Your Windows PC CPU is smart enough to allocate resources to relevant apps. Sometimes, a specific app takes more resources than you would prefer. Due to such behavior, you will run into freezes, crashes, slowdowns, and other issues. You need to limit the CPU usage of a process on your computer. Here’s how.
Check CPU Usage on Windows 11
Before we show you how to limit the CPU usage of a process on Windows, you need to check the CPU usage from the Task Manager menu. Go through the steps below.
Step 1: Right-click on the Windows key and open Task Manager.
Step 2: Go to the Processes tab.
Step 3: Check the app list and their CPU and memory usage in detail.
Step 4: You can move to the Performance tab and check CPU utilization and a live usage graph.
1. Allocate CPU Cores to a Process
If a specific app or process is utilizing all CPU cores on your PC, you can use the Task Manager and optimize CPU utilization. Do note that this may backfire in some situations. You need to check whether you have CPU cores that are mostly idle.
Step 1: Open Task Manager on Windows 11 (refer to the steps above).
Step 2: Go to the Details menu.
Step 3: Select a process you want to modify.
Step 4: Right-click on it and set affinity.
Step 5: Uncheck CPU cores for the app or process and hit the OK button.
Following the change, if you start facing issues with the app, go through the steps again and let the app use all CPU cores on the PC.
If you are not sure which CPU cores are available to use, you can check the real-time graphical representation of CPU cores.
Step 1: Launch Task Manager and go to the Performance menu.
Step 2: Select the CPU tab.
Step 3: Right-click on the live graph and select open change graph to menu.
Step 4: Select Logical processer.
You can check each CPU core’s current utilization. You can now assign specific CPU cores to specific threads or processes.
2. Limit CPU Usage
Windows 11 offers an option to cap the maximum processor state on battery and when your laptop is plugged in. By default, the maximum processor utilization is set at 100%. You can limit it to 80%-85%. Here’s how.
Step 1: Open the Control Panel menu.
Step 2: Select Hardware & sound and open Power options.
Step 3: Select Change power settings.
Step 5: Scroll to Processor power management.
Step 4: Open advanced power settings.
Step 6: Expand maximum processor state.
Step 7: Reduce processor state on battery or when the laptop is plugged in.
3. End Unnecessary Tasks and Apps
If you no longer need an app or service to consume crazy CPU usage on a laptop, you can go through the steps below and kill unnecessary tasks and apps.
Step 1: Open Task Manager on your Windows 11 computer.
Step 2: Find an irrelevant app or background process running on your laptop.
Step 3: Select the process and hit the End task button at the bottom.
4. Adjust Your Laptop for Best Performance
You can reduce animations, limit background tasks, and other visual processes and maximize CPU performance on your laptop. Here’s how.
Step 1: Open Windows 11 Settings menu (use Windows + I keys).
Step 2: Go to System and open the About menu.
Step 3: Open Advanced system settings.
Step 4: Open Performance settings.
Step 5: Enable the radio button beside Adjust for best performance and hit the OK button.
5. Disable Startup Apps
If apps like Slack, OneDrive, or Spotify open at Windows startup, the app may end up taking a good chunk of CPU usage. You need to review and disable startup apps on your computer.
Step 1: Open Windows 11 Settings menu.
Step 2: Select Apps from the left sidebar.
Step 3: Scroll to Startup.
Step 4: Disable irrelevant apps opening at startup from the following menu.
6. Run Hardware Check
Your computer needs regular maintenance. You need to clean dust and debris, and if possible, reapply thermal paste for maximum performance. You should also maintain proper airflow on a laptop or PC for sustained performance. If you are getting confused, consider getting a helping hand from an expert and clean internals.
Enjoy Superior Windows Performance
When a specific process or app is consuming high CPU usage on Windows, you might end up with sluggish below-average performance. Go through the tricks above and unleash the true potential of your laptop or PC CPU.
