My Shadow's CPU usage is 100% and slowing or freezing
Updated
If your Shadow's CPU is using 100% of its resources, Windows might also slow down or freeze.
When this happens, you can:
📝Note: This article will show you how to check your CPU usage. If Shadow is not using 100% of your CPU, we still recommend using this article for help troubleshooting slowness or freezing.
Restart your Shadow
In Shadow, shut down Windows using the Start menu or Shadow launcher. Wait 5 minutes before starting your Shadow again.
If the issue persists after restarting, continue to the next step of this tutorial.
Disable Third-Party Antivirus
Most antivirus software will let you disable the software until you decide to enable it again. For help disabling your antivirus, refer to your antivirus provider.
Check Running Processes in Task Manager
Use Windows Task Manager to see what processes and applications are running on Shadow.
To do this, right-click the taskbar, then click Task Manager.
When the Task Manager window appears, click More details at the bottom to show applications, processes, and more running on Shadow.
Clicking Fewer details will hide all applications and processes.
Sort Processes by CPU Usage
See which processes are using your CPU in Task Manager:
Click the Processes tab (1), listed next to other tabs at the top of the window.
Click CPU (2) to sort processes by CPU usage.
Review the list of applications and processes (3) running on your Shadow.
Look for applications using most of your CPU.
Game launchers, antiviruses, social apps like Discord, and other programs like web browsers or music players can consume a lot of CPU usage; especially if they all start with Windows.
💡 Tip: Consider changing which apps run at startup on Windows for a smoother startup experience.
Close any applications using a high amount of CPU.
Be mindful of which applications you close and save your work first. Closing some applications or processes may interfere with your session.
If your CPU usage is still high, take a screenshot of Task Manager and send the image to Support for advice from our team.
Here are some other articles we recommend to solve slowness or freezing: