Windows is the world’s number one operating system for PC devices because of its flexibility and easy-to-use interface. A person can easily get started with Windows as options are very straightforward on Windows as compared to other OS devices. If you have been using Windows then you might already know about the changes that recently came into it. Microsoft has paid special attention to the security features to improve the overall experience of Windows users. Nowadays, you don’t have to use external or third-party security software on Windows as the Windows Defender works pretty fine when it comes to security.
There are many common Windows errors faced by users all around the world. One of them is “antimalware service executable high memory usage“. Millions of Windows users face this problem and constantly looking for solution. If you are among them, well, you are at the right place because we’ve figured out multiple solutions to this problem. You can follow the solutions mentioned below to fix this issue on your device. There are multiple solutions available to this problem, so you need to try them all to check which one works for you.
It is a service run by the Windows Defender security program. You can see this as a service in the Task Manager app with the name msmpeng.exe and you can’t use the Task Manager or other similar programs to End/Stop this service because it comes as bloatware and can’t be managed by the user. You can only change some settings on your device to interfere with its working and to fix msmpeng.exe high memory usage. Before using any third-party program to fix this problem, we will recommend you try the methods we’ve mentioned on this page. Most probably, you will be able to fix this problem yourself.
How To Fix Antimalware Service Executable High Memory Usage
Turn off or disable Real-Time protection on your device
The very first and most efficient way to fix antimalware service executable high memory usage in Windows 10 or 11 is to disable the real-time protection status of the Windows Defender. You will have to use the Settings app of the Windows to navigate to the Defender settings and then disable the protection from there.
- First of all, Tap on the Start button.
- Then, click on the Settings app or icon.
- Click on the Update and Security option.
- On the left-side panel, click on Windows Security.
- Under Protection Areas, click on Virus and Threat Protection.
- Now, you need to click on Manage Settings.
- Simply, toggle the Real-Time Protection option off.
MsMpEng To Exclusion List
Windows Defender allows you to exclude some apps or services from its search settings. Remember that you must use this feature only to disable apps and services that you think are safe to use. Excluding third-party services poses a serious risk to the device. Luckily, you can use this feature to fix antimalware service high memory usage problem, and here’s how you can use it to do that.
- Open the Windows Settings app, then click on Update & Security.
- Now, click on the Windows Defender option and then on Add An Exclusion.
- A new page will appear on your screen, just click on Exclude.
- In the given field, type “MsMpEng.exe” and click on Ok.
Turn off Windows Defender From The Registry
Windows Registry is an important app that controls registry files of all apps and services of Windows OS. This panel can be used to turn off the Windows Defender so it won’t turn on automatically. If you are looking for a permanent fix to antimalware service executable problem in Windows, then you can follow the steps mentioned below.
- First of all, press Windows Key + R to open the RUN box.
- Type “regedit.msc” (without quotes) and press Enter.
- A new pop-up window will appear on your screen.
- Now, navigate to the folder “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender“.
- On the right-pane, double-click on the service named DisbleAntiSpyware.
- In the Value Data field, enter the value as 1.
- Tap on OK to save changes and restart your system.
NOTE: If you are able to see DisableAntiSpyware entry on the right-pane, then right-click on the right-pane and click New DWORD (32 bit) Value. Rename the newly created entry as DisableAntiSpyware and set its value as 1.
Disable Windows Defender Scheduled Tasks
Windows adapts the usage of the device by observing the user’s activities. When the device gets turned on to when it gets powered off on usual days. Based on that, Windows schedules tasks to complete its process. The same goes for Windows Defender. You can disable this task using the Task Scheduler app on Windows.
- First of all, click on the Start button and type Task Scheduler.
- Tap on the app result and a new window will appear on your screen.
- Now, on the left pane, navigate to Task Scheduler Library > Microsoft > Windows > Windows Defender.
- In the right-pane, right-click on each Windows Defender task and click Disable to disable the task.
FAQs
We have mentioned a couple of methods in this post and you can follow the same methods to fix this problem on other Windows OS versions as well.
Even if you are facing an antimalware service executable high CPU usage problem, you can follow the same methods as we have mentioned here.
By default, you cannot disable the antimalware service executable service as the usage is restricted to the users. You can use the Registry Editor, Services app, or CMD commands to stop this service. Though we will not recommend you stop this service as it poses a security risk.
The main work of the antimalware service executable is to scan the system at random times. Whenever you download or save something new on your device, Windows Defender gets notified about it by the MsMpEng.exe service so it can start scanning the files for security purposes.
No, It is not a virus but a system security app. You must not use third-party apps or tools to disable this service. Though if this service is creating issues in using your system, then you can disable it temporarily. Enable it again by the same method you’ve disabled to increase your device’s security.
Final Words
These were some of the working methods to Fix Antimalware Service Executable high memory usage in Windows 10 and 11. There are some more methods available to get rid of this problem but we have mentioned only the working methods on this page. After following them, you will be able to fix high memory usage of Antimalware Service Executable.
We will update this post with more methods to solve antimalware service executable high CPU usage too, so keep visiting this page to know about them. If you know about some more ways to fix it or facing any issues in following any method to fix antimalware service executable mentioned here, then you can ask us for help via the comments below.