Windows 10 Vmmem 100 Cpu
Gifford Brickley
The vmmem process is a virtual process that the system synthesizes to represent the memory and CPU resources consumed by your virtual machines. In other words, if you see vmmem consuming a lot of memory and CPU resources, then that means your virtual machines are consuming a lot of memory and CPU resources.
Bonus chatter: Strictly speaking, what it actually represents is the resources of the other virtual machines, since Windows itself is running in a virtual machine under the hypervisor. You may not be explicitly using the hypervisor, but some other features are built on top of the hypervisor.
While running docker recently after updating my Windows to the October update (1809), I am seeing that the response times for even simple queries have become abysmally slow (10 seconds instead of somewhere around 50ms).
My computer is running slow. I have an i7 Windows 10 Pro with 16GB of RAM at 70% usage, and CPU is between 1 and 15% with Docker Desktop and Vmmem. I just used the install defaults and followed the tutorials.
Have you tried looking at Resources > Advanced ? I see the settings in there. Changed it and it seems to help, now CPU is running normal. See that memory consumption is now high though (make sense, vmmem properly was busy swapping). Thanks for the tip @ [tmuecksch]
It is understood that is related to WSL and I do have a Docker image running on Ubuntu on Windows. However it is not really responding for Ubuntu and Docker (see below) and CPU usage is still that high even I manually close Docker Desktop and run cmd wsl --shutdown.
Hello, I can confirm the issue! Also running WSL2 with Docker, exactly the same issue. Sometimes the WSL just bugs and uses 100% of my cpu, making the computer basically unusable. Only restart of the whole system helps, I have not figured out a way to restart just the vmmem thing... I have a limit on memory for WSL, but while putting a limit on processors could treat the symptoms, it is definitely not going to fix the root issue.
Also from my experience, when this bug occures, things using WSL (Docker) stop working. It is really annoying and if programs such as Adobe or Fusion 360 did not held me on Windows, I would already happily move to Linux full time - now I am running dual boot and crying every time I have to use Windows...
The very same issue here. I also use WSL2, but the issue happens sometimes even if I haven't used WSL since reboot! The closest to WSL I have used is VSCode with WSL Extension, but this one was only loaded by VSCode, not actively used.
I have this problem as well, having installed Docker and WSL2 a few days ago to test some docker containers, I now find my CPU usage for vmmem stuck on 49%, dragging down laptop performance, even though I have no containers running. Stopping all the services for linux processes seems to clear this, but is not an ideal solution.
In trying to resolve this issue the wsl --shutdown command never completed. I had to reboot to temporarily resolve it. I have experienced this a couple times before and atm expect to have to reboot to resolve. Please help.
I have also been having this problem for weeks now. I also use Docker and WSL2. Everything everyone says here is exactly what I'm experiencing, and it only started fairly recently (last month or two, not exactly sure when but it's recent).
I've also been rebooting to resolve this, but I just tried to "End Task" the Windows Subsystem for Linux process as someone WFarmer suggested int he answers section, and it dropped the CPU from 100% down to about 5%, so I can at least confirm that workaround works without having to completely reboot. It's still very disruptive though since I regularly use WSL2 for development and this has caused some issues there more than once, including loss of active work.
I am having the same issue. AMD Ryzen 5900 series CPU, 32gbs DDR4, Windows 11 64bit. Running Docker. Only started occuring after this most recent Windows Update. :-. Anything to do with WSL, virtualization, etc. Has been a huge pain to deal with on Windows 11. I am not a happy customer at all.
I can't use WSL anymore because of this bug. If Windows 11 is the solution (is it?), it won't work for me on my corp laptop (which I can barely install WSL on; long story). I just use Cygwin now. Less than ideal, but the only game in town (my IT won't let us install VirtualBox, etc).
I don't have a solution that addresses the core issue with Vmmem but I do have a workaround that doesn't require rebooting my whole machine. For me, going into Task Manager and ending the "Windows Subsystem for Linux" task is sufficient and Vmmem goes back to normal.
Thanks for sharing WFarmer, I can confirm that it works. The 100% utilization just happened to me and termination of wslhost.exe fixed the issue (Win10). So, as you wrote, not a solution, but a good workaround.
I cannot find any "Windows Subsystem for Linux" process, since I have closed all WSL instances, and wsl --shutdown, even if in administrator account won't respond. The vmmemSWL is still taking up 75% of CPU and cannot do anything else but reboot my system.
This solution does not work for me. I had docker running when this incident happened too. It is on a laptop that was kept on for a while (but put to sleep / hibernation whenever not in use or in transit). Suddenly the CPU utilization went to the sky and there was nothing I could do to the machine except to restart it. "wsl --shutdown" does not work since this is a work laptop and I don't have a real admin privilege. They installed "MakeMeAdmin" tool here, but it does not properly shut off WSL2.
Usually running wsl --shutdown works for me, but not this time and neither did attempting to stop service WslService or resetting the video driver (Win+Ctrl+Shift+B). The shutdown command just hung and attempting to stop the service left status at "Stopping". I was forced to reboot this time.
Note that this bug seems to have been discussed at for over 2 years already. From there, it looks like pressing Win+Ctrl+Shift+B could also help, as it resets the graphic (video) driver which apparently causes the issue.
If I shut down VS, who is trying to reconnect to the remote wsl session, shutdown docker, then shutdown WSL. Vmmem goes away and I can relaunch everything until the next time I put my laptop in sleep mode.
Thanks for your answer, it's probably fix the symptom by scarifying the performance. However, any idea what is the root cause or how to figure it out? Particularly high cpu with unresponding Ubuntu and no docker running?
Exactly what I am facing. WSL2 with Ubuntu not responding and have never run Docker. Still vmmem is using 75%+ CPU. I have not yet read anyone from Microsoft that vmmem high CPU usage occurs even without Docker
MiniTool OEM program enable partners like hardware / software vendors and relative technical service providers to embed MiniTool software with their own products to add value to their products or services and expand their market.
WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) is an indispensable component of Windows 10/11. It is dedicated to providing virtualization solutions for Windows users while sometimes, it will become the culprit of vmmem high usage issue due to unsmooth operation. Restarting it is an effective way to revert it to a normal state.
The direct reason for vmmem high CPU usage and high memory usage is that you may allow the virtual machine to use a lot of RAM without your knowledge. In this condition, the best way is to adjust your virtual machine hence avoiding taking tons of system resources.
Vmmem process is commonly found in Windows 10/11 or Windows Server systems with Hyper-V functionality enabled. The Windows Hypervisor Platform is a feature in Windows that enables virtualization, which allows users to run virtual machines. Vmmem, also known as the Virtual Machine Memory Process, manages the memory usage of virtual machines running on the system. It helps allocate and manage the memory resources the virtual machines require, ensuring efficient utilization of the underlying hardware.
During the operation of virtual machines, vmmem.exe may consume CPU and memory resources. The amount of system resources allocated by vmmem.exe depends on the number and activity of the virtual machines running on the system. It is important to note that vmmem.exe is a legitimate Windows process, not a virus or malware. However, if you experience high CPU or memory usage attributed to vmmem.exe, it could indicate resource-intensive actions happening on virtual machines, or misconfigurations that need to be addressed.
WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) is integral to Windows 10/11, offering virtualization solutions for users. Among other options, it is the most widely used one, so much so the use of Windows built-in virtualization is almost synonymous to WSL. That being said, it can occasionally contribute to the vmmem high usage issue due to improper setup or operational glitches.
As the most common troubleshooting advice goes, the first step to do in case of any problem is to reboot the thing. Restarting the VM can restore normal operations and fix the excessive memory usage. Here is how you can do it:
This will stop the process immediately, without any excuses, data saving, or else. Open Task Manager to confirm that the issue is solved. Main downside of this effective method is that it completely ignores data saving and other procedures that help to avoid the issues or malfunctions. If vmmemwsl.exe stopped responding, and you have some unsaved data you are not willing to sacrifice, then try the other method.
I recently ran into an issue where every time I started my Work Windows 10 laptop the fan would kick on high. Glancing quickly at Task Manager I could always see VMMEM and vmwp.exe (Virtual Machine Worker Process) chugging away and eating the CPU and battery.
Windows Defender Application Guard (WDAG) was absolutely the root cause. However, just disabling is only the first part of research. Anyone know a way to enable the feature without the CPU and battery drain?
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