Avast High CPU Usage – Why does it occur and how to deal with it?

Avast High CPU Usage - Why does it occur and how to deal with it? - Post Thumbnail

Antiviruses have become just essential for every modern computer user who cares about the security of his or her system. However, some issues may occur with any cybersecurity program, including problems with the performance of the PC. It is essential to understand the root of the slowdowns and if it is possible to increase the performance without losing the functionality of antivirus. Figuring that out is not a difficult task, so the information this article provides will help even an amateur computer user to get rid of any performance related issues.

What can cause the high CPU usage?

Avast high CPU usage is one of the most common problems users face from time to time. There are many factors that can cause such an issue, but in most cases, the root of the slowdowns is one of the following:

  • Too many background processes. Some of the additional features of Avast Antivirus require the system to run them in the background, which can lead to spikes in the CPU usage. For example, the basic scan can consume a half of CPU power.
  • The outdated internal components of the PC, including the CPU can be too slow to handle the background processes Avast launches. Some of the features can be quite demanding even for modern standards.
  • Outdated versions of the Avast Antivirus application can cause incompatibility issues that usually lead to dips in the CPU performance.
  • The interference with another application that also works in the background. This is a less common situation but keep in mind that some third party programs can work improperly while Avast Antivirus is on.

Solve the high CPU usage problem.

All that is left to do after identifying the root of the performance issues is to fix it. There is nothing tricky in this process but everything should be done properly to avoid creating more problems.

Ways to get rid of Avast high CPU usage:

  • Try updating the application itself. It is the easiest, yet the most effective method in most cases. Compatibility issues should not be neglected, especially with the Windows OS.
  • Find out what additional features your Avast Antivirus runs in the background. You can do this using the main menu. Turn the, off to understand if they were the cause of the high CPU usage.
  • Reinstall Avast Antivirus, choose only the most important features, and disable others, it may increase the performance significantly.
  • Upgrade your computer. This step requires some money investments so consider trying the previous ones before doing it.

Bottom line

Avast Antivirus is a great cybersecurity solution but some users can face performance issues while using it. Spikes in CPU usage can be caused by various factors, but even the amateur can fix them. One of the given methods will certainly help to solve the problem.