What is the Antimalware Service Executable? Why does it run on a PC?

Windows 10 includes Windows Defender - Windows antivirus engine. Running Antimalware Service Executable is a background process of Windows Defender. This program is also known as MsMpEng.exe - a part of Windows operating system.

What is the Antimalware Service Executable?

Windows Defender is part of Windows 10, inheriting the free antivirus tool Microsoft Security Essentials for Windows 7. It ensures that all Windows 10 users always have an antivirus installed and running on the system. If you've installed an outdated antivirus application, Windows 10 will deactivate it and turn on Windows Defender for you.

As mentioned above, the Antimalware Service Executable process is the background service of Windows Defender. It always runs in the background, is responsible for checking malware in files when you access them, conducting background scans for malware, installing anti-virus signature updates and everything else. A security application needs to do.

While the process is named Antimalware Service Executable on the Processes tab in Task Manager, its file name is MsMpEng.exe in the Details tab.

You can configure Windows Defenders, scan the system and check the scan history from the Windows Defender Security Center app available in Windows 10.

To open it, use the shortcut "Windows Defender Security Center" in the Start menu. You can also right-click the shield icon in the notification area on the taskbar and select "Open" or go to Settings> Update & security> Windows Defender> Open Windows Defender Security Center .

Why does Antimalware Service Executable consume so much CPU?

If you find that the Antimalware Service Executable process takes up a lot of CPU or disk resources, it is probably scanning for malware on your computer. Like other antivirus tools, Windows Defender performs regular PC file scans on the system platform.

It also scans files when you open them and regularly installs updates with new malware information. CPU usage also signals that it is installing an update or you have just opened a very large file that Windows Defender needs more time to analyze.

In general, Windows Defender only scans the system when the computer is idle and not in use. However, it still uses CPU resources to update or scan files when you open them, even when using a computer. However, the background scan should not run when you are using a PC.

This is normal because any antivirus program needs to use some system resources to check and protect the PC.

Is it possible to disable Antimalware Service Executable?

You should not turn off the Windows Defender antivirus tool if you have not installed any other similar software. In fact, you can temporarily disable it as follows: Open Windows Defender Security Center from the Start menu, navigate to Virus & threat protection> Virus & threat protection settings> turn off Real-time protection .

This is just a way to temporarily disable Windows Defender. It will reactivate itself shortly after not detecting another antivirus app installed on the PC.

If you've installed & run antivirus software like Avira , BitDefender ..., Windows Defender will automatically disable itself and disappear from your view. Now, if you go to Windows Defender Security Center> Virus & threat protection , you will see the message "You're using other antivirus providers".

However, you still have a way to use both the selected antivirus and Windows Defender. On the same screen, you can expand “Windows Defender Antivirus options”, turn on “Periodic scanning”. Then, Windows Defender will run a background scan, even if you are using another antivirus, providing a second suggestion, which helps to find potential dangers that may be missed by the main antivirus.

If you find that Windows Defender uses a CPU even if you have installed another antivirus tool and you want to stop it, go here and make sure to turn the periodic scanning feature to Off. If this process doesn't bother you, let it run as this is a security barrier layer. However, this feature is off by default.

Is Antimalware Service Executable a virus?

There have been no reports that Antimalware Service Executable is a virus. On the other hand, Windows Defender is an antivirus program available on Windows and developed by Microsoft, so you can feel secure running Antimalware Service Executable .