CPU load at 100 percent - how to remedy

A processor load can cause your computer to temporarily stop responding or even freeze completely. Triggers for the workload can be various causes. Learn here what you can do if your computer has a CPU load of 100 percent.

This is what you can do if your CPU load is high

You can monitor the load on your processor and other hardware using the Windows Task Manager. There you can see in real time which processes are taking up which resources. If a process takes up 100 percent of the available CPU resources, it can cause the computer or application to freeze and stop responding. In such a case, you can try to terminate the application via the Task Manager.

1. Press the key combination [Ctrl] + [Shift] + [Esc] to call up the Task Manager.
2. Select the process causing 100 percent CPU usage in the listing.
3. Click on "End Task".

The process will then be forcibly terminated by Windows and the resources should be freed up again, allowing you to use your computer as usual.

Causes of high CPU utilization

High processor utilization can have various causes. Often games, 3D applications or editing software require a lot of computing power and accordingly use a lot of resources. However, if it occurs more often, this can be due to a lack of computing power or outdated or missing drivers, among other things. Insbesondere wenn die Treiber für den Chipsatz des Mainboards oder der Grafikkarte fehlen, kann das zu Problemen führen.