What Is Conhost.exe File and Why & How to Delete It

What Is Conhost.exe

Task Manager includes plenty of processes such as svchost.exe, ctfmon.exe, rundll32.exe and conhost.exe, etc. So, what is conhost.exe (Console Windows Host) process? To have a deep understanding of conhost.exe, you should know its history. Here, MiniTool will introduce it to you.

In the time of Windows XP, Command Prompt was handled by the ClientServer Runtime System (CSRSS). As the name implies, CSRSS was system level service, which causes several issues. One is that CSRSS could bring down the whole system, while the other is that it could not be themed.

Therefore, the Command Prompt always has the classic look rather than using new interface elements. Then, Windows Vista introduced the Desktop Windows Manager (dwm). The Command Prompt obtained some superficial themes from this. The dwm allowed you to drag and drop files, text and other objects into the Command Prompt.

The Console Windows Host process comes along with Windows 7. It refers to a hots process for the console window. The process is next to CSRSS and the Command Prompt, which enables Windows to draw interface elements correctly such as scrollbars and drag and drop into the Command Prompt.

The new interface elements and styling that have come with Windows 7 are still used in Windows 8 and Windows 10. The console Windows host functions like a shell that has a capability of running a system-level service like CSRSS and integrating modern interface elements safely and reliably.

Conhost.exe Using too Much Memory Error

Under the condition that there’s no malicious software, the conhost.exe file will consume hundreds of KB RMA. This file will not larger than 10MB even though you boot the conhost.exe program. If you encounter the conhost.exe using too much memory issue, it is very likely a counterfeit one.

There’s conhost.exe virus called Conhost Miner (an offshoot of CPUMiner), which stores its conhost.exe file in the %userprofile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\ folder, which attends to run a Bitcoin or other cryptocoin mining operation without your knowing. This consumes much memory.

See also:

• What Is SoftThinks Agent Service and How to Fix Its High CPU
• Quick Fix Windows Modules Installer Worker High CPU Usage

How to Delete Conhost.exe Virus

As mentioned above, if there’s virus hidden behind conhost.exe console Windows host, you may encounter conhost.exe high CPU usage error. That means the conhost.exe itself is not virus. Besides, here are some methods to distinguish whether it is virus or not.

If you find conhost.exe in Windows Vista or Windows XP, it is bound to virus or has harmful programs at least – these Windows operating systems don’t utilize this file. Another cue is that this file is stored in a wrong folder. The true conhost.exe file will only run in a certain folder.

You can follow the steps below to check whether the conhost.exe is dangerous.

Step 1: Open the Task Manager by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys.

Step 2: Go to conhost.exe process in the Details tab (or Process tab in Windows 7).

Step 3: Check the far-right volume under the Description to ensure that it reads Console Windows Host.

Step 4: Right click the process and choose Open file location.

Step 5: Then the folder will show you the specific location that the conhost.exe is stored. If the location is shown like this C: \ Windows \ System32 \, it is not a harmful one.

If you find that the conhost.exe file is a malicious one, you need to delete it. You can delete it manually or automatically through third-party software. I will show the two methods one by one.

The wise operation to delete conhost.exe virus completely is to delete other files created by the virus and then delete the whole program. Deleting conhost.exe virus is a complicated and high-risk process, so you need to follow the every step in the guide.

Alternatively, you can delete conhost.exe virus via a third-party tool like Malwarebytes. After installing it to your computer, run the whole system scanning to find and delete conhost.exe virus.

Considering that the conhost.exe virus can damage your system seriously and suffer important data leak, you need to escape and get rid of it as soon as possible. Here, it is recommended that you back up system and data.