IA64).
• Server: Windows Server 2008 and higher (Including IA64).

Installation

Simply run Process Explorer (procexp.exe).

The help file describes Process Explorer operation and usage. If you have problems or questions please visit the Process Explorer forum on Technet.

Note on use of symbols

When you configure the path to DBGHELP.DLL and the symbol path uses the symbol server, the location of DBGHELP.DLL also has to contain the SYMSRV.DLL supporting the server paths used. See SymSrv documentation or more information on how to use symbol servers.

Learn More

Here are some other handle and DLL viewing tools and information available at Sysinternals:

• The case of the Unexplained. In this video, Mark describes how he has solved seemingly unsolvable system and application problems on Windows.
• Handle — a command-line handle viewer
• ListDLLs — a command-line DLL viewer
• PsList — local/remote command-line process lister
• PsKill — local/remote command-line process killer
• Defrag Tools: #2 — Process Explorer In this episode of Defrag Tools, Andrew Richards and Larry Larsen show how to use Process Explorer to view the details of processes, both at a point in time and historically.
• Windows Sysinternals Primer: Process Explorer, Process Monitor and More Process Explorer gets a lot of attention in the first Sysinternals Primer delivered by Aaron Margosis and Tim Reckmeyer at TechEd 2010.

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Explorer.exe high CPU usage in Windows 10 [Full Fix]

• If your PC has 100% disk usage over long periods of time, it will affect its functionality.
• Many users reported the Explorer.exe high CPU usage issue that affects the performance their PCs.
• This is not an uncommon issue, as you will see from our dedicated CPU Usage Fix Hub.
• Even more troubleshooting guides can be found on our website’s Windows 10 section.

1. Download Restoro PC Repair Tool that comes with Patented Technologies (patent available here).
2. Click Start Scan to find Windows issues that could be causing PC problems.
3. Click Repair All to fix issues affecting your computer’s security and performance

• Restoro has been downloaded by 0 readers this month.

1. Download Restoro PC Repair Tool that comes with Patented Technologies (patent available here).
2. Click Start Scan to find Windows issues that could be causing PC problems.
3. Click Repair All to fix issues affecting your computer’s security and performance

• Restoro has been downloaded by 0 readers this month.

High CPU usage can be a problem, and many reported this issue with explorer.exe on Windows 10.

This problem can significantly affect your performance, and in today’s article we’ll show you how to deal with it.

High CPU usage can be an annoying problem, and speaking of which, here are some similar issues that users reported:

• Windows explorer hogging CPU Windows 10 – This issue can occur if your system is infected by malware. However, you should be able to fix the issue by performing a full system scan.
• Windows 10 explorer high CPU utilization – This is a variation of the original error, and in most cases you can fix the problem simply by removing the problematic application from your PC.
• Windows explorer constant CPU usage – Another common issue that can occur with Windows Explorer is a constant CPU usage. This can be caused by temporary files, so be sure to remove them.
• Explorer.exe high CPU usage when moving mouse – This is a slightly unusual issue, but you should be able to fix it using one of our solutions.

How can I fix explorer.exe high CPU usage on Windows 10?

1. Check for malware

Sometimes explorer.exe high CPU usage can occur due to certain malware. A certain process can be running in the background without your knowledge, and that can cause high CPU usage on your PC.

If you’re having this issue on your PC, we advise you to perform a full system scan and check if that solves the problem.

If your antivirus is unable to find the malware, or if you’re not using an antivirus at all, you might want to download and try Vipre Antivirus Plus.

This antivirus offers great protection against all sorts of malware, and it won’t impact your performance in any way, so be sure to try it out.

Once you perform a full system scan, the issue should be resolved.

Vipre Antivirus Plus

2. Disable cloud storage clients

According to users, sometimes this issue can occur due to cloud storage services such as Dropbox or OneDrive.

These services can sync files automatically in the background and that can cause explorer.exe high CPU usage to occur.

To fix the problem, users are recommending to disable OneDrive and uninstall Dropbox temporarily and see if that solves the problem.

There are several ways to uninstall an application, but the most effective one is to use an uninstaller software such as IObit Uninstaller.

This software will remove all files and registry entries associated with the application you’re uninstalling, ensuring that there are no leftover files that can interfere with your system.

If you need additional info on how to uninstall a program or an app in Windows 10, take a look at our useful guide.

IoBit Uninstaller 10 Pro

3. Remove old and temporary files

1. Press Windows Key + S, and type disk.
2. Select Disk Cleanup.
3. Make sure that your System drive, by default C, is selected and click OK.
   
4. Your PC will now scan the selected drive. This process usually takes a couple of seconds.
5. Select the files you want to remove and click OK.
6. If you want, you can click the Clean system files button in order to remove additional files.
   

If you’re having problems with explorer.exe high CPU usage, the problem might be caused by old and temporary files.

Windows creates hundreds of temporary files, and sometimes these files can interfere with your system, so it’s advised to remove them.

The best way to do that is to use the Disk Cleanup application. After removing temporary files, check if the problem is still there.

Disk Cleanup is a solid tool, but many users prefer using CCleaner over this app simply because it has some additional features available.

CCleaner allows you to remove browsing history, clean your registry, and so much more, so if you want to be sure that temporary files aren’t interfering with your system, you might want to try it out.

CCleaner

4. Check for unordinary desktop icons

Sometimes explorer.exe high CPU usage can occur due to certain icons on your desktop. This is an unusual occurrence, but it can sometimes occur on your PC.

Apparently, the issue is caused by a file or a shortcut on your desktop that doesn’t have an icon. For some reasons, these types of files cause issues such as high CPU usage with explorer.exe.

However, to fix the problem, you just have to remove files/shortcuts without icons from the desktop and the problem will be resolved.

5. Install the latest updates

1. Pres the Windows Key + I to open the Settings app.
2. Go to the Update & Security section.
   
3. Click on the Check for updates button.
   
4. Windows will check for available updates and download them automatically in the background.
5. Restart your PC to install them, and check if the problem is still there.

If you’re having issues with explorer.exe high CPU usage on your PC, the problem might be the missing updates.

Windows 10 is a solid operating system, but sometimes certain bugs can appear and cause high CPU issues.

However, you can fix this problem simply by installing the latest updates. Windows 10 usually installs the updates automatically, but you can always check for updates on your own.

6. Perform a Clean boot

1. Press Windows Key + R, type msconfig, and click OK.
   
2. Go to the Services tab, and check the Hide all Microsoft services option.
3. Click the Disable all button.
   
4. Head over to the Startup tab and click Open Task Manager.
   
5. Right-click the first entry on the list and choose Disable from the menu.
6. Perform this step until you disable all startup applications.
7. Head back to the System Configuration window.
8. Click on Apply and OK to save changes, and restart your PC.

Once your PC restarts, check if the problem is still there. If not, enable services and applications one by one until you manage to recreate the problem.

Keep in mind that you’ll need to restart your PC every time after you enable a group of services or applications.

According to users, sometimes explorer.exe high CPU usage can occur due to third-party applications on your PC.

Many applications and services tend to start automatically with Windows, and that can cause this and many other problems to appear.

However, you can fix this issue simply by performing a Clean boot. In Clean boot state all startup applications and services should be disabled allowing you to troubleshoot the problem.

If you want to know how to add or remove startup apps on Windows 10, check out our simple guide .

7. Clear the contents of the Temp folder

1. Navigate to the C:WindowsTemp directory.
2. Delete all files inside of Temp folder.
3. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
4. Locate Windows Explorer, right-click it, and choose Restart from the menu.

After restarting Windows Explorer, the problem should be completely resolved.

According to users, explorer.exe high CPU usage can sometimes be caused by files in the Temp directory.

To fix this issue, users are recommending to remove them manually and restart Windows Explorer.

8. Delete the audioses.dll

1. 1. Go to the following directory: C:/Windows/System32
   2. Locate audioses.dll and move it to your Desktop.
      
   3. Go to the following directory: C:/Windows/Sys/WOW64
   4. Locate audioses.dll, and move it to a different directory.

If you’re having explorer.exe high CPU usage, the problem might be related to the audioses.dll file.

According to users, this file can sometimes cause this and other problems to occur, and the only way to fix this issue is to remove this file.

After doing that, the problem with high CPU usage should be resolved.

This isn’t the most reliable solution, and modifying the contents of the Windows directory is usually not advised, so be sure to use extra caution.

If any new problems occur, restore these two files to their original locations.

9. Use chkdsk scan

1. In the Cortana search field, type in Command Prompt.
2. Right-click the top result, and select Run asAdministrator.
3. Run the chkdsk /f :X command.
4. Be sure to replace the X with the letter that represents your system drive. For most users, that would be C.
5. You’ll be asked to schedule a scan, so press Y to do so.

Sometimes explorer.exe high CPU usage problem can occur due to corrupted files on your PC. This can be a problem, but you can fix it simply by performing a chkdsk scan.

Once you restart your PC, the chkdsk scan will automatically start and try to repair your files. This process can take about 10 minutes, or even more depending on the size of your hard drive, so be patient.

If you’re having trouble accessing Command Prompt as an admin, then you better take a closer look at our useful guide .

Explorer.exe high CPU usage can be an annoying problem, but you should be able to fix it by using our solutions.

Don’t forget to tells us whether these steps helped you deal with the problem. You can do that in the comments section below.