If you have paid attention to the Windows Task Manager then sometimes you might have noticed a process taking huge memory resources. The process goes by the name of ”Runtime Broker”.
Now if you want to fix this issue and do not want the process to take high memory usage in Windows 10, there are a few methods that you can try.
In this article, I am going to show you how to fix Runtime Broker high usage on Windows 10 using some simple methods.
What is Runtime Broker Process?
To give you context, Runtime Broker is an official Microsoft core process and we first saw it on Windows 8 and now we also see it on Windows 10.
The process makes sure that the apps that you have downloaded from Microsoft Store(called universal apps) are declaring all of the permissions like location access, microphone usage properly.
Now, this process works in the background all the time and you will only see a spike in the activity of this process when you use a universal app.
So this process acts as a bridge between the apps and the security settings and permissions that you have configured.
How Much Memory Does It Use Normally?
Well, in a perfect world where you are not using any universal app, the Runtime broker process is inactive and it takes about 20-40MB of the memory.
However, when you do launch a universal app, the process will use about 500-700MB of memory.
The important thing here to notice is that if you open more than one universal apps, the process should not take any additional memory.
Also, if you close all the universal apps, the process should become inactive and use 20-40MB of memory.
Also, Read: How to Fix if Windows 10 Taskbar Not Working
Fix Runtime Broker High Usage on Windows 10
Now we know that this process should not take more than 30% of your memory even if you are using universal apps.
It should be very clear that if this process is taking more than 30% of your memory, that is an issue and you can fix it by using these methods:
By Disabling Tips, Tricks, and Suggestions
For some weird reasons, Windows 10 shows you some tips and stuff through notifications. This could be one of the potential reasons why the Runtime Broker process is taking high memory usage.
To fix it, you can disable tips, tricks, and suggestions. Here is how:
Step 1: Go to the Windows Search bar, type “Settings” and hit enter.
Step 2: Click on ‘System’.
Step 3: From the menu on the left, navigate to ‘Notifications & actions’.
Step 4: Uncheck the ‘Get tips, tricks, and suggestions as you use Windows’ option.
That’s it and you are all set.
By Fixing a Misbehaving Application
The issue might be because of some problematic applications.
- The very first thing you can do is make sure that the application is updated to the latest version.
- If the application is not that important then uninstall it.
- If you need the application, try uninstalling and then reinstalling it.
Make Sure that It is Not a Virus
This can also be a possibility. The reason for the process to take high memory resources may be because it is a virus and you can easily determine if it is a virus:
Step 1: Press the “ctrl+alt+delete” keys and open the Task Manager.
Step 2: Navigate down and search for the “Runtime Broker” process, select it, right-click on it.
Step 3: Right-click on it and click on ‘Open file location’.
Step 4: The file should be in the exact same location as “Windows\System32”.
If it is there, then you can be very sure that it is not a virus and you can always check for viruses with a virus scanner of your choice.
Conclusion
So that was all about how to fix the Runtime Broker high usage on Windows 10.
One thing that you should do is avoid ending the process from the Task Manager because the process is important for security.
With that said, in case you face any problems at any steps, feel free to reach out to us.
Also, Read: How to Fix ‘No Audio Output Device is Installed’ Error in Windows
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