When something puts up a consistently high CPU usage on your PC, it's not good news for the system. High CPU usage not only consumes a lot of system resources but also slows down the computer. If you did some digging and noticed that the root of the problem lies within Windows Widgets, you must be curious to know the reason behind it and how to fix it.

Windows Widgets show various information, including weather forecasts, news, scores, etc. But if it's consuming a lot of your CPU resources, consider trying the below solutions.

What Causes a High CPU Usage With Windows Widgets?

Even a low-end Windows PC can run multiple applications simultaneously without any issue. Each running application will consume a specific CPU processing power. But if a particular application is consuming a lot of CPU resources, there's something wrong with the application.

When an app has a high CPU consumption in Windows, it can result in system crashes and slowness. As for Windows Widgets, the cause can either be from multiple applications running in the background or a corrupted Windows Widgets support file.

It's very easy to troubleshoot Windows Widgets high CPU usage problem. Let's check out all the effective solutions in detail.

1. Update Windows or Roll Back a Recent Update

Windows keep releasing new updates at regular intervals, and each update comes with performance improvement and bug fixes. And from what it looks like, Widgets high CPU consumption can result from a temporary bug. In this situation, updating the system might do the trick. Below are the steps you need to follow to download the latest Windows update.

  1. Open Settings by pressing Win + I.
  2. Choose Windows Update from the panel of the screen.
  3. Click on Check for updates.

If you see an available update, go ahead and install it.

Alternatively, a recently installed Windows update could be a culprit. A faulty update can cause different issues, including a high CPU consumption from system applications.

If you believe this may be the root of your issue, you'll need to revert the update. Below are the steps you need to follow to uninstall recent updates.

  1. Open the Start Menu, type Control Panel, and press Enter.
  2. Head towards Programs > Programs and Features.
  3. Click on View installed updates from the left panel of the screen.
  4. Under the Microsoft Windows section, locate the recently installed update by checking the date.
  5. Right-click on the update and choose Uninstall from the context menu.
    Window showing different applications updates

Reboot the system, and check if the problem is fixed or not.

2. Disable Widgets From the Taskbar

The next solution to try is to disable Widgets from the Taskbar. You can do it by following the below steps.

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Choose Personalization from the left panel of the screen.
  3. Click on the Taskbar option.
  4. Disable the toggle next to Widgets.

Check if this fixes the issue.

3. Perform SFC Scan

System File Checker, aka SFC, is a built-in Windows utility that helps scan and restore corrupted system files. In Windows OS, System File Checker is associated with Windows Resource Protection, and it safeguards registry keys, folders, and essential system files. Nevertheless, below are the steps you need to follow to run an SFC scan.

  1. Open Start Menu, type Command Prompt, and choose Run as administrator from the result.
  2. Type the following command and press Enter.
            sfc /scannow
        

The utility will run for a while and replace the corrupted file on reboot.

4. Run DISM

The next solution on the card is to run DISM. It will scan the system for inconsistencies that may result from different hardware failures or application issues. You can run DISM by following the below steps.

  1. Open Command Prompt in administrator mode.
  2. Type the following command and press Enter.
            DISM /online /cleanup-image /scanhealth
        

Once the command is executed, reboot your system.

5. Reinstall the Windows Web Experience Pack

If none of the steps were helpful, you will have to reinstall Widgets. You can do it by following the below steps.

  1. Open the Command Prompt window by clicking Start and typing "command prompt" into the search bar.
  2. Type the following command and press Enter:
            winget uninstall "Windows web experience Pack"
        
  3. Type Y and press Enter to confirm your selection.
    Command Prompt window with commands to uninstall Widgets

After the uninstallation process is complete, you will have to reinstall Widgets. To do it, open Microsoft Store, type Windows Web Experience Pack, and press Enter. Install the pack on your system.

Widgets High CPU Usage Fixed

We hope the solutions helped fix the Widgets' high CPU consumption issue. However, if you are still struggling with the problem, you can consider resetting your Windows PC.