{"id":92597,"date":"2019-08-15T19:26:59","date_gmt":"2019-08-15T11:26:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/?post_type=knowledgebase&#038;p=92597"},"modified":"2025-10-21T18:44:49","modified_gmt":"2025-10-21T10:44:49","slug":"fixed-windows-driver-foundation-using-high-cpu","status":"publish","type":"knowledgebase","link":"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/knowledge\/fixed-windows-driver-foundation-using-high-cpu\/","title":{"rendered":"[Fixed] Windows Driver Foundation Using High CPU on Windows 10\/11"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>You might notice that your computer was responding slowly or your game lagged when you&#8217;re playing. You open the Task Manager trying to stop some apps to release CPU, but you surprisingly find out that Windows Driver Foundation- User-mode- Driver Framework Host Process was running and occupying over 50% of your CPU and you can&#8217;t disable it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That&#8217;s really frustrating. But don&#8217;t worry, it&#8217;s not totally impossible to lower the CPU usage caused by WDF.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is Windows Driver Foundation <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Windows Driver Foundation is the former name of Windows Driver Frameworks (WDF). It is a set of Microsoft tools that can help create lower the complexity of writing Windows drivers. It&#8217;s important to system stability. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When Windows Driver Foundation occupies a major part of CPU, it drains the battery and might cause freezing of the system at times. You may want to end it by clicking End task in the Task Manager, but it won&#8217;t work. Because it&#8217;s the system process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Don&#8217;t worry, you&#8217;re not alone, and there are methods that can help you solve the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Try these methods:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You don\u2019t have to try them all; just work your way down the list until you find the one that works for you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong><a href=\"#1\">Run Windows Update <\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#x\"><strong>Disable Windows Driver Foundation service<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"#2\">Run System Maintenance troubleshooter<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"#3\">Repair system files<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"#4\">Update your WiFi drivers<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"#5\">Clean Boot state<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"#6\">Remove peripheral from the computer<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#m8\"><strong>Reset or reinstall Windows<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"1\">Method 1: Run Windows Update <\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Make sure your computer has the latest operating system. This is the easiest way to prevent WDF drains your battery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-on-windows-10\">On Windows 10<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list brackets\">\n<li>Press the <strong>Windows logo key + I<\/strong> together to open the Windows Settings.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Click <strong>Update &amp; Security<\/strong>.<br \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"380\" class=\"wp-image-92756\" style=\"width: 500px;\" src=\"https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/update1.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/update1.jpg 956w, https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/update1-300x228.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Click <strong>Check for updates<\/strong>.<br \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"381\" class=\"wp-image-92755\" style=\"width: 500px;\" src=\"https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/update.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/update.jpg 956w, https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/update-300x228.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Reboot your PC when complete.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-on-windows-11\">On Windows 11<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list brackets\">\n<li>On your keyboard, hit the <strong>Windows<\/strong> key, then type <strong>check for update<\/strong>s, then click C<strong>heck for updates<\/strong>.<br \/><br \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"423\" class=\"wp-image-178588\" style=\"width: 600px;\" src=\"https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/image-18.png\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/image-18.png 754w, https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/image-18-600x423.png 600w, https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/image-18-150x106.png 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/> <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Click <strong>Check for updates<\/strong>, and Windows will scan for any available updates.<br \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"234\" class=\"wp-image-178589\" style=\"width: 600px;\" src=\"https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/image-19.png\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/image-19.png 891w, https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/image-19-600x234.png 600w, https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/image-19-150x59.png 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If there are available updates, Windows will automatically download them for you. Restart your computer for the update to take effect if needed.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"178\" class=\"wp-image-178590\" style=\"width: 500px;\" src=\"https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/image-20.png\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/image-20.png 886w, https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/image-20-600x214.png 600w, https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/image-20-150x53.png 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If there are <em>no <\/em>available updates, you&#8217;ll see <strong>You&#8217;re up to date<\/strong> like this.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"185\" class=\"wp-image-178591\" style=\"width: 500px;\" src=\"https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/image-21.png\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/image-21.png 878w, https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/image-21-600x221.png 600w, https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/image-21-150x55.png 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>See if WDF still hogs your CPU usage. If the problem remains, please move on to the next fix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"x\">Method 2: Disable Windows Driver Foundation service<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Well, the WDF is a service that runs in the system background without a user interface, you can stop or limit it through Windows Services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list brackets\">\n<li>Press the <strong>Windows logo key<\/strong> + <strong>R<\/strong> together to evoke the Run box.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Type <strong>services.msc<\/strong> and press <strong>Enter<\/strong>.<br \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"258\" class=\"wp-image-111705\" style=\"width: 500px;\" src=\"https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/services-run-box.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/services-run-box.jpg 399w, https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/services-run-box-150x77.jpg 150w, https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/services-run-box-300x155.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In the open window, scroll down to find <strong>Windows Driver Foundation &#8211; User-mode Driver Framework<\/strong>.<br \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"248\" class=\"wp-image-115208\" style=\"width: 700px;\" src=\"https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/2020-03-30_19-01-49.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/2020-03-30_19-01-49.jpg 1038w, https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/2020-03-30_19-01-49-600x213.jpg 600w, https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/2020-03-30_19-01-49-150x53.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Right-click on it and choose <strong>Properties<\/strong>. You can change the Startup type to <strong>Disabled<\/strong> or <strong>Manual<\/strong>. Then apply the change.<br \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"556\" class=\"wp-image-115210\" style=\"width: 500px;\" src=\"https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/2020-03-30_19-04-13.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/2020-03-30_19-04-13.jpg 392w, https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/2020-03-30_19-04-13-135x150.jpg 135w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>The problem should be solved, and lightning-fast performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you think this method is not efficient, you can use the &#8220;Sc config&#8221; command in Command Prompt to disable the service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list brackets\">\n<li>Press the <strong>Windows logo key<\/strong> + <strong>R<\/strong> to open the Run box.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Type <strong>cmd<\/strong> and press <strong>Ctrl + Shift + Enter<\/strong> to run as administrator.<br \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"293\" class=\"wp-image-91552\" style=\"width: 500px;\" src=\"https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/command-prompt.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/command-prompt.jpg 441w, https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/command-prompt-300x176.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Type <strong>sc config &#8220;wudfsvc&#8221; start=disabled<\/strong> and press <strong>Enter<\/strong>. The service will be disabled.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"2\">Method 3: Run System Maintenance troubleshooter<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Whenever you\u2019re having problems with the Windows system, the easiest method you can try is to run the Windows built-in troubleshooters. Windows 10 has built-in troubleshooters to diagnose and automatically fix common problems. There are many troubleshooters for different problems.&nbsp;<br \/>For the Windows Driver Foundation using high CPU issue, you can run a System Maintenance troubleshooter to resolve the problem. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list brackets\">\n<li>Type &#8220;control panel&#8221; in the search box and press <strong>Enter<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Set Control Panel view by <strong>Large icons<\/strong> and click <strong>Troubleshooting<\/strong>.<br \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"372\" class=\"wp-image-92802\" style=\"width: 500px;\" src=\"https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/control-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/control-1.jpg 748w, https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/control-1-300x223.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Click <strong>View all<\/strong>.<br \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"372\" class=\"wp-image-92800\" style=\"width: 500px;\" src=\"https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/c1.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/c1.jpg 748w, https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/c1-300x223.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Click <strong>System Maintenance<\/strong>.<br \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"372\" class=\"wp-image-92801\" style=\"width: 500px;\" src=\"https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/c2-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/c2-1.jpg 748w, https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/c2-1-300x223.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Follow the on-screen instructions to finish the process.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Reboot your computer.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>It can improve your operating system speed and performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"3\">Method 4: Repair system files<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>When your computer\u2019s system file was broken or corrupted, it may cause high CPU usage.&nbsp;To solve it, you can use the following way to repair the broken system files.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"sfc\">Run sfc \/scannow command<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list brackets\">\n<li>On your keyboard, press the&nbsp;<strong>Windows logo key&nbsp;<\/strong>+<strong>&nbsp;R<\/strong>&nbsp;key at the same time to invoke the Run box. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Type \u201ccmd\u201d and press&nbsp;<strong>Shift+Ctrl+Enter<\/strong>&nbsp;together to open&nbsp;<strong>Command Prompt<\/strong>&nbsp;in the&nbsp;<strong>administrator<\/strong>&nbsp;mode.<br \/><strong>Note<\/strong>: Do&nbsp;<strong>NOT<\/strong>&nbsp;click OK or just press the Enter key as that won\u2019t allow you to open Command Prompt in the administrator mode.<br \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"176\" class=\"wp-image-92784\" style=\"width: 300px;\" src=\"https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/command-prompt-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/command-prompt-1.jpg 441w, https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/command-prompt-1-300x176.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Type \u201csfc \/scannow\u201d in the window and press&nbsp;<strong>Enter<\/strong>. Then wait for the verification is 100% complete.<br \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"331\" class=\"wp-image-75311\" style=\"width: 500px;\" src=\"https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Snap4.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Snap4.jpg 777w, https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Snap4-300x198.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Restart your computer.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>If the result indicates that there are broken files exists but SFC can\u2019t fix it, you can turn to Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) Tool for deeper examine and repair.&nbsp;<br \/>Click&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/knowledge\/windows-10-repair-fix-problems-with-sfc-and-dism\/\" onclick=\"gtag('event', 'click', {'event_category': 'link', 'event_label': 'kbde-linkde-', 'value': 1, 'non_interaction': true });\" rel=\"dofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">here&nbsp;<\/a>for a tutorial on how to use the DISM Tool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"4\">Method 5: Update your WiFi drivers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The problem can be caused by faulty drivers, especially faulty network card drivers. So one of the things you should do is to verify that all your devices have the right drivers, and update those that don\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you don\u2019t have the time, patience or computer skills to update the drivers manually, you can do it automatically with&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/kb\/DriverEasy_Setup.exe\" onclick=\"gtag('event', 'click', {'event_category': 'download', 'event_label': 'kbde-dedownload-d1', 'value': 1, 'non_interaction': true });\" rel=\"nofollow\">Driver Easy<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Driver Easy will automatically recognize your system and find the correct drivers for it. You don\u2019t need to know exactly what system your computer is running, you don\u2019t need to risk downloading and installing the wrong driver, and you don\u2019t need to worry about making a mistake when installing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can update your drivers automatically with either the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/kb\/DriverEasy_Setup.exe\"><strong>7 days free trial<\/strong><\/a>&nbsp;or the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/buy.php?comeid=kbde\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Pro version<\/strong><\/a>&nbsp;of Driver Easy. It takes just 2 clicks, and you get full support and a 30-day money-back guarantee with the Pro version:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list brackets\">\n<li><a style=\"font-weight: bold;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/kb\/DriverEasy_Setup.exe\">Download&nbsp;<\/a>and install Driver Easy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Run Driver Easy and click the\u00a0<strong>Scan Now<\/strong>\u00a0button. Driver Easy will then scan your computer and detect any problem drivers.<br \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"660\" class=\"wp-image-201739\" style=\"width: 1000px;\" src=\"https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/DE-scannow-7.0-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/DE-scannow-7.0-1.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/DE-scannow-7.0-1-600x396.jpg 600w, https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/DE-scannow-7.0-1-150x99.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Click the <strong>Activate &amp; Update<\/strong> button next to the flagged device to automatically download and install the correct version of this driver.<br \/><br \/>Or click\u00a0<strong>Update All<\/strong>\u00a0to automatically download and install the correct version of all the drivers that are missing or out of date on your system (You\u2019ll need the\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/buy.php?comeid=kbde\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Pro version<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0for this \u2013 when you select Update All, you\u2019ll get a prompt to upgrade. If you\u2019re not prepared to purchase the Pro version yet, Driver Easy provides a 7-day trial at no cost, granting access to all Pro features like fast downloads and easy installation. No charges will occur until after your 7-day trial period ends.)<br \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"660\" class=\"wp-image-201749\" style=\"width: 1000px;\" src=\"https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/de-wifi-7.0.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/de-wifi-7.0.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/de-wifi-7.0-600x396.jpg 600w, https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/de-wifi-7.0-150x99.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>After updating, restart your computer to take effect.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"note success\"><span>If you need assistance, please contact\u00a0<strong>Driver Easy\u2019s support team<\/strong>\u00a0at\u00a0<strong><a href=\"mailto:support@drivereasy.com\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">support@drivereasy.com<\/a>.<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"5\">Method 6: Clean Boot state<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>This method helps to identify whether any third-party apps or startups are causing the issue. If you try this method and fix the problem, you can disable\/enable each process manually to find out which one is the culprit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list brackets\">\n<li>Press <strong>Windows key + R<\/strong> together to open the Run box.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Type &#8220;msconfig&#8221; and press <strong>Enter<\/strong>.<br \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"174\" class=\"wp-image-92836\" style=\"width: 300px;\" src=\"https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/system-configuration.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/system-configuration.jpg 442w, https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/system-configuration-300x174.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In the General tab, click <strong>Selective startup<\/strong>, then uncheck <strong>Load startup items<\/strong>. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ensure you check <strong>Load system services<\/strong> and <strong>Use original boot configuration<\/strong>.<br \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"338\" class=\"wp-image-92833\" style=\"width: 500px;\" src=\"https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/configure.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/configure.jpg 573w, https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/configure-300x203.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Move to the Service tab, click Hide all Microsoft services.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Click <strong>Disable all<\/strong>.<br \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"338\" class=\"wp-image-92834\" style=\"width: 500px;\" src=\"https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/configure1.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/configure1.jpg 573w, https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/configure1-300x203.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Click <strong>Apply &gt; OK<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Reboot your computer.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"6\">Method 7: Remove peripheral from the computer<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Remove external devices one by one and check if it solves the issue. If it does, the device that causes the trouble should be replaced or you should update its driver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can update the device driver simply by following <a href=\"#4\">Method 4<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"m8\">Method 8: Reset or reinstall Windows<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If all else fails, you may have to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/knowledge\/how-to-do-a-clean-install-of-windows-10-quickly-and-easily\/#method%20two\" onclick=\"gtag('event', 'click', {'event_category': 'link', 'event_label': 'kbde-linkde-', 'value': 1, 'non_interaction': true });\" rel=\"dofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">reset Windows<\/a>, or maybe even <a href=\"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/knowledge\/how-to-do-a-clean-install-of-windows-10-quickly-and-easily\/#method%20one\" onclick=\"gtag('event', 'click', {'event_category': 'link', 'event_label': 'kbde-linkde-', 'value': 1, 'non_interaction': true });\" rel=\"dofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">reinstall it <\/a>together. We all know reinstalling will delete all the data on your hard drive, you have to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/knowledge\/how-to-backup-your-files-to-the-other-drive-in-windows-10\/\" onclick=\"gtag('event', 'click', {'event_category': 'link', 'event_label': 'kbde-linkde-', 'value': 1, 'non_interaction': true });\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">back up all your important files <\/a>before doing it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But treat these options as a last resort, because they both take quite a long time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>That&#8217;s it! Hopefully, these methods can help you resolve the issue. If you have any questions or suggestions, please let us know by commenting below. <\/p>\n<div class='ja-gadget-virtual-assistant-subtle cleanslate' data-value='computer'><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Are you troubled by high CPU usage of Windows Driver Foundation? Here are the methods that can fix this problem. Read on to find how.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","knowledgebase_category":[17],"knowledgebase_tags":[38],"class_list":["post-92597","knowledgebase","type-knowledgebase","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","knowledgebase_category-common-error","knowledgebase_tags-windows"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.5 (Yoast SEO v27.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>[Fixed] Windows Driver Foundation Using High CPU on Windows 10\/11 - Driver Easy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Are you troubled by high CPU usage of Windows Driver Foundation? Here are the methods that can fix this problem. Read on to find how.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/knowledge\/fixed-windows-driver-foundation-using-high-cpu\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"[Fixed] Windows Driver Foundation Using High CPU on Windows 10\/11\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Are you troubled by high CPU usage of Windows Driver Foundation? Here are the methods that can fix this problem. Read on to find how.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/knowledge\/fixed-windows-driver-foundation-using-high-cpu\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Driver Easy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-10-21T10:44:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/update1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"956\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"726\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"10 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/knowledge\/fixed-windows-driver-foundation-using-high-cpu\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/knowledge\/fixed-windows-driver-foundation-using-high-cpu\/\",\"name\":\"[Fixed] Windows Driver Foundation Using High CPU on Windows 10\/11 - Driver Easy\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/knowledge\/fixed-windows-driver-foundation-using-high-cpu\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/knowledge\/fixed-windows-driver-foundation-using-high-cpu\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/update1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-08-15T11:26:59+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-10-21T10:44:49+00:00\",\"description\":\"Are you troubled by high CPU usage of Windows Driver Foundation? Here are the methods that can fix this problem. Read on to find how.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/knowledge\/fixed-windows-driver-foundation-using-high-cpu\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/knowledge\/fixed-windows-driver-foundation-using-high-cpu\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/knowledge\/fixed-windows-driver-foundation-using-high-cpu\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/update1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/update1.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/knowledge\/fixed-windows-driver-foundation-using-high-cpu\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Knowledge Base\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/knowledge\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Common Errors\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/kbc\/common-error\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"[Fixed] Windows Driver Foundation Using High CPU on Windows 10\/11\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/\",\"name\":\"Driver Easy\",\"description\":\"Best Driver Updater Software 2020\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Driver Easy\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/logo-de.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/logo-de.jpg\",\"width\":168,\"height\":112,\"caption\":\"Driver Easy\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"[Fixed] Windows Driver Foundation Using High CPU on Windows 10\/11 - Driver Easy","description":"Are you troubled by high CPU usage of Windows Driver Foundation? Here are the methods that can fix this problem. Read on to find how.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/knowledge\/fixed-windows-driver-foundation-using-high-cpu\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"[Fixed] Windows Driver Foundation Using High CPU on Windows 10\/11","og_description":"Are you troubled by high CPU usage of Windows Driver Foundation? Here are the methods that can fix this problem. Read on to find how.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/knowledge\/fixed-windows-driver-foundation-using-high-cpu\/","og_site_name":"Driver Easy","article_modified_time":"2025-10-21T10:44:49+00:00","og_image":[{"width":956,"height":726,"url":"https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/update1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"10 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/knowledge\/fixed-windows-driver-foundation-using-high-cpu\/","url":"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/knowledge\/fixed-windows-driver-foundation-using-high-cpu\/","name":"[Fixed] Windows Driver Foundation Using High CPU on Windows 10\/11 - Driver Easy","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/knowledge\/fixed-windows-driver-foundation-using-high-cpu\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/knowledge\/fixed-windows-driver-foundation-using-high-cpu\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/update1.jpg","datePublished":"2019-08-15T11:26:59+00:00","dateModified":"2025-10-21T10:44:49+00:00","description":"Are you troubled by high CPU usage of Windows Driver Foundation? Here are the methods that can fix this problem. Read on to find how.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/knowledge\/fixed-windows-driver-foundation-using-high-cpu\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/knowledge\/fixed-windows-driver-foundation-using-high-cpu\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/knowledge\/fixed-windows-driver-foundation-using-high-cpu\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/update1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/images.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/update1.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/knowledge\/fixed-windows-driver-foundation-using-high-cpu\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Knowledge Base","item":"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/knowledge\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Common Errors","item":"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/kbc\/common-error\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"[Fixed] Windows Driver Foundation Using High CPU on Windows 10\/11"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/","name":"Driver Easy","description":"Best Driver Updater Software 2020","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/#organization","name":"Driver Easy","url":"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/logo-de.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/logo-de.jpg","width":168,"height":112,"caption":"Driver Easy"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/knowledgebase\/92597","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/knowledgebase"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/knowledgebase"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=92597"}],"version-history":[{"count":53,"href":"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/knowledgebase\/92597\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":201783,"href":"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/knowledgebase\/92597\/revisions\/201783"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=92597"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"knowledgebase_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/knowledgebase_category?post=92597"},{"taxonomy":"knowledgebase_tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/knowledgebase_tags?post=92597"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}