High usage by “sppsvc.exe” is a little different from other processes. It occurs in two cases; in a genuine windows copy and in a copy activated with third-party applications (such as KMS etc.). What need to be noted by users is that if you don’t have official windows, KMS will most likely be running in the background and conflicting with sppsvc which is the authentication mechanism present in Windows. In cases of a genuine windows copy, it is most likely a bug with third-party application and be solved by checking the system in a safe/clean boot. Note: It is possible that you have a genuine windows copy but a pirated copy of other Microsoft utilities (such as Microsoft office) which are activated using third-party applications. In either case, if we disable the service as a last resort to end the CPU usage, it will bring forth the watermark “Windows is not activated” on the bottom right side of the screen.
Solution 1: Running System Maintenance Troubleshooter
We can try running the system maintenance troubleshooter and check for any errors and discrepancies in your operating system.
Solution 2: Checking in Safe Mode and Clean Boot
We can check if the process still consumes all these resources in a safe or clean boot. Both methods start your computer with a minimum set of services and drivers so you can identify and isolate the program/application giving you trouble. Boot your computer into safe mode and If you cannot identify the problem using the safe mode, you can move on to clean booting your system and check if you can successfully isolate the problem.
Solution 3: Running System File Checker
System File Checker (SFC) is a utility present in Microsoft Windows which allows the users to scan their computers for corrupt files in their operating system. This tool has been there in Microsoft Windows since Windows 98. It is a very useful tool for diagnosing the problem and checking if any problem is due to corrupt files in windows. We can try running SFC and see if our problem gets solved. You will get one of the three responses when running SFC.
Windows didn’t find any integrity violationsWindows Resource Protection found corrupt files and repaired themWindows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some (or all) of them
If an error was detected and was fixed using the above methods, restart your computer and check if the process started working normally.
Solution 4: Scanning for Malware
Sometimes, this unusual behavior is caused by malware or virus present on your machine. Many users reported that many viruses disguised themselves as the Microsoft process and continued to consume the system resources. Scan your computer using your antivirus utility and ensure that your PC is clean. If you don’t have any specific antivirus utility installed, you can use the Windows Defender utility.
Note: You can also run the Microsoft safety scanner since it has the latest virus definitions and check if it finds any discrepancies.
Solution 5: Updating your KMS or Disabling it
For the users using KMS software for activating windows products, check if you have the latest KMS software installed on your PC. Once you have updated your KMS activation, restart your PC completely and check if the problem still persists. If it still does, you can either try disabling KMS or stop the sppsvc.exe. By disabling the “sppsvc.exe” you will be shown “Windows is not genuine” watermark on your lock screen (covered in solution 6). However, if you have a genuine copy of windows and have used KMS for activation of other software, you can try disabling KMS.
Solution 6: Disabling the Service (sppsvc)
If all the above methods don’t work, you can try disabling the service completely using the Registry Editor. Do note that this solution might pop the watermark “Windows is not activated” on your home screen. Note: Registry Editor is a powerful tool and should always be used with precaution. Don’t change entries you have no knowledge of. Doing so might render your computer unusable.
Another remedy is to stop the service from the services window. This might not work all the time but it is still worth a shot.
This will instantly stop the service and all the related tasks of Software Protection from your computer.
Solution 7: Disabling from Scheduler (sppsvc)
If the software protection (sppsvc) isn’t stopped by solution 6, we can try disabling it using the task scheduler.
If there are also other entries present, disable each one of them to ensure that the service doesn’t start again. Reboot your computer and check if the problem got solved.
Solution 8: Updating the latest Windows Updates
Windows roll out important updates targeting the bug fixes in the operating system. If you are holding back and not installing the Windows update, we strongly recommend that you do. Windows 10 is the latest Windows operating system and new operating systems take a lot of time to get perfect in every regard. There are a lot of issues still pending with the OS and Microsoft rolls out frequent updates to target these issues.
Solution 9: Refreshing your Windows
If all the above solutions don’t fix the issue, you can try refreshing your Windows with a fresh copy. You can also try restoring your Windows from a previous restore point (if made) and check if the problem still persists. If it doesn’t, you can install a new copy of windows after backing up all of your data.
Post-1709 Update:
It seems that Microsoft eventually caught up with the KMS software. The high CPU/Disk usage by Software Protection will not go away if you are using KMS software until any further releases are developed by the KMS software developers targetting this. Until then there are no workarounds but to either purchase a genuine copy of Windows or roll back to any version before 1709.
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