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Today, in this article we will show you how to Fix Microsoft Software Protection Platform Service High CPU. You may have seen the Microsoft Software Protection Platform Service in the Task Manager, but you don’t know what it is. You might even run into the Microsoft Software Protection Platform Service high CPU problem.
As its name suggests, the Microsoft Software Protection Platform Service (Sppsvc), which is a service in Task Manager, is a security service built into Windows to stop software theft and protect against software tampering. The Sppsvc is in charge of downloading Windows digital licenses and apps, installing them, and running them.
Microsoft Software Protection Platform lets the company verify Microsoft services and make sure no one messes with Windows, Office, OneDrive, and other Microsoft software. On Windows 11/10, this is done by the Sppsvc.exe process. You can also go to the official Microsoft support site to know more information about this.
Ways to Fix Microsoft Software Protection Platform Service High CPU
Checking in Safe Mode and Clean Boot
We can see if the process still uses all these resources during a safe or clean boot. Both of these ways start your computer with the fewest services and drivers possible, so you can figure out which program or application is causing the problem and get rid of it.
Start your computer in safe mode. If you can’t figure out what’s wrong in safe mode, you can try clean starting your system to see if you can find the problem.
- Press Windows + R to launch the Run application. Type “msconfig” in the dialogue box and press Enter.
- Navigate to the Services tab present at the top of the screen. Check the line which says “Hide all Microsoft services”. Once you click this, all Microsoft related services will be disabled leaving behind all the third-party services.
- Now click the “Disable all” button present at the near bottom at the left side of the window. All the third-party services will now be disabled.
- Click Apply to save changes and exit.
- Now navigate to the Startup tab and click the option of “Open Task Manager”. You will be redirected to the task manager where all the applications/services which run when your computer starts will be listed.
- Select each service one by one and click “Disable” at the bottom right side of the window.
- Now restart your machine and see if the CPU usage is still the same as before. If it isn’t, it means that the trouble was caused by a program outside of Windows. Look through the apps you have installed to find the one that is giving you trouble.
Scanning for Malware
Malware or a bug on your computer can sometimes cause your computer to act in an odd way. Many users said that bugs would pretend to be Microsoft processes and keep using up system resources. Use your antivirus software to scan your machine and make sure it is clean. You can use the Windows Defender utility if you don’t have any other antivirus software loaded.
- Press Windows + S to launch the start menu’s search bar. Type “Windows Defender” and open the first result which comes forward.
- On the right side of the screen, you will see a scan option. Select the full scan and click on Scan This process might take some time as Windows scans all of your computer’s files one by one. Be patient and let the process complete accordingly.
- If there was malware present on your computer, let the utility remove and restart your computer before launching the task manager.
Running System File Checker
System File Checker (SFC) is a tool in Microsoft Windows that lets people scan their computers for broken files in the operating system. Since Windows 98, this tool has been part of Microsoft Windows. It is a very helpful tool for figuring out what the problem is and seeing if it is caused by damaged files in Windows.
- Press Windows + R to launch the Run application. Type “taskmgr” in the dialogue box and hit Enter to launch your computer’s task manager.
- Now click on File option present at the top left side of the window and select “Run new task” from the list of options available.
- Now type “PowerShell” in the dialogue box and check the option underneath which states “Create this task with administrative privileges”.
- Once in the Windows Powershell, type “sfc /scannow” and hit Enter. This process may take some time as your entire Windows files are being scanned by the computer and being checked for corrupt phases.
- If you get an error that says Windows found a problem but couldn’t fix it, type “DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth” into the PowerShell. This will get the corrupt files from the Windows update servers and change them. Keep in mind that this process can also take some time, depending on how fast your internet is. Don’t stop it at any point; just let it go.
Running System Maintenance Troubleshooter
We can run the system maintenance troubleshooter to see if your operating system has any mistakes or problems.
- Press Windows + R, type “control panel” in the dialogue box and press Enter.
- Type “troubleshoot” in the search bar of the control panel at the top right side of the window.
- Select “Troubleshooting” heading off the list of results returned.
- Once in the troubleshooting menu, click “View all” present in the navigation pane at the left side of the window. Now Windows will populate all the troubleshooters available on your computer.
- Locate “System Maintenance” from the list of options available and click it.
- Now System Maintenance troubleshooter will launch. Click on Advanced located inside the troubleshooter and click the option “Run as administrator”. Also, check the option “Apply repairs automatically”.
- Now Windows will check for errors and discrepancies in your system and notify you if it found any. It will also attempt to repair these errors by itself.
- If any errors were identified and fixed, restart your computer.