What is Runtime Broker?
Runtime Broker is a Windows core process that runs in the background all the time. It is an official Windows component that is located in the Windows/System32 folder. It was introduced with Windows 8 and is still used in Windows 10.
It is an application that manages the permissions on your PC for the applications you have downloaded from Microsoft Store (called Metro apps). It is used to determine if the apps you got from Windows Store are declaring all the permissions they need.
It always runs in the background, and its presence is hardly noticed. However, if you run the said Windows Store Metro apps, you can see a rise in the memory usage of the Runtime Broker as it manages the permissions of the app you just launched. However, launching more than one Metro app should not cause an increase in memory usage.
Methods To Solve Runtime Broker High Memory Usage
When running in the background, the Runtime Broker does not use much system resources. It consumes around 25-30% of the CPU if you run the metro app, and then goes back to 0%. If you notice that the runtime Broker is consistently using high CPU, and/or spiking the usage even when you are not using a Metro app, there may be some problems which can be addressed as stated below.
1) Guide 1 ( Turning Tips Off)
Windows 10 sometimes shows you tips and suggestions about increasing Windows productivity. This service behaves like a Metro app causing high memory usage. Turning this off may help to reduce the burden on the CPU.
- Open Settings. Go to the System
- From the left pane, select Notifications & actions.
- On the right pane, uncheck the box next to Get tips, tricks and suggestions as you use Windows.
This may help you reduce the Runtime Broker high memory usage. If it does not, there may be other issues.
2) Guide 2 (Misbehaving Metro Apps)
If turning off the tips and tricks didn’t work, there may be a misbehaving app on your system that is causing the high CPU and memory usage.
- You need to narrow down which app is causing this issue. Update all the apps if you face this error.
- If that doesn’t work try uninstalling the metro apps one by one until you can pinpoint which app is causing the issue.
If you still can’t figure out what is causing this issue, you may need to terminate the Runtime Broker task.
3) Guide 3 (Using Task Manager)
Windows does not let you disable the Runtime Broker task app. You should not try to disable it either. The app manages important safety and privacy permissions and is vital for system protection. If you find the app misbehaving, follow these steps to kill the process.
- Open Task Manager by pressing Win + X and selecting Task Manager.
- Locate Runtime Broker under the Processes
- Right click on Runtime Broker and select End task.
- Restart your PC.
The process will launch again automatically after some time has passed. This time it should run normally without causing much CPU and memory usage.
- Note: while the Runtime Broker relaunches, the Metro apps may not run properly as they won’t be able to successfully access the trust settings.
Conclusion:
While disabling the process is not recommended, you must be able to fix the issue of Runtime Broker high memory usage using the steps mentioned above. So there you have it, now you know what Runtime Broker is and how you can resolve if it misbehaves and uses too much system resources like CPU and memory. Did you find any of these guides helpful? Make sure to comment below if you did.
Jacques says
Thanks. Problem solved for now.
Linda Purl says
problem-solving post. Thank you