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Home»Windows»12 Ways to Fix “Client Server Runtime Process High GPU” Issue

12 Ways to Fix “Client Server Runtime Process High GPU” Issue

Bhishu AcharyaBy Bhishu AcharyaDecember 12, 2022
Client Server Runtime Process High Gpu

When the Client Server Runtime process consumes excessive GPU, you may experience a sudden FPS drop when playing your favorite game. In the worst case, this may even freeze the computer, making your Windows experience severely degrade.

Basically, the Client Server Runtime (cssrs.exe) is one of the vital Windows processes that manage the overall graphical subsystem and instruction sets. In normal conditions, its GPU usage is between 0% to 1%. But this may increase for various reasons, like enabling high graphics settings, corrupted drivers, viruses, etc.

Such a problem can occur anytime – when the OS is booting up, watching videos, playing games, or performing regular tasks. Nonetheless, you do not have to worry, as this can be easily solved.

Table of Contents

  • What Causes “Client Server Runtime Process High GPU” Issue?
  • How to Fix Client Server Runtime Process High GPU
    • Scan for Malware
    • Update Your OS
    • Tweak Priority
    • Disable Hardware-accelerated GPU Scheduling
    • Disable Transparency Effects and HDR Settings
    • Tweak Visual Effects
    • Check Issue in Safe Mode With Networking
    • Perform Clean Boot
    • Update, Reinstall, or Rollback GPU Drivers
    • Delete User Profile
    • Repair Install Using Windows Media Creation Tool
    • Perform System Restore

What Causes “Client Server Runtime Process High GPU” Issue?

Most Windows users claim to have encountered a high GPU usage problem after performing a clean Windows installation. This is because several background activities are possibly running after the installation.

Likewise, your system may also seek an additional OS update, or your Windows files are yet to be indexed. Whatever the reason, this can lead to FPS bottlenecks, laggy computers, or even trigger the blue screen of death.

Therefore, if your system’s Client Server Runtime Process has spiked to about 40% to 70%, the following could be its possible causes:
  • Service has a high priority
  • Wrongfully configured Visual Effects
  • High graphical settings enabled
  • Corrupted drivers, Windows updates, BIOS, or other third-party programs
  • Malware
  • Overclocked or underclocked GPU
  • Corrupted user profile

How to Fix Client Server Runtime Process High GPU

High GPU usage is a common bug on both Client Server Runtime and Desktop Window Manager (dwm.exe) processes. In either case, users claim that their system starts to heat, and the fans make unnecessary noise.

Whatever might be the reason, this section includes simple yet effective fixes that should help you fix the problem.

Scan for Malware

If you open Task Manager, you will likely find more than one Client Server Runtime process running. However, one of these may not be legit. To confirm this, right-click on each process and pick Open File Location. If this doesn’t take you to the System32 folder, know that this is some form of malware.

Likewise, the cssrs.exe process may indicate high GPU if your computer is affected by bitcoin mining malware. So, we recommend using the built-in Windows Security app to scan for possible viruses quickly:

  1. Use the start menu to search and launch the Windows Security application.
    windows security app from start menu
  2. Next, go to Virus & threat protection.
    virus and threat protection
  3. Under Current threats, click on the Quick scan button.
    quick scan button
  4. Wait until the scan is complete. The amount of time depends on the number of files to be scanned. You should even receive a notification once this is completed.
    wait for quick scan to complete

Update Your OS

An outdated operating system is another reason behind this issue. The second possible solution is to download and install the latest Windows update:

  1. Open Settings using the Windows + I shortcut.
  2. Navigate to Windows Update.
  3. Here, click on the Check for updates button.
    check for updates
  4. If there’s an update available, press Download & install.
    download and install button in windows update
  5. Wait until your OS gets updated. Once that’s done, restart your PC and check the Client Server Runtime’s GPU usage.

If you’re already running an update, it could be downloading something that’s overkilling the GPU. So, it’s best to wait until the installation is complete.

Tweak Priority

Whether it be cssrs.exe or any other process, setting a high priority will allocate more system resources (CPU, GPU, memory, etc.). Since manually stopping this isn’t possible (as it can make your computer unstable), we recommend tweaking its priority, which should help decrease the GPU usage:

  1. First of all, launch Task Manager using the Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys.
  2. Switch to the Details tab and find csrss.exe.
    csrss in task manager
  3. Right-click on it and expand the Set priority option.
  4. Now, choose Normal, Below Normal, or Low.
    set priority to normal below normal or low
  5. Restart Task Manager and check the GPU usage of the Client Server Runtime process from the Process Tab.

Disable Hardware-accelerated GPU Scheduling

If the csrss.exe process utilizes high GPU, causing overheating problems, we highly recommend turning off the Hardware-accelerated GPU Scheduling setting. Also, some Windows users have faced freezing or crashing issues as this setting speeds up rendering by utilizing more GPU.

  1. Go to Start Menu and open Settings.
  2. Move to System > Display.
    system display in settings
  3. Scroll down and navigate to the Graphics settings.
    graphics settings
  4. Under Default settings, click on Change default graphics settings.
    change default graphics settings
  5. In the new window, toggle off the Hardware-accelerated GPU Scheduling option.
    disable hardware accelerated gpu scheduling
  6. Now, restart your computer, launch Task Manager, and check if the problem persists.

Disable Transparency Effects and HDR Settings

Enabling the built-in Transparency Effects and HDR settings does not affect the overall computer performance. However, it can make the process use more GPU than usual. Go through the following procedure to disable these options in Windows 11 to fix the Client Server Runtime Process high GPU problem:

  1. Press Windows + I shortcut to directly open Settings on your Windows PC.
  2. Navigate to System > Display > HDR.
    system display hdr
  3. Now, toggle off the Play streaming HDR video option.
  4. Next, move to Personalization > Colors.
  5. Here, turn off Transparency Effects.
  6. Once both settings are disabled, open Task Manager and check if the cssrs.exe process still shows a high GPU.

Tweak Visual Effects

It’s pretty obvious that your PC requires more significant usage of the GPU to get dazzling visual effects. In fact, this is one of the various ways to optimize your Windows. However, if you have adjusted this setting based on your appearance, you may encounter the Client Server Runtime Process high GPU problem.

  1. In the Settings application, go to System > About.
    system about in settings
  2. Move to Device Specifications and choose Advanced system settings.
    advanced system settings under device specifications
  3. After the System Properties dialogue box pops up, press the Settings button from the Performance section.
    performance settings button
  4. Once the Performance Options window launches, select the Adjust for best performance option and hit Ok.
    adjust for best performance
  5. Close all the windows and open Task Manager to check if the process still shows a high GPU.

Check Issue in Safe Mode With Networking

If tweaking the graphics settings didn’t do the trick, there may be issues with your driver or operating system. But before moving forward, it’s a good idea to check if the Client Server Runtime Process shows high CPU usage in safe mode with networking.

Basically, this is a Windows feature that starts your system with network drivers and limited services. If the issue occurs here, you can update or reinstall the corrupted device drivers. Kindly check the following steps on how to boot Windows in safe mode:

  1. In Settings, go to System > Recovery.
    system recovery in settings
  2. Now, press the Restart Now button in Advanced Startup.
    restart now button in advanced startup
  3. Again, hit the Restart now button to enter the Windows Recovery Environment.
    restart now
  4. In the Choose an option window, select Troubleshoot.
    choose an option troubleshoot
  5. Next, go to Advanced options.
    troubleshoot advanced options
  6. Then, choose Startup Settings.
    advanced options in startup settings
  7. In the next window, tap the Restart button.
    startup settings restart
  8. Now, use the F5 key on your keyboard to enable the safe mode with networking.
  9. Once the PC starts, open Task Manager and check if the high GPU problem prevails.

Perform Clean Boot

Sometimes, third-party programs (games, startup apps, or other background programs) may utilize high GPU without your knowledge. So, try performing a Windows clean boot if your device worked well in the safe mode. Otherwise, you can skip this and move on with the next fix.

Go through the below guide on how to perform a clean boot in Windows 11:

  1. Press Windows + R and execute the following command in Run to open the System Configuration utility:
    msconfig
  2. Move to the Services tab and mark the Hide all Microsoft services option.
    hide all microsoft services
  3. Now, hit the Disable all button.
    disable all
  4. Then, press the Ok button to save the changes.
  5. Next, switch to the Startup tab and tap on Open Task Manager.
    open task manager
  6. After the Task Manager opens up, right-click on each application having a high startup impact and pick Disable.
    disable startup app with high startup impact
  7. Then, restart your computer to perform a clean boot.
  8. After the computer boots, check the Client Server Runtime process in Task Manager. 
  9. If GPU usage is still high, you now know that the third-party applications do not have any issues. But if the problem is resolved, you can boot the PC in normal mode and start enabling each service to identify the culprit.
  10. Finally, remove the troublesome app or service, and you should no longer face the Client Server Runtime Process high GPU issue.

Update, Reinstall, or Rollback GPU Drivers

Well, checking and updating the drivers can significantly help fix any security or incompatibility problems that might be responsible for high GPU usage. Follow the below instructions on how you can do just that:

  1. Use Windows + X to open the Quick Link menu and pick Device Manager.
    windows x device manager
  2. Expand the Display Adapter drop-down, right-click on your graphics driver, and choose Update driver.
    update display adapter
  3. In the new dialogue box, select Search automatically for drivers.
    search for drivers automatically
  4. Wait until the latest drivers are installed.
  5. If this doesn’t solve your problem, right-click on your GPU driver and choose Uninstall device.
    uninstall display adapter
  6. After the dialogue box pops up, press the Uninstall button to uninstall the driver. This will likely turn your screen black, as there’s no graphics driver to render the content.
    uninstall display device
  7. Force restart your computer, and the necessary device driver should be installed automatically.

If the problem still exists, we recommend manually installing the drivers. To do so, you can visit Intel, NVIDIA, AMD, or other manufacturer’s official website and download the appropriate .INF file.

Some Windows users have also faced high GPU usage issues after updating their drivers. In such a case, you’ll need to roll them back:

  1. In the Device Manager window, right-click on your GPU driver, and choose Properties.
    display adapter properties
  2. Move to the Driver tab and press the Roll Back Driver button.
    roll back driver
  3. Now, choose an appropriate reason why you’re rolling back the driver and press the Yes button. This should fix the Client Server Runtime Process high GPU issue.

Delete User Profile

Another possible cause of the high GPU is a corrupted user profile. We recommend checking this on a different administrative user account. If the Client Server Process shows normal GPU usage, we recommend deleting the user profile of your main account:

  1. First, sign out of your user account and log in to an administrative account.
  2. Here, navigate to Settings > System > About > Advanced System Settings.
  3. In the Advanced tab, press the Settings button from the User Profiles section.
    user profiles settings
  4. Next, select the target user profile and hit Delete.
    select user profile and delete
  5. Press the Yes button to confirm your action.
    confirm delete yes
  6. Now, sign in to your user account again. You should see a welcome animation.
  7. Finally, open Task Manager and check if the process still shows a high GPU.

Repair Install Using Windows Media Creation Tool

Repair installation or upgrade means overriding the OS installation on your hard drive. This way, several issues, including broken system files and settings, get fixed. Go through the below guide to learn the necessary steps for repair installation using the Windows Media Creation tool:

  1. Download the Windows Media Creation setup file and run it.
  2. Accept the license terms and hit Next.
    accept license terms windows setup
  3. Select Create installation media and press Next.
    create installation media
  4. Confirm your language setting and hit Next.
    confirm langauge settings
  5. Then, choose the ISO File option and tap Next.
    iso file and next
  6. Once the dialogue box pops up, set the path to a flash or DVD drive and save it.
    select path and save
  7. Now, right-click on the dedicated ISO file and pick Mount.
    mount iso file
  8. Wait until the process is complete and navigate to the DVD drive. Here, find and execute the setup.exe file.
    run setup exe file
  9. In the Windows setup window, click on Change how Windows Setup downloads updates.
    change how windows setup downloads updates
  10. Proceed with the on-screen instructions and in the final window, hit Finish.
  11. Now, your PC should restart. After the Windows boots, navigate to Task Manager and check if the problem persists.

Perform System Restore

If none of the nine fixes helped limit the cssrs.exe GPU usage, the final option is to perform a system restore. If you had tweaked some OS settings, this might have triggered the issue.

So, returning your system to its previous state can help fix it. Moreover, if the problem is due to a recent Windows update, we recommend rolling back the system and waiting until Microsoft releases a new update to help fix the bug:

  1. In Settings, go to System > About > Advanced system settings.
  2. Once the System Properties dialogue box appears, switch to the System Protection tab.
  3. In the System Restore section, hit the System Restore button.
    system restore in system protection
  4. After the System Restore window opens up, set the Recommended restore option and hit Next.
    system restore first window next
  5. Finally, click the Finish button and proceed with the on-screen instructions to revert your system to its earlier state.
    system restore finish button
  6. Once the PC restarts, check the issue in Task Manager, and you should no longer see the Client Server Runtime Process consuming high GPU.
fix
Bhishu Acharya

Bhishu Acharya is a technical content writer at TechNewsToday. He specializes in monitors, laptops, storage devices, and other peripherals. Apart from computer hardware, you can also find his how-to and troubleshooting articles on Windows, internet, security, and networking. Ever since getting his hands on a personal computer, Bhishu started exploring its internal components at just 10. His growing curiosity led him to undertake the Computer Science & Information Technology degree and is just a year away from graduation. While balancing his study and work life for over four years, he has harnessed different sets of technical skills. With his expertise, he is now dedicated to helping netizens looking for hardware and software-related fixes. Today, Bhishu’s proficiency extends beyond computer hardware. In his spare time, he enjoys coding and learning new programming languages.

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