Desktop window manager high memory reddit. The only temporary solutions I've found are: A - ...
Desktop window manager high memory reddit. The only temporary solutions I've found are: A - Go into task manager, right click on Desktop Window Manager and click 'Go to details', which takes me to dwm. exe was using 1GB? What specific problems, if any, are occurring? What game (s)? What performance improvements are expected? Update your post to include full system hardware specs. Desktop Window Manager (dwm. So I noticed today that Desktop Window Manager is having a very high GPU usage when I move windows around or just do simple rudimentary tasks with my PC. exe -> It'll restart the process, freeing up the memory and you won't have to restart. Desktop Window Manager memory leak is getting out of hand. The other day my PC was stuck at 95% RAM (out of 32gb) after encountering this DWM issue, but a quick mental tally of all the processes showing in Task Manager yielded a total of less than half that. exe is sometimes spiking up to 20-30% in idle, but while watching videos or playing video games, it can go up to 60% (Which is alot)! And no this is not a false information from task manager, because I'm having the same results on HWMonitor. After some searching around I discovered Desktop Window Manager in my program list in Task Manager was never going below 95% GPU usage and my GPU was constantly clocked at 2Mhz or higher according to EVGA Precision X1. Restart Desktop Window Manager A quick and temporary fix is to restart DWM. Note that I used to be able to run the same game at 120+ fps on average before. Oct 23, 2020 · Solved: Hi, dwm. Alternatively, you can restart the process corresponding to the Desktop Window Manager on Windows 11 computer. May 28, 2021 · I am on Windows 10 and Desktop window manager is making high use of memory. When I do nothing at all, GPU usage idles between 1-2% (which is already way too high for a RTX 3070) and when I move windows around on my desktop (e. However, some users have reported experiencing high memory usage problems with the Desktop Window Manager, which can slow down Recently DWM. It was on average 7. If you have the Fast Startup feature enabled on your PC, your computer won’t go for a full shutdown when you turn it off. windows explorer) it spikes up to 20%. Task manager shows that dwm. Clean install graphics driver, reseat my gpu (rx 580) ,change cables, clean mouse sensor, clean mousepad etc. While this service significantly enhances the user experience, users occasionally encounter high memory usage issues associated with dwm. CPU is now on an average of 0. Oct 23, 2025 · Hi everyone, dmw. Jan 11, 2025 · Desktop Window Manager’s high use of memory on a Windows 11 computer can be resolved by updating the latest graphics driver of Intel. Spread the loveAre you noticing that your desktop window manager is consuming more memory than it should? High memory usage by the desktop window manager can slow down your computer, make it less responsive, and affect your productivity. Desktop Window Manager does work on behalf of other programs, if it's using a lot of memory it's because some program is asking it to. exe hovers around 90 MB), can you please confirm what are ram usage for this Welcome to the largest unofficial community for Microsoft Windows, the world's most popular desktop computer operating system! This is not a tech support subreddit, use r/WindowsHelp or r/TechSupport to get help with your PC DWM is desktop window manager and handles screen composition, basically whatever you see happening on the screen. Desktop Window Manager High Memory Usage Help Desktop Window Manager (dwm. I’m trying to use Resolume Arena and ProPresenter live production software, but the issue exists with every app I’ve tested today. Instead, it enters a hibernation-like state. Its resources usage will depend on screen resolution, screen scaling, refresh rate, number of windows, dimensions of each window, what's happening in those windows, whether the app is using hardware acceleration etc. exe hovers around 90 MB), can you please confirm what are ram usage for this process is like in your windows 11 system. exe has been using an extreme amount of GPU resources according to task manager. But I realize that my mouse lags when im on my desktop and then I looked at my task manager it it shows that my Desktop Window Manager is using about 5GB of memory (I have 16gb of memory). Turn Off Fast Startup. I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Simple tasks like opening Chrome make it spike up quite a bit, but anything graphically intensive and it can really reach up to like 60% of the GPU utilization. In game my FPS are extremely sub-optimal because of that. Oct 21, 2025 · Hey everyone, Ever since upgrading to Windows 11, I’ve noticed Desktop Window Manager (dwm. and If you suspect your computer might be running low on memory, please see "How to know if you need more RAM". A temporary but quick fix is to restart DWM via Task Manager. This subreddit is for general discussion of computers. Update Your Operating System Desktop Window Manager using high memory in task manager. Window manager is now at 400MB RAM usage and only 0. HI. As for specs and setup: i7 12700, 16gb ddr5 ram (single channel), amd radeon Feb 13, 2025 · "Desktop windows manager" ram usage hovers around 350MB and touches 500 MB often. Apr 11, 2021 · What do you see in the Visual Effects tab? Are you using the Task Manager to determine that memory use is excessive? The Task Manager can be misleading because Windows normally allows memory usage to increase until it needs memory. This fix applies to Windows 10. Check those May 6, 2021 · My desktop window manager is just taking too much memory for no reason. So I decided to reset my PC. exe. Sep 27, 2022 · I have been having many problems with Desktop Window Manager taking up resources. 421 I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. I recreated that same "working environment" and, before doing a hard boot, the DWM managed to eat up 1. While it doesn't get too hot, it causes the fans on my 3080 to always be running at around 1000rpm which is rlly annoying especially when doing work. ” Exit Device Manager We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. Turn Off HDR. 0%) CPU but the RAM use still seems a bit high. If it's using CPU, then something is manipulating a window. I have looked for many solutions but not worked for me. 5gb). My Desktop windows manager started taking up VERY high amount of my GPU. Most of the time now I try to start a game, usually assetto corsa or beam ng dwm. May 20, 2024 · dwm. Instead of drawing their displays directly to your screen, applications write pictures of their Windows to specific locations in memory. Feb 12, 2025 · Your Windows and device specifications - You can find them by going to go to Settings > "System" > "About" What troubleshooting steps you have performed - Even sharing little things you tried (like rebooting) can help us find a better solution! Mar 26, 2024 · Desktop window manager is using between 1. exe - Desktop Window Manager I am not sure about the stated requirement. Pls help I have unusually high RAM usage on my pc as taskmanager shows (~picture~ edit). That is too much in my opinion. exe? Fix Desktop Windows Manager consumes high CPU, GPU or Memory issues in Windows 11/10. Nov 3, 2022 · The results in Desktop Window Manager: GPU usage has gone from 10 - 23% down to an average 0. 1 - 0. exe is a core Windows process responsible for rendering your desktop’s visual effects—think transparency, live taskbar thumbnails, and smooth window animations. exe) shoots up (10-20%) whenever i move my mouse. exe) is a synthetic window manager that renders all of these nines in Windows: transparent Windows, real-time taskbar thumbnails, Flip3D, and even high-resolution display support. Transparency and effects are off, my drivers up to date Anyone with the same issue? Oct 7, 2025 · If Desktop Window Manager starts using too much memory, it's most likely related to your graphics driver or settings. Force stopping that process causes my 2 screens to go black for a few minutes before returning to normal. Multiple restarts. I have used these methods to fix memory usage. I did an offline scan which turned out nothing. Firefox is taking up alot of RAM even tho i only have <20 tabs open and Desktop Window Manager (dwm) sometimes hitting 4gb. I was only working on a document in word while streaming Netflix simultaneously during this particular time. Memory is on average 31. Feb 12, 2025 · "Desktop windows manager" ram usage hovers around 350MB and touches 500 MB often. exe spikes up in memory use and slows the computer to a halt. This comprehensive guide explores the Desktop Window Manager, delves deep into the causes and symptoms of high memory consumption, and offers authoritative, step-by-step solutions to diagnose and fix the issue. com) submitted 13 hours ago by punqdev 5 comments share save hide report I had Desktop Windows manager utilizing 2 whole logical processors which resulting game play lag because the game i am playing rely on few cores of cpu and there is no room left for it. exe is using up 1. If everything is working without issue, then this probably is not the subreddit for you, so you should also post on a discussion focused subreddit like r/Windows. DWM. Please ignore this message if the advice is not relevant. A fix for high memory/ram/cpu memory leak for desktop window manager (also known as dwm. Steam, Chrome Spotify) or move browser tabs/windows around. exe (desktop window manager) excessively hogging RAM. According to some searches, I've seen that it shouldn't be using more than 50-100mbs, but I'm experiencing between 170-300+. My next issue was fixing Steam Client WebHelper. How To Fix Desktop Window Manager High Memory Usage Desktop Window Manager (dwm. A better way to determine if memory use is excessive is to use the Resource Monitor. How can I significantly reduce this? Nov 6, 2021 · However, the total system RAM usage will remain somewhat high, even if there's no other process taking up significant memory. Picture of my task manager Hello, I'm having an issue on Windows, when I open task manager, dwm. While its primary role is essential for a smooth user experience, certain issues can cause it to consume excessive CPU So recently I got this laptop for class and its memory usage is running extremely high, like 50% on idle. I have tried all of the steps on my end. I was playing a game that had pretty average memory usage for a game (Apex Legends - 2000MB ish) before editing a word document when my fan started blasting out hot air. exe shoes 2. Begin by right-clicking the Start button and choosing Task Manager from the WinX menu. This 36 percent was when my pc was idle and I had no apps opened up except task manager. I have my new laptop optimized and also the specs are pretty good (9750H, 1660ti, 16 GB RAM) so what is the reason of one process taking even 3 GB of RAM? Thanks for your opinion and solution (if needed)! Desktop Window Manager (dwm. Try to close apps until you figure out which one is causing the leak Reply reply • Very high ram usage by Desktop Window Manager, it goes as high as 90-95% at times, anyone else facing this issue or is it just me? Welcome to the largest unofficial community for Microsoft Windows, the world's most popular desktop computer operating system! Please help. As a quick reminder, the Desktop Window Manager (dwm. Fortunately, there are several practical steps you can take to fix this issue and ensure that your system runs smoothly again. FIXED: Desktop Windows Manager (DWM. How can I significantly reduce this? We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. Click Check for Apr 17, 2022 · This guide aims to help you fix Desktop Window Manager (dwm. 2% (up to 1. exe) using too much memory? Don’t worry — this tutorial walks you through easy and effective fixes to reduce high memory usage and Jul 4, 2025 · Fix 3 – Update the Windows system The Desktop Window Manager high GPU usage issue can be caused by the outdated operating system. I know that this is a dev build and I am using unsupported CPU, but this problem also happened in Windows 10. Is this normal behavior? I think I've noticed this after yesterdays update. Sep 14, 2024 · Now you know the causes about Desktop Window Manager high memory on Windows 11 issue, from this page, you can learn how to fix it with several solutions to improve the performance of your computer. Dec 27, 2023 · Have you noticed your Windows computer feeling sluggish lately even though the hardware seems fine? Does the CPU or RAM usage seem higher than expected? The culprit could be the Desktop Window Manager (DWM) process hogging system resources. There are few times where it consumes 20 or 30 MB, which is normal but mostly it consumes like 1 GB (My RAM is only 8GB). exe (desktop windows manager) is having high memory usage spikes (sometimes up to 1. All posts must be help/support related. If I launch a program that Feb 9, 2026 · Is Desktop Window Manager using too much memory? Learn how to fix high RAM and CPU usage in Windows with simple, effective troubleshooting steps. I boot up my PC, it runs fine for a while, then boom it's very slow. exe) has the highest memory usage in task manager and it keeps climbing the longer I use my computer (It's at 135 MB right now, but I've seen it hit 600 MB). Full uninstall and reinstall of Nvidia and armory crate. DWM is desktop window manager and handles screen composition, basically whatever you see happening on the screen. 9gb (and it was still going ofc) during a 40 minutes period of time of steady but slow increase. One quick adjustment you could make to spin things in the right direction is to turn off the high dynamic range (HDR) feature. 5GB RAM. My Desktop windows manager has been having extremely high memory usage problems and I don’t know what to do. Something percent. I'm losing my mind on this thing. And check the task manager my ram usage shows 51 or 55 percent in use and desktop window manager /dwm. As mentioned, DWM handles the graphics-related processes on your computer, and if your PC is set to prioritize appearance over performance, it can consume more resources than normal. Dec 6, 2021 · This article provides 7 effective solutions to fix Desktop Windows Manager high memory usage and Desktop Window Manager high CPU usage issues on Windows 10 computers. exe is a vital component responsible for rendering visual effects, managing the desktop interface, and handling various graphical elements. Nothing helps. My PC is not running Windows 11 (running windows 10 and dwm. 1. Apr 18, 2025 · Windows 11 Desktop Window Manager using high amounts of GPU [Windows 11] (reddit. As you cannot kill the process from the Processes tab, Right click on Desktop Window Manager -> Go to details -> End dwm. Disk usage also frequently spikes up to 100% and stays there. Disable Visual Effects. I Apr 25, 2022 · FIX: Desktop Window Manager High Memory Usage problem. 6 MB. Jan 29, 2026 · Desktop Window Manager (Dmp. When i woke up my pc from sleep it even spiked 5. Nov 19, 2020 · Desktop Windows Manager dwm. We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. It is also important to know what your full Windows version is, you can view that by going to the Settings app -> System -> About, and then it will be listed as the OS Build, for example 19042. Is your PC slowing down due to Desktop Window Manager (dwm. exe) High Memory & CPU Usage Apply these 5 solutions to Instantly fix Desktop Windows Manager issues on both Windows 10 and 11. How can I significantly reduce this? Desktop Window Manager is using up a lot of memory for no reason whatsoever. This process may sometimes use a ridiculously high amount of . I have installed all the new drivers and tried many other things but haven't been able to get it below 900MB. g. Jan 21, 2025 · Desktop Window Manager (dwm. exe) is a core component of the Windows operating system responsible for managing visual effects such as transparency, live task switching, and window animations. Desktop window manager consumes high memory I have been getting this problem for sometime now, I tried different solutions from the internet like updating the drivers, changing wallpapers and themes,etc. Nov 1, 2024 · Desktop Window Manager (DWM) is a component of the Microsoft Windows operating system that manages the display of windows on the screen. I noticed Window manager was using more than 500MB (up to 1GB) of RAM and 6% of CPU. Check those The problem is that when I try to run games, my CPU is crazily bottlenecked because of Desktop Window Manager, it takes up from 10%-15% of my CPU (the game takes the rest) and so I get constant fps flickers from 60-80, it's absolutely unplayable. exe would fix the problem temporarily for days but now this occurs every couple of hours. May 25, 2021 · If your computer seems a bit sluggish, launch the Task Manager to check if your apps use too much memory. This issue started about 20 days ago when Windows bothered to update itself. How I can control it?I am on version 20h2 if that matters. Persists. i have updated my graphics driver i have updated windows and windows… We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. Desktop Window Manager uses about 1GB of my memory. My setup hasn't changed (1x 27" monitor, 1x 16" monitor - both on 1080p 144hz) and for some reason over time dwm slowly takes up RAM varying from 10GB - 16GB (out of my 32GB). This problem has been reported before: Desktop window manager consumes high memory I have been getting this problem for sometime now, I tried different solutions from the internet like updating the drivers, changing wallpapers and themes,etc. DWM may also hog your PC’s GPU resources. Mar 29, 2022 · The past few days I have noticed dwm. exe) memory usage keeps climbing the longer I use my computer (It's at 135 MB right now, but I've seen it hit 600 MB). Restart Desktop Window Manager. exe us using high memory sometimes it uses 1. exe, which can lead to decreased system performance. What do I do? Archived post. 7%. Especially RAM, sometimes GPU. Desktop Window Manager using a lot of memory I got a desktop back in February and I have been using my laptop significantly less since then. i just revert to Windows 10 in this morning. I currently have 16gigs of ram. However, I’m about to go back to college and I reopened it to make sure it was ready for school. exe) is a process that powers many graphics effects in Windows 10, such as transparency, animations, layering, and more. org - Windows Tips & How-tos I would also suggest a clean boot to see if software may be causing the problem. i have been using win11 for 2 months game play is definitely lag, Idling PC consume more power than windows 10. 4 gigabytes of memory. Mar 23, 2025 · To fix Desktop Windows Manager high RAM usage, you can try disabling unnecessary visual effects, updating your graphics drivers, running the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool to check for memory issues, or restarting the Desktop Windows Manager service in the Task Manager. exe). It doesn’t crash, lag or stutter… We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. 1gb for ~5min, which resulted in 97% RAM usage and an usable pc. 0% of my GPU with spikes up to 17%. exe) can significantly impact your Windows 11 system’s performance. How was it determined that dwm. PC specs: Acer Nitro 5 3070Ti i7 32GB RAM One oddity, McAfee comes Since last couple of months I have been experiencing high RAM usage by Desktop Window Manager (up to even 3 GB). Jan 14, 2025 · The Desktop Window Manager (DWM) seem to be taxing the CPU quite a lot, not to mention making the window movement delayed or stuttering. It seems like the live feed from the Microsoft Teams tab on Google Chrome triggered this memory leak. It’s been a part of Windows since Vista, and in Windows 10, 11, and now 12, it’s more essential than ever. After a bit of use (even at a really low load) Desktop Windows Manager will use up so much RAM, going up to 50%. - wintips. Windows 11 OS noted - edition? GPU, RAM, disk drive (s We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. Windows Desktop Manager handles displaying animations for windows, the window title bars, the composition of the windows, the movement of windows, etc. Aug 28, 2025 · Desktop window manager actually does. Why is that happening? Archived post. Jul 5, 2018 · Press Windows key + X Click Device Manager Expand Display adapters Right click the current display adapter Click Properties Click Driver tab Click Rollback driver if the option is available If not Right click the current display adapter Click Uninstall Check the box that says, "Delete the driver software for this device. 1 - 5%. Description of Original Problem: Desktop Windows Manager using abnormal amounts of memory. exe) high GPU and memory usage in Windows 11 or Windows 10. It is responsible for handling the visual effects on your desktop, such as transparent windows, 3D effects, and window animations. Hey guys, Normally this process (Desktop Window Manager) only occupies up to 1% of GPU 0 (integrated GPU), but once I open a video or any game, no matter how many windows I'm opening, the occupation of DWM will suddenly jump to 60%, which slows down my laptop quite a lot. But with continued use it gradually starts increasing and goes to 7 percent then 18 and today it went upto 36 percent. After a few hours, it ended up using 80%. 5%, spike is around 0. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns. I'm running 2, 27" 4K monitors through a Dell WD19… Jul 5, 2024 · How to Fix Desktop Window Manager High Memory Usage Seeing your memory being hogged by DWM? Learn how to fix Desktop Window Manager high memory usage on your Windows PC. 9 or 3. You may notice the Desktop Window Manager is to blame. Does anyone have any… Sep 2, 2025 · Windows Desktop Manager is using 1GB ram when chrome is open and about half when nothing is open. Hopefully, one of these solutions will help you fix the Desktop Window Manager High GPU Usage in Windows and make your PC faster. I've noticed this problem pretty recently. So I use wallpaper/desktop features that makes it look nice and cool. Can someone please confirm if it is normal or should I worry about this case. Therefore, performing a Windows update may help you fix the issue. exe) is a window manager that is responsible for the Windows 10 and Windows 11 graphics effects like the Flip3D and Restart was the obvious solutions, and it dit work, but im still concerned about why the ram usage was so high, I did check if i had other desktop or windows but i did not Dec 26, 2025 · High CPU usage caused by the Desktop Window Manager (DWM. I Have tried turning off Screensaver, restaring, updating my graphics drivers, but nothing seems to work. exe (Desktop-Window Manager) uses high memory with Intel Intel HD Graphics 630. This article Sep 25, 2022 · What is Desktop Window Manager or dwm. Aug 22, 2025 · Check out 12 easy methods to fix the annoying Desktop Window Manager high GPU usage issue on Windows 10 and 11 PCs. Welcome to the largest community for Microsoft Windows 10, the world's most popular computer operating system! This is not a tech support subreddit, use r/WindowsHelp or r/TechSupport to get help with your PC Ask any questions about Windows and get help here! For issues unrelated to Windows, use r/TechSupport Welcome to the largest unofficial community for Microsoft Windows, the world's most popular desktop computer operating system! For a MechWarrior life is war and the only true peace is death. exe) causing big GPU usage spikes whenever I scroll through tabs (Ex. On your keyboard, press Windows logo to invoke the Search menu, type check for updates, and select it from the list of results. Sep 4, 2024 · Specific Fixes for High Memory Usage 1. 5GB and 3GB or memory at any given time and then will crash and then reconnect to my monitors and docking station (really inconvenient during meetings). Earlier ending process tree of dwm. I have gone into the "Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows" setting in the Control Panel and set it to the "Adjust for best performance", which is the most common troubleshooting method, and there was no change in it using 40+% of my GPU Desktop window Manager high CPU and memory This is making my g15 ryzen9 3080 useless. For quite some time i am having a very weird issue with my pc on windows 11 where the cpu usage of desktop window manager (dwm. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. It all seems to be the windows desktop manager causing this high memory usage. pftmvffdplubwmvanicsaraoffkgbucychkjgxsezmmalsjojtdbt