Defender consumes excessive memory even when not in use.
Defender consumes excessive memory even when not in use.
Microsoft Defender is currently consuming more than 11 gigabytes of RAM (I have 16). It’s unfortunately outperforming Chrome and Firefox combined. The CPU usage sits around 30%. I attempted disabling all settings in "Virus & threat protection settings," added Defender’s files to the exclusions, included DisableAntiSpyware in the registry under Windows Defender, and tried setting it to 0 and 1. Despite these efforts, RAM usage keeps rising, causing Firefox to crash. My only option seems to be switching to another antivirus and temporarily disabling the defender. I’m unsure how to identify the exact cause of the spike. I’m running on Windows 10 Pro 20H2.
Attempt all your fixes to disable it, then reinstall drivers if needed. Run a full system antivirus scan and let it complete. Turn off live file protection and check if the issue continues. It could be another program causing Defender to run out of memory. These steps sometimes reveal unrelated problems, such as laptop touchpad lag when GeForce Experience is active. Restart Ethernet, force stop Defender, restart the PC, and follow the earlier instructions.
Thanks for your feedback. I've tried all the advice you gave, but the performance still doesn't return to normal. After disabling Real-time protection, CPU usage stays low at about 10%, and RAM usage only drops slightly to around 2GB—though it remains higher than usual. When I turn it back on, it quickly increases again. Could you help me understand what your system is doing during those spikes?
CPU performance has fallen to 0%, RAM is at 500 MB with Real-time disabled. Activating Real-time restores it quickly. I prefer keeping the antivirus active, though. Real-time usually turns on after a short delay. Would you consider switching to another antivirus instead?