Sometimes dwm.exe and other errors system errors EXE may be related to issues in the Windows registry. Several programs can use the dwm.exe file, but when those programs are uninstalled or modified, sometimes "orphaned" (incorrect) EXE registry entries are left behind.
Basically, this means that while the actual path of the file may have changed, its incorrect former location is still recorded in the Windows Registry. When Windows tries to look up these incorrect file references (file locations on your PC), dwm.exe errors can occur. Additionally, a malware infection may have corrupted Windows-related registry entries. Thus, these corrupt EXE registry entries need to be fixed to fix the problem at the root.
Manually editing the Windows registry to remove invalid dwm.exe keys is not recommended unless you are PC service professional. Mistakes made when editing the registry can render your PC inoperable and cause irreparable damage to your operating system. In fact, even one comma placed in the wrong place can prevent your computer from booting!
Because of this risk, we highly recommend using a trusted registry cleaner such as %%product%% (Developed by Microsoft Gold Certified Partner) to scan and repair any dwm.exe-related registry problems. Using a registry cleaner, you can automate the process of finding damaged registry entries, missing file references (like the one causing the dwm.exe error), and broken links within the registry. Before each scan, a backup copy, which allows you to undo any changes with one click and protects you from possible damage to your computer. The best part is that eliminating registry errors can dramatically improve system speed and performance.
Warning: Unless you are an experienced PC user, we DO NOT recommend manually editing the Windows Registry. Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems and require Windows reinstallation. We do not guarantee that problems resulting from incorrect use of Registry Editor can be corrected. You use Registry Editor at your own risk.
Before manually restoring Windows registry, you need to create a backup by exporting a portion of the registry associated with dwm.exe (eg. Windows):
- Click on the button Begin.
- Enter " command" V search bar... DON'T CLICK YET ENTER!
- While holding down the keys CTRL-Shift on your keyboard, press ENTER.
- A dialog box for access will be displayed.
- Click Yes.
- The black box opens with a blinking cursor.
- Enter " regedit" and press ENTER.
- In the Registry Editor, select the dwm.exe-related key (eg. Windows) you want to back up.
- On the menu File select Export.
- On the list Save to select the folder where you want to save the backup Windows key.
- In field File name enter the name of the backup file, for example " Windows backup copy".
- Make sure the field Export range value selected Selected branch.
- Click Save.
- The file will be saved with extension .reg.
- You now have a backup of your dwm.exe-related registry entry.
The following steps for manually editing the registry will not be described in this article, as they are likely to damage your system. If you would like more information about editing the registry manually, please check out the links below.
Looking into the dispatcher Windows tasks, you can see many processes, some of which may seem strange to the average user. Seeing unfamiliar names, many begin to suspect that their computer is infected with a virus. Yes, this can happen, but in most cases, unfamiliar processes are running services operating system. One of these is, for example, dwm.exe We will try to understand what this process is in the text below.
The dwm.exe process is only present in Windows Vista and higher
Oddly enough, there are still people who still use Windows XP or have only recently abandoned it in favor of a more modern product. The latter are most often surprised by the presence of the dwm.exe process in the system, since it was absent in WinXP and lower.
Those who have been following Microsoft products for a long time should remember that in 2007 the company released Windows Vista, which differed from previous systems in a significantly redesigned graphical environment. Aero – new interface system, which many liked, and many hated. Then it migrated to Windows 7 in a slightly modified form.
What is dwm.exe? For updated GUI a new manager was needed, which was called Desktop Windows Manager. Yes, if you take the first letter of each word, add them together, and then add the executable permission Windows files, then you get dwm.exe.
What does the dwm.exe process do and is it useful?
The dwm.exe process is a service that monitors the state of Windows interface elements and applications that use it. Its peculiarity is that it can use not only the power of the CPU, but also the graphics processor of the video card, which, as a rule, is idle when games or other applications that actively use it are not running on the computer.
In view of this, on modern computers UI rendering may be faster when the DWM service is enabled than when it is disabled. Moreover, since the window manager will not use CPU, other applications will be able to use it more actively, which increases the speed of their work.
Well, one last thing - with DWM enabled, the desktop looks nicer. The interface has transparency, shadows, effects, etc.
The only negative is dwm.exe– this is an expense random access memory. On average, the DWM.EXE process uses about 30-50 megabytes of RAM for its needs. In most cases this is not a big deal (since many people now have PCs with at least 4 gigabytes of RAM), but for some it is critical.
How to disable the dwm.exe service/process
It should be said right away that ending the dwm.exe process in the task manager will not achieve the desired result. If you do this, then after a few seconds he will still return. Changing the theme to classic will also do nothing except free up some memory.
You can disable the dwm.exe process only through system settings. To do this you will need:
- Open control panel;
- Go to “System and Security” – “Administration”;
- Select “Services”;
- In the window that opens, find “Desktop Windows Manager Session Manager” or “Desktop Window Manager Session Manager”;
- Double-click on it, click on “Disable”, “Startup type” select “Disabled” or “manual”;
- Save changes.
In contact with
is a sophisticated window manager that handles effects in Windows: taskbar thumbnails and even Flip3D. Dwm.exe is an innovative process introduced in Windows Vista and is now part of the operating system. Windows systems 10, 7.
Dwm.exe - system file. Original file dwm.exe is located in C:\Windows\System32. But if you have multiple dwm.exe running at once OR this process is not in "System32", delete it immediately.
If you open the task manager, you will see the dwm.exe process listed, typically it takes up about 20-45 MB of memory. The memory usage of the dwm.exe process depends on the number of open windows, since each window requires a certain amount of space and memory to store the window's contents. Accordingly, if you open many windows, then dwm.exe will use more memory. The advantage of using a composite window manager is that in most cases it requires a relatively small amount of memory.
The only way to disable the process dwm.exe- stop him. Open "Services" in the "Administration toolbar" and then find the location, click "Windows Desktop Manager Session Manager" in the list and click "Stop".
For complete shutdown Double-click the Window Manager Desktop Session Manager icon and select the startup type "Disabled" from the drop-down list.
On a Winx64 system it may be known as
Errors that may occur:
- The desktop window manager encountered a fatal error (%1)
- Desktop Window Manager could not start because the Desktop Composition Blocking policy is enabled
- Desktop Window Manager cannot start
- The desktop window manager was unable to register the session port with an error (%1).
- The desktop window manager has registered the session port.
- Desktop Window Manager resumed blocking system memory, since its working set threshold has not been reached.
The other day I somehow optimized my Windows 10 (albeit for the umpteenth time) and came to this question - what is the dwm.exe process in the task manager that constantly hangs in the memory, is it possible to disable it? Well, I’ll say right away that I don’t advise you to disable this process, since it is responsible for the operation of effects and also for the normal and quick opening of windows, both new and minimized.
In other words, the dwm.exe process is a desktop manager (by the way, I personally run it as user DWM-1), and just like svchost.exe, you should never disable it, as there may be problems - what? To be honest, I don’t know, since I haven’t even tried to turn it off myself.
The dwm.exe process appeared in Windows Vista, and even then it was used to work effects, but not just like that... but without the participation of the processor! That is, only a video card was used, and this is precisely the advantage.
Or maybe dwm.exe is a virus? This process is launched by the UxSms service and only, as I already wrote, from the user DWM-1 (but this is in Windows 10, I think it’s similar in others or maybe without the number 1, you can look in the task manager!). But if the process is running on behalf of your account, then it’s better to complete it and see where it is located, by default it should be here - C:\Windows\System32. If there are any suspicions, then I personally recommend checking your computer with this online scanner; it uses only the latest signature databases and does not require installation.
This process is in my task manager, as you can see, it doesn’t consume much RAM, but maybe that’s because I have a built-in graphics core in my Intel processor:
Is the dwm.exe process using up the CPU? First remove all those programs that you installed recently, especially for utilities for changing the interface. Also, for some users, it loaded the processor after installing software for devices (that which comes with drivers), for example SetPoint (it is possible that the problem has already been fixed). Often the process loads the computer when you are not doing anything on it at all. Before looking for the cause, check your computer with the utility.
Try turning it on classic style and disable the theme service (Win + R, enter the command services.msc - a list of services will open and look for Themes there), if the load stops, then the problem is definitely in the Aero interface or effects. In this case, you can contact Microsoft support if you have licensed Windows.
How to disable dwm.exe process? Actually this one system process You can disable it, that is, make it so that it is not visible in the list. But I would not recommend doing this, except as a last resort. For example, due to a service outage, you may have problems in games, since they use full screen mode. To disable it, hold down Win + R, write the following command there - services.msc and press enter.
In the list, find the Desktop Window Manager Session Manager service (I didn’t find this service in Windows 10), double-click on it and select Startup type: Disabled, and then at the bottom there will also be a Stop button to stop the service without rebooting. This is the window (only here in English, but I think everything will be similar for you):
For some, the problem began after installing the ICQ 6 client, and in order to completely remove the process load, you need to uninstall the ICQ client and reboot.
In general, look, delete unnecessary programs(you can use Revo Uninstaller for this, it’s not a problem to find it on the Internet) and clean out the TEMP folders, to quickly open it, just follow this path: %TEMP%. As I understand it, the problem is in some programs, it is they that cause this behavior of the dwm.exe process. Well, I hope that now everything has become clear - what is dwm.exe in the task manager and that glitches with it can appear after installing almost any software! But, by the way, I don’t see such problems on Windows 10... maybe Microsoft really has finally made a decent OS after XP...
29.02.2016Desktop Window Manager (dwm.exe) or Desktop Window Manager is a process that shows up in the task manager and gives an amazing look to your windows. This process supports Flip 3D, high resolution support, real-time thumbnails, transparency effects. This is a built-in OS feature Microsoft Windows 10, which helps you control various desktop screen functions. When you turn on your computer, you see animations, 3D effects, visual expressions, etc. All these functions are controlled by this process, component, file. This is a genuine system file from Microsoft, and not a virus, as many people think. dwm.exe itself is an official Windows component, so it cannot cause any problems.
Sometimes you may find that the dwm.exe file is using up the CPU. If you find this file in your path c:\windowssystem32, then it's not a virus. However, if you find any other file with the same name and extension in any other folder, it might be malware. To find out the folder where any file is located, just click right click mouse and click " Open file location".
How does dwm.exe work?
It is a Windows layout manager and allows programs to write data according to their needs. It then combines them into the final image and sends all the graphics through the media integration layer before it is sent to the graphics card. Thus, the graphics card gives you the desired look on the screen.
Should you disable dwm.exe?
Since you know dwm.exe controls everything visual effects your screen, there is no logic to disable it. You will find an option in the task manager to "End task" process (dwm.exe), but since Windows uses technology with high resolution, so you won’t be able to complete the process, and I don’t recommend it.
dwm.exe high memory and CPU usage in Windows 10
dwm.exe in Windows 10 takes up a very small portion of your system resources, about 0.4% CPU and about 40 MB of RAM. This may be less or more depending on the screen resolution. Even while working with browsers and applications, you will notice minimal resource usage.
dwm.exe file properties
- File Description - Desktop Window Manager
- Product name - Microsoft OS
- Copyright - Microsoft Corporation
- Size - 61.0 Kb
- The original file name is dwm.exe
