Fix: svchost.exe (netsvcs) High Network Usage, Memory Leak

By: Parvat Sarvade - Updated: January 30, 2019 7:54 am

If you ever experience a drop in your Internet speed, don’t go directly to fix your network connection. First, check if the svchost.exe (netsvcs) process is running on your Windows PC in the background.

If you find svchost.exe (netsvcs) under the Processes tab of the Task Manager window, your computer is facing a high network usage issue.

It is a major problem for any Windows operating system, so much so that the high network usage and memory leak caused by svchost.exe (netsvcs) can keep your internet access tightly constrained.

To fix svchost.exe (netsvcs) high network usage, you need to know more about this executable file. Let’s also find out why “svchost” process causes memory leak and high network usage on your PC.

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What is svchost.exe (netsvcs)?

In Windows 10 and earlier versions, Microsoft developed host services that can enable various functions and abilities of the operating system when executed.

Programming codes to activate these functions are compiled in Dynamic Link Libraries (DLLs) . And, these .dll files aren’t self-executable.

To run core system components such as these DLL files, Windows needs a generic host process named “netsvcs.”It is an executable file called svchost.exe.

Windows runs the svchost.exe (netsvcs) process to perform various functions directed by other services and processes. It is basically responsible to run your Windows PC in a safe and stable manner.

Is svchost.exe (netsvcs) a Virus?

Svchost.exe file is not a virus. It is using high memory because some other service is running this host process extensively. If an app or a service wants to tweak the Internet access, it runs svchost.exe (netsvcs).

Don’t assume that a virus or malware has nothing to do with svchost.exe high network usage. A key solution to fix this issue is scanning your Windows PC for malware and virus.

Like any other service, a virus can also manipulate your internet speed using svchost.exe.

How to Fix svchost.exe High Memory and Network Usage on Windows

Now, let’s try out different ways to fix this issue. I have found a couple of effective solutions to lower the high internet usage by svchost.exe (netsvcs) process.

1. Disable BITS from Using Idle Bandwidth

You can always scan your PC for malware and remove the virus to fix the high network usage of svchost.exe (netsvcs) process. But, here’s an actual fix.

Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) is a Microsoft Windows service that downloads or uploads files from/to web servers.

When a user with internet access isn’t consuming the entire data usage and network speed offered, BITS takes up the idle bandwidth of your internet connection. It uses this bandwidth from your network to transfer updates to users.

BITS triggers svchost.exe (netsvcs) towards high memory leak and high network usage with SMB file shares and data transfers to HTTP web servers.

To fix this, you need to disable BITS

Open the Run dialog (hold-press Windows key and press R key )
In the box, type “ services. msc ”

Click on OK
In the Services window, find the service entry for Background Intelligent Transfer Service
Right-click on it and click on Stop

Now, right-click on BITS service again
Go to Properties

Here, change the Startup type to “ Disabled ”

Click on OK and Apply to save changes and exit

After disabling the service, you may experience a slight impact on the foreground services running on your Windows 10 computer. The BITS process gets activated after your reboot your PC, so avoid restarting the system.

2. Reboot Services that use svchost.exe (netsvcs) Process

If that didn’t solve the issue, the problem must be revolving around some other Windows service. If a particular service is using svchost.exe (netsvcs) heavily, it can take up more space on your RAM and cause high CPU usage .

To avoid this, you need to find out the culprit service and disable it for good.

Press-hold Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys to open Task Manager
In the Processes tab , search for “svchost.exe”
Here, you’ll see the corresponding service that is running this host process
Right-click on svchost.exe
Click on Go to service

The Services tab opens up automatically
Here, click on Services button (with admin access logo)
This allows you access to Windows Services
Find the troubled service and right-click on it
Click on Restart

If the service is rerun by another service or an app, you can Stop it or Disable its Startup type (shown in solution 1 ).

After restarting the service, reboot your Windows PC and see if the svchost.exe (netsvcs) process is still eating up your internet bandwidth or not.

3. Fix with Windows Update Troubleshooter

For some users, issues with Windows Update had triggered that high network usage of svchost.exe (netsvcs). To fix such Windows computers, you need to troubleshoot the problems with Windows Update services.

Open the Start menu
Click on the gear icon ( Settings app)
Go to Update & security

Click on the Troubleshoot link
Choose Windows Update link
Click on Detect problems and apply the fixes (Recommended)
Restart your PC later

Follow this same process and troubleshoot Internet Connection ( instead of Windows Update) under the Troubleshoot menu.

If this doesn’t help, you can use another method to fix high memory usage of svchost.exe (netsvcs).

4. Empty the SoftwareDistribution Folder

This method works only when a Windows Update service is taking up your internet’s speed and bandwidth.

Open the Run dialog ( Windows + R )
Type “ services. msc ” and hit the Enter key

In the Services window, go to Windows Update service
Right-click on it and select Stop

Now, minimize the Service window and open a File Explorer window.

Go to This-PC
Open the C: Drive
Go to Windows folder
Here, locate the SoftwareDistribution folder
Right-click on it and select Delete

Restart your PC

A combination of these two processes helps you clear out the SoftwareDistribution folder and unload all generic host processes like svchost.exe (netsvcs).

5. Clean Event Viewer log

An easy and quick fix to a process’ high network usage is clearing out the Event Viewer log.

Open the Run dialog ( Windows + R )
Type “ eventvwr ” and click on OK

In the Event Viewer window, go to Windows Logs section
Expand the sub-items
Right-click on Application (Log)
Select ‘ Clear Log ’

Follow the same for Setup Log, System Log and Security Log
Reboot your PC

This is a temporary fix, and can lower the high internet usage of svchost.exe (netsvcs) for limited time period.

Can I disable svchost.exe (netsvcs)?

If none of the above solutions worked, you can scan your Windows for malware or virus. Remove unwanted software and see if this lowers the internet usage caused by svchost.exe (netsvcs).

As far as disabling this host process is concerned, you can always do it. But, I recommend that you shouldn’t disable a Windows generic host process such as svchost.exe (netsvcs). If you disable it, Windows won’t be able to work in a stable condition.

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