

Troubleshooting High CPU and RAM Issues with Microsoft Defender These are all typical actions of a standard antivirus program, so you shouldn’t (usually) consider some CPU or RAM usage as a problem. This could be running an antivirus scan on a file or app, checking for new threat updates from Microsoft’s services, preventing third-party network threats, and more. However, if you spot it using a high amount of CPU or RAM usage on your PC, it’s probably a sign that Microsoft Defender is performing an action. Most of the time, the Antimalware Service Executable remains inactive, using minimal system resources. How Antimalware Service Executable Causes High CPU and RAM Issues

This means that the Antimalware Service Executable process should be inactive, using no system resources, and remaining unavailable until Microsoft Defender is reactivated.

If you switch to a third-party antivirus solution (such as Avast or Malwarebytes), Microsoft Defender will switch to disabled mode, ensuring no conflicts.
