What Is the Windows Process Wuauclt.exe? Is It Safe to Run?

What Is Wuauclt.exe?

What is wuauclt.exe?

Recently, we found that some users issue their concerns about this process – wuauclt.exe in the Microsoft community. This Windows process takes up an inordinate amount of memory and brings some trouble to users. They want to figure out if this process is harmful or not.

First of all, the full name of wuauclt.exe is Windows Update AutoUpdate Client. This component belongs to Microsoft Windows Operating System by Microsoft Corporation and often appears on the Task Manager’s processes list when it is waiting for a response.

It is mainly used to check with the Microsoft website for updates to the operating system and if this service crashes, all other system services hosted by that instance will stop also. If Automatic Updates are turned on in a device, wuauclt.exe will remain active all the time.

Normally, you can locate it in the folder C:\Windows\System32. If you find this folder in other location, the possibility is that wuauclt.exe is a virus, spyware, Trojan or worm!

Is Wuauclt.exe a Virus? Or Is It Safe to Run?

Most people will wonder if the Windows process wuauclt.exe in Windows 10 is a virus or is it safe to run background. There are many Windows processes in Task Manager and most of them play important parts in running Windows.

Sometimes, it provides opportunities for cyber-attackers to infiltrate into users’ systems by camouflage themselves into legitimate parts of the system, while those Windows processes, since users know less of them, can be the best choice for disguise.

So, how to identify a camouflaged virus or malware that is potentially dangerous? The most common method is to check for the folder location. Besides, you can go to Task Manager to check its resources usage. Most malware will consume a large amount of resources abnormally.

There are more signs that can tell you the system is at risk of being attacked and for detailed information, you may read these posts:

• How to Know If Your Computer Has a Virus: Signs of Infection
• Windows 11 Virus & Malware: Examples/Detection/Removal/Prevention

Protect Your Data – MiniTool ShadowMaker

Since the Windows process wuauclt.exe can be potential danger residing in your computer and this issue has happened on many users. We definitely need to apply some measures to protect your data and fight against the malicious malware.

First of all, if you doubt wuauclt.exe is disguised by some viruses, you can run Windows virus scan for your system to make sure there is no potential risks exists.

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Then, to better protect your data from cyber-attacks, you can prepare a backup plan for your data so that you can directly recover it once data loss happens. To do that, you can use MiniTool ShadowMaker, this free backup software, to back up your systems, files & folders, and partitions & disks.

Besides, you can directly clone a whole disk for preparation via the Clone Disk feature. You can download and install the program via the following button and click Keep Trial after opening the program to enjoy a 30-day free trial version.

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How to Disable Wuauclt.exe?

Some people may find the wuauclt.exe in Windows 10 occupy too much space and consume unnecessary resources. So, is it available to disable wuauclt.exe?

Of course you can temporarily disable wuauclt.exe, but permanent shutdown is not recommended because your computer will stop automatic updates and any other related services.

To temporarily disable the process, you can do as follows.

Step 1: Right-click on the system tray and click Task Manager from the quick menu. If it’s not expanded, click on More details.

Step 2: In the Processes tab, locate and right-click on the wuauclt.exe process to choose End task. This auto-update client will stop running.

When you restart the PC, the wuauclt.exe process will run again.

If you want to permanently disable wuauclt.exe, you can locate wuauclt.exe in File Explorer and choose to delete it. For complete removal, please delete it again from the recycle bin.

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Bottom Line:

This article is mainly about the wuauclt.exe process. We have explained this process from different aspects and also, give you some advice to better protect your system. If you need any other help, you can leave the messages below.