If you’re low on resources, try closing these Windows processes to free up your system.
Processes are basically programs being executed. Some apps require a single process to work, while others might generate several. You could see 70 or 80 processes running immediately after boot, or you could see 200. The longer you use a computer, the more processes will be added.
Ending processes is easy. Open the Task Manager, select the Processes tab and then click the top of the Process Name column. This sorts them into alphabetical order. When you find a process you want to end, right-click it and choose End Process.
1. Calculator - Calculator.exe
The Windows calculator app actually has two processes running all the time. Even if the calculator isn’t open and hasn’t been opened during the current session. When you need the calculator, opening it will restart the process. Until then, kill it.
2. News and Interests - NewsAndInterests.exe
This process is linked to the news widget in the Windows Taskbar. It doesn’t use a huge amount of resources until you open the news panel. But it does use some, even if you never check these stories. If you find the news stories useful, leave this process running. If not, it can be safely killed in Task Manager.
3. Gaming Services - gamingservices.exe
Do you use the Xbox app or the Game Bar? If not, you can safely end the Gaming Services process. Just like with the Calculator, there are two gaming service processes. Each can use around 10MB of memory just sitting in the background. This process has a habit of restarting on its own, so if you don’t have GamePass or never play games on your computer, just uninstall it.
4. OneDrive - OneDrive.exe
No matter if you use OneDrive or not, the background process for the Microsoft cloud storage can be ended. It won’t affect your stored files in any way, and you can still access OneDrive if you need it by opening the drive folder. The only exception is if you have automatic OneDrive backups enabled.
5. CTF Loader - ctfmon.exe
The CTF Loader is a background task connected to various alternative text input methods. These include the touch keyboard, handwriting tool, and speech recognition, among others. If you only use a mouse and keyboard, ctfmon.exe can be safely stopped.
6. Phone Link - PhoneExperienceHost.exe
Another example of an app that constantly has processes running in the background, even if you never use it. When your phone isn’t connected to your computer, you can safely kill the two processes generated by the Phone Link app.
7. Groove Music - GrooveMusic.exe
In the unlikely event that you are still using Groove Music, you might want to leave this process alone. But if you are using any other media tool for your music files, there is no need to have this app running in the background. It doesn’t consume lots of resources when not being actively used, but every bit helps.
8. Update Services - Various
Most processes labeled as an update service can be ended safely, if only temporarily. Examples include Adobe Acrobat Update Service and WPS Office Update Service. Take care when ending update services, particularly for antivirus software or software you use regularly.
9. Repeated Processes
If you see a process that is repeated, it is possible that one or more of them can be ended. In the case of something like Microsoft Edge, each open tab will show up as a separate process. And they will all be called Microsoft Edge. For something like LGHUB shown here, it is unlikely that it needs three processes running for one mouse. Try ending the process and then restart the software. In most cases, the duplicates will be removed.
Ending the wrong process can make your computer crash, restart, or even lead to a Blue Screen Of Death. Take care when ending unknown processes, particularly those in the Windows Processes category of the Task Manager.
Source: Makeuseof