Have you encountered a process called " Vmmem" in Windows Task Manager? Does it consume too much CPU, RAM, and other system resources, which concerns you? This is a process used by Windows to demonstrate how many resources virtual machines consume.

Therefore, if it shows too much CPU or RAM consumption, it's your virtual machine that is to blame. In this article, we will explore this process in more detail and show you how you can reduce its resource consumption.

What Does the Vmmem Process Do?

According to a Microsoft DevBlogs post, Windows creates the Vmmem process to display the resources consumed by virtual machines. When you see this process consuming too many resources in Task Manager, your virtual machines are actually using these resources, which this process is just showing.

Typically, we see this process running when you actively run a virtual machine in Hyper-V Manager or use WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) to run Linux binary executables. In general, it shouldn't overload your resources, but when it does, there's something amiss.

Are you also seeing high resource consumption in Task Manager for this process? Let's see what we can do to fix it.

First, Find Out What's Causing the Issue

First, identify which virtual machine or program is behind the Vmmem process' high resource consumption. If you're running only one virtual machine manager, then you've already found the problem. However, if you're running virtual machine manager and WSL simultaneously, you'll need to determine which program is causing the issue.

How can you determine what's straining your resources? To find out, trial and is the best approach. Close the virtual machines in your Hyper-V Manager and see if that helps reduce resource consumption. Similarly, you can shut down WSL tools and see what impact they have.

When we close a virtual machine in Hyper-V Manager, the Vmmem process disappears from Task Manager promptly, which means that there is no longer any resource consumption by this process. In contrast, when we close Linux tools or WSL, the Vmmem process takes some time to fade away, so wait a bit before assessing the impact of closing it.

Once you have identified the principal culprit, refer to the instructions below that explain how to reduce virtual machine resource consumption in Hyper-V Manager and WSL.

How to Reduce Resource Consumption by Virtual Machines in Hyper-V Manager

If the Vmmem process shows high resource consumption in Task Manager when running virtual machines in Hyper-V Manager, then apply the following preliminary checks first:

  • Turn on and off your virtual machines in Hyper-V Manager.
  • Restart Hyper-V Manager after closing it.
  • Only run one virtual machine in Hyper-V Manager if you have more than one.
  • If you are simultaneously using another virtual machine client with Hyper-V Manager, close it.

If the above checks do not reduce resource consumption, which you can check by looking at how many resources the Vmmem process consumes in Task Manager, limit the virtual machine's resource allocation in Hyper-V Manager. Here's how:

  1. Launch Hyper-V Manager.
  2. Right-click on your virtual machine and click Settings.
    Opening Virtual Machine's Settings in Hyper-V Manager in Windows
  3. On the left sidebar, click Memory.
  4. Set the maximum amount of RAM that the virtual machine can use.
  5. Uncheck the box for Enable Dynamic Memory or limit the dynamic RAM the virtual machine can use there.
    Changing Memory Allocation of Virtual Machine in Its Settings Window in Hyper-V Manager

Similarly, you can change other parameters to limit the virtual machine to use only specified resources and not strain your computer. If tweaking these settings doesn't help lower resource consumption, you can abandon Hyper-V Manager and use another virtual machine manager, such as VirtualBox or VMware.

Most third-party virtual managers display memory consumption in Task Manager using processes other than the Vmmem process. VMWare, for example, uses a process called VMware-vmx.exe. Therefore, keep an eye on them, and if they consume too many resources, either limit their memory allocation or apply the fixes mentioned for Hyper-V Manager.

How to Reduce Resources Consumption by WSL and Linux Tools

Depending on your Windows build (and it's really easy to check your build on Windows 11), the WSL may have the right to use 50% to 80% of your RAM, as explained in Microsoft's documentation. Hence, you can imagine how resource-hungry it can become, which is exactly what the Vmmem process tries to demonstrate.

If running Windows Subsystem for Linux or specific Linux tools results in high resource consumption, as shown by the Vmmem process, you can reclaim memory and fix the issue by following these steps:

1. Restart the WSL Manually

One of the easiest ways to resolve high resource consumption by WSL or Linux tools is to restart them simply. Thus, you should manually close every Linux tool you have open right now, including the WSL itself.

Wait a minute and see if the Vmmem process stops showing you the hefty resource consumption after that. If it does, restart the WSL distributions again and see if the Vmmem process behaves the same way. If so, skip the second fix and apply the third.

However, if you close the WSL manually and it doesn't stop the Vmmem process in Task Manager, you must forcefully shut it down. In the next fix, we'll explain how that works.

2. Forcibly Close the WSL and Restart It

To forcibly close WSL, follow these steps:

  1. Run Command Prompt as an administrator.
  2. Type "wsl --shutdown."
  3. Hit Enter.
    Shutting Down WSL Using Command Line In Windows Command Prompt

Restart WSL distributions afterward. If restarting WSL does not fix the problem, proceed to the next fix.

3. Limit Resources Manually for WSL

WSL can also be restricted in terms of the resources it uses so that it does not overburden your system with excessive resource demands. You can only do this with WSL 2, which only works on Windows Builds higher than 19041. Check out our article on how to install WSL 2 on Windows if you haven't already.

If your Windows Build supports WSL 2 and you've already installed it, you can limit its resources by following these steps:

  1. Run Windows Command Prompt as an administrator.
  2. Type "wsl –shutdown" and press Enter.
  3. Close the Windows Command Prompt.
  4. Open the WSL.
  5. After replacing your username, enter the following command:
    editor "$(wslpath "C:\Users\YourUsername\.wslconfig")"
  6. Hit Enter.
    Running a Command in WSL to Edit .WSLCONFIG File in Windows
  7. Enter the following configuration: [wsl2] memory=5GB (limit it based on your RAM size)
  8. Hit CTRL + X.
  9. Press "Y" when prompted to save the changes.
    Saving the Modified Changes Made When Limiting the RAM Availability to WSL While Editing .WSLConfig File in WSL in Windows
  10. Confirm the location by pressing Enter again.
  11. Repeat steps one through three.
  12. Run the following command after restarting WSL to confirm resources have been allocated successfully.
    free -h --giga
Verifying the RAM Limitation Made in WSL By Running a Command

With the above steps, you can limit WSL's resource usage so that it won't overburden your computer.

Is It Possible to End the Vmmem Process?

Task Manager does not allow you to close the Vmmem process like regular tasks. If you attempt to do so, you will encounter an error. To end the Vmmem process, you'll need to close your virtual machines and WSL or any of its Linux tools.

Don't Let Virtual Machines Consume Your Resources

The tips mentioned in the article should help you limit virtual machine resource consumption. After you do that, the Vmmem process won't appear as a high resource consumer in Task Manager.

Selecting an excellent virtual machine manager is essential to run virtual machines efficiently. A reliable virtual machine manager will give you optimal performance, which an ordinary one won't.