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How to fix Microsoft.Photos.exe high memory usage
4 min. read
Updated onOctober 4, 2023
updated onOctober 4, 2023
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Key notes
Microsoft.Photos.exe is the executable file of thePhotos appthat comes with Windows 10.
However, quite a few users have posted on the Microsoft forum about heavy Microsoft.Photos.exe CPU andRAMutilization.
Oneuser stated:
Since the Fall Creator’s Update, the Photos app has started taking up huge portions of the CPU and memory, causing the battery to run down and the fan to go crazy… even if I haven’t opened theapp.
This problem can draw your system to a halt so learn how to fix the Microsoft Photos high CPU issue with the steps below.
How do I stop Microsoft Photos EXE?
1. Remove OneDrive folders from Photos’ scanning
2. Use a different app
You can uninstall the defaultPhotosapp, as described below, and use Adobe Lightroom instead.
Lightroom can give any photo editor a run for its money, as Adobe has a reputation for creating powerful multimedia software. With Lightroom, you can easily manage, edit and share yourphotos.
Moreover, you gain access to powerful features like tagging your friends, organizing files into albums, cloud storage and instant access to your library across your different devices.
⇒Get Adobe Lightroom
3. Terminate the Runtime Broker and Photos Background Task Host processes
The Runtime Broker and Photos Background Task Host processes can inflate Microsoft.Photos.exe system resource utilization so it’s important to end these processes.
4. Turn off Photos background app
Users can turn off apps running in the background to reduce their system resource utilization. If Photos is causing this problem you can turn it off as shown above.
5. Select an alternative default image viewer app
Alternatively, you can select a different default image viewer to run in the background. So, next time you click on a photo, it will be opened with another viewer.
6. Uninstall the Photos app
Users who don’t need the Photos app canuninstall itto ensure that it doesn’t hog any system resources.
After removing Photos, add an alternativeimage viewerto Windows 10. Adobe Lightroom and IrfanView are two of the best third-party software alternatives to Photos.
Those are some of the resolutions that can reducePhotos’system resource utilizationin Windows 10. ReducingPhotos’ excessive system resource usage will then free upRAMfor other software.
More about the topics:Adobe Lightroom,windows 10 fix,Windows 10 Photos app
Matthew Adams
Windows Hardware Expert
Matthew is a freelancer who has produced a variety of articles on various topics related to technology. His main focus is the Windows OS and all the things surrounding it.
He is passionate about the tech world, always staying up-to-date with the latest and greatest. With an analytical view, he likes problem-solving, focusing on errors and their causes.
In his free time, he likes to read and write about history and tries to always develop new skills.
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Matthew Adams
Windows Hardware Expert
He is passionate about everything surrounding Microsoft’s OS, focusing on troubleshooting guides & tips for everyday problems.
