The ‘Shell Infrastructure Host’, also known as sihost.exe, is a system process that handles various visual aspects of the operating system.

Your desktop background, pop-up notifications, the appearance of the taskbar, and a few other parts of the graphical user interface are handled by the Shell Infrastructure Host process in Windows.

If you are using a stable build of the Windows operating system, the Shell Infrastructure Host process is likely to run in the background and consume a small amount of Memory and CPU usage. However, sometimes, due to specific problems, the same process can raise CPU and RAM usage and freeze your computer.

How to Fix Shell Infrastructure Host High CPU Usage

So, if you are experiencing problems due to Shell Infrastructure Host high CPU usage, you can make certain changes to your computer to resolve the issue. Here are the best ways to fix the Shell Infrastructure Host high CPU usage problem.

1. Restart your computer

Restart your computer

Before trying anything else, you need to restart your Windows computer. Restarting can sometimes resolve the most complicated problems on your computer, including system processes raising the CPU and RAM resource consumption.

Some apps may prevent the Shell Infrastructure Host from functioning, resulting in high CPU and RAM resources. So, before making any changes, restart your computer.

To restart your Windows PC, click the Windows Start button and Power menu and select Restart. This would restart your Windows computer.

2. Run the System Maintenance Troubleshooter

The System Maintenance Troubleshooter has a few links to the Shell Infrastructure Host. Hence, you can run it to resolve the high CPU and Memory usage caused by the same process. Here’s what you need to do.

1. First, click on Windows Search and type in Control Panel. Next, open the Control Panel app from the list.

Control Panel

2. When the Control Panel opens, click on Troubleshooting.

Troubleshooting

3. On the Troubleshooting screen, click the View All button on the left pane.

View all

4. You will now see a list of all available troubleshooters. Find and click on System Maintenance.

System Maintenance

5. On the next prompt, check the Apply repairs automatically prompt and click the Next button.

Apply repairs automatically

3. Check for Program Conflicting with the Process

You can boot your computer into safe mode and check whether the ‘Shell Infrastructure Host’ process still causes high CPU or memory usage. If there’s no such issue in a clean boot or Safe mode, you must find the problematic third-party software.

It’s pretty easy to find all installed software in Windows; you can access the Control Panel and remove all suspicious programs. Alternatively, you can look closely at the Task Manager to find programs running in the background without your consent.

If you find any apps that shouldn’t be on your computer, it’s recommended that you uninstall them.

4. Repair or Reset the Photos App

Well, the Photos app of Windows 10/11 is another prominent reason for Shell infrastructure host high CPU usage. Corrupted Microsoft Photos installation files are what trigger the issue.

Hence, you can try repairing or resetting the Microsoft Photos app to resolve the issue. Here’s what you need to do.

1. First, click on Windows Search and select Settings.

Settings

2. On Settings, switch to the Apps section.

Apps

3. Next, on the right side, select Installed Apps.

Installed Apps

4. Now, find Microsoft Photos, click on the three dots beside it, and select Advanced Options.

three dots

5. On the next screen, scroll down and click on Repair. This will repair the Microsoft Photos app.

Repair

 

6. If repairing didn’t help, click the Reset button underneath the Repair button.

Reset

5. Run an Antimalware Scan

Windows Defender is a great security program that ships with Windows 10/11. It can run a full antimalware scan on your system. There are various ways to scan with Windows Security; here’s the easiest one.

1. Click on Windows Search and type Windows Security. Next, open the Windows Security app from the list.

Windows Security

2. When the Windows Security app opens, click on the Virus & Threat Protection tab.

Virus & threat protection

 

3. On the right side, click on the Scan options.

Scan options

4. On the Scan options, select Full Scan and click the Scan Now button.

Full Scan

The full scan option will check all files and running programs on your hard disk. However, the scan could take up to one hour to complete.

6. Run the SFC/DISM Command

Another best way to resolve ‘Shell Infrastructure Host’ high CPU usage is by running the SFC and DISM commands. Both commands are designed to resolve problems associated with corrupted system files. Here’s what you need to do.

1. Click on Windows Search and type in CMD. Next, right-click the Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.

Run as administrator

2. When the command prompt opens, type in sfc /scannow and press Enter.

sfc /scannow

3. If the SFC command returns an error, you need to execute this command:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

paste the given command

The DISM command may take a few minutes to complete. You must wait until the command finishes fixing all your corrupted system files.

7. Perform a Clean Boot

Well, Clean Boot won’t help you fix Shell Infrastructure Host high CPU usage, but it will help you confirm that no third-party app conflicts with the process.

Clean boot is performed to boot Windows with minimal drivers and startup programs. It disables most third-party apps installed on your device. So, if Shell Infrastructure’s high CPU usage issue doesn’t appear when you clean boot, you must find and remove the conflicting third-party program.

Here’s how you can perform a clean boot on Windows.

1. Press the Windows Key + R button on your keyboard. On the RUN dialog box, type msconfig.msc and press Enter.

msconfig.msc

2. Switch to the Services tab on the System Configuration and check the Hide all Microsoft services checkbox. Once done, click on Disable All.

click on the Disable all button

3. Launch Task Manager and switch to the Startup tab. Right-click on the apps you don’t want to run at startup and select Disable.

select 'Disable'

After making the changes, restart your computer. This will clean boot your PC; check if Shell Infrastructure Host still raises the CPU bar.

8. Update your Windows Operating System

Check for updates

If nothing worked for you, updating your Windows operating system is the remaining option. Updating Windows will likely rule out bugs or glitches that may conflict with the Shell Infrastructure host process.

Also, keeping your system updated is always a good idea to enjoy the new features and enhanced security & privacy options. To update Windows, open Settings > Windows Update > Check for Update.

Windows 10/11 will automatically check for updates. If it finds any updates available for your computer, it will install them automatically.

Also read: How to Fix CxUIUSvc Service High CPU & RAM Usage (5 Ways)

These are the few best methods to resolve ‘Shell Infrastructure Host’ high CPU usage on Windows computers. Let us know in the comments below if you need more help fixing the sihost.exe high CPU usage. Also, if the article helped you, share it with your friends.

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