How To Fix Wmpnetwk.exe High CPU and Memory Usage in Windows

WMPnetwk.exe is basically part of Windows Media Player’s network sharing stuff—created by Microsoft. Usually, it lives in C:\Program Files. But here’s the thing: malware authors can slip in a fake wmpnetwk.exe, which can mess up your PC or even hardware. So, if you’re noticing your Task Manager showing crazy CPU or RAM usage from this process, fixing it’s pretty important. Sometimes running a full system scan or tweaking some settings can do the trick, but it’s not always straightforward. This guide lays out a few different ways to tackle the problem, so you can try whatever suits your situation best. If it works, great. If not, at least you’ve ruled out some common culprits.

How to Fix Wmpnetwk.exe High CPU & Memory Usage

Fix 1: Run SFC & DISM to Repair System Files

This helps because corrupted system files or damaged media components can lead Windows Media Player’s network sharing process to go haywire. Running these scans is a good first move. Usually, it fixes odd bugs and might put WMPnetwk.exe back in line. On some setups, it’ll just hang a bit while checking, but it’s worth a shot.

Run SFC Scan:

Open Command Prompt with admin rights—right-click the Start button, choose Windows Terminal (Admin) or Command Prompt (Admin).
Type: sfc /scannow. Not sure why it needs that space, but that’s the correct command. Hit Enter.
Wait for the scan to finish—might take 10–15 minutes. It’ll attempt to fix corrupted system files automatically.

Run DISM Scan:

Still in the admin Command Prompt, type: DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth.
Press Enter and let it run—this repairs the Windows component store which SFC relies on. Expect it to take a few minutes to half an hour.
Once done, restart your PC. Sometimes, a reboot helps stamps out leftover issues.

Fix 2: Turn Off Windows Media Player to Stop WMPnetwk.exe

This thing can be sneaky—if WMPnetwk.exe is hogging resources, disabling Media Player might be the fix. Kind of brutal, but it stops the sharing service from running altogether. Useful if media sharing isn’t that important for your setup.

Open Control Panel — hit Windows key + R, type control and press Enter.
Go to Programs & Features, then click on Turn Windows features on or off from the sidebar.
Scroll down to Media Features and expand it.
Uncheck the box next to Windows Media Player and click Yes to confirm. Hit OK.
Reboot and check if the CPU usage drops. On some machines, this instantly stops WMPnetwk.exe from running, but on others, it might require a manual restart of the Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service.

Fix 3: Disable Media Streaming

This is a common culprit—media streaming booting up even if you don’t use it. Disabling it in Media Player can stop the network share service from kicking into overdrive.

Open Windows Media Player.
Click on Stream in the top menu bar (if it’s missing, enable the classic menu or find options in the toolbar).
Choose More Streaming Options.
In the list, select Block All. This stops all sharing and should calm down WMPnetwk.exe.
To turn it back on later, just repeat the steps and click Turn on media streaming.

Fix 4: Run a Virus & Malware Scan

Because of course, Windows has to make things annoying—sometimes a malicious program masquerades as WMPnetwk.exe, causing resource hogging. Running a full scan with your favorite antivirus or Windows Defender can catch nasties.

Open the search bar and type “Virus & Threat Protection”.
Select it, then pick a full scan—Full Scan or Offline Scan if available. It’ll take a while, so maybe start it and go grab coffee.
Once done, reboot and see if the issue persists. If bad files are found, follow the prompts to quarantine or delete.

Fix 5: Use Registry Tweaks to Disable Media Streaming

This is kinda “advanced, ” but it works for some folks. Tweaking registry keys to disable media streaming prevents WMP from kicking into gear and using resources.

Run Regedit as administrator—hit Windows key + R, type regedit.
Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\MediaPlayer\Preferences\HME
Look for a DWORD called DisableDiscovery. If it doesn’t exist, right-click in the right pane, choose New > DWORD (32-bit) Value, and name it DisableDiscovery.
Double-click it and set the value data to 1. Click OK.
Close Regedit, reboot and check if WMPnetwk.exe calms down.

Fix 6: Disable the WMPnetwk.exe Service

If all else fails, kicking the service directly might do the trick. Some users report that stopping or disabling the Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service helps contain CPU usage. But beware—this also disables media sharing on your machine.

Press Windows key + R, type services.msc, and press Enter.
Find Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service in the list.
Right-click it, go to Properties. Under Startup type, choose Disabled or Manual.
Click Stop if it’s running, then hit OK.
Reboot and see if the process now stays low-key. Remember, this cuts off media sharing, so only do it if that’s acceptable.

These options should help tame WMPnetwk.exe if it’s eating all your system resources. Sometimes, a combination of fixes works better than just one. Don’t be surprised if one fix doesn’t stick on the first try; Windows can be weird about these things.

Summary

Run SFC and DISM to repair corrupted system files.
Disable Windows Media Player temporarily if it’s not needed.
Turn off media streaming to cut down on background activity.
Scan for viruses or malware—better safe than sorry.
Edit registry keys to disable media discovery.
Stop or disable the network sharing service manually if needed.

Wrap-up

High CPU & RAM usage from WMPnetwk.exe can be a pain, but it’s usually fixable with a few tricks. Sometimes it’s just corrupt files, other times it’s Windows media sharing settings going rogue. Whatever works in your situation, don’t forget to reboot after making changes—they’re often needed to kick in. Hopefully, this saves someone hours of frustration and makes your Windows run a little smoother. Fingers crossed this helps.