How to fix Svchost.exe (netsvcs) high network usage in Windows 10

What is Svchost.exe

Also known as netsvcs, Svchost.exe is a Service Host process designed to assist Windows in hosting various services at once. The majority of operations and other processes are well-orchestrated thanks to the svchost.exe service. There is actually more than one Service Host process running at the same time. You can see a number of them in Task Manager operating at the same time. Each of them is highly important to distribute responsibilities and keep a variety of system segments in order and flawless operation. In other words, the entire Svchost.exe service is meant to help your system function the right way. Unfortunately, many users report that svchost.exe and its multiple processes eat a high level of network resources while using the system. As a result, users become unable to browse and watch online content smoothly. A similar rise may also happen with CPU, RAM, and other resources consumed by the system. Svchost.exe may pump usage of network resources to transfer data related to Automatic Updates and other services linked with the Internet connection. As we mentioned already, netsvcs is very important and cannot be disabled by users as it would cause your system to crash. However, you can run a couple of steps from our tutorial that will reduce excessive consumption and boost up your internet experience significantly. Follow them down below.

1. Disable BITS (Background Intelligent Transfer Service)

This is how you can solve high network usage caused by svchost.exe – disable BITS (Background Intelligent Transfer Service). This is a native Windows service helping your system receive and install automatic updates. For this reason, it needs network resources to check the availability of new updates and send their files right to your system. Unless you cannot live without automatic updates, we recommend you to try and disable this service, at least for experimental purposes. If you ever want to resume this service back to its operation, you will be easily able to do this.

To disable BITS:

1. Press Windows Key + R buttons at the same time, copy-paste services.msc and push Enter.
2. Now you can see the whole list of services running on your PC. Find a service called Background Intelligent Transfer Service.
3. Right-click on it and choose Properties. Then change value next to Startup type to Disabled.
4. Click on the Stop button to prevent the service from running.
5. Finally, click Apply and OK to save the changes.

You should now be able to see a sheer difference in Network usage. If nothing has changed, try to restart your system to be 100% sure.

2. Delete SoftwareDistribution contents

In case the previous method did not help you resolve the issue, we would suggest you to clear all SoftwareDistribution files to make sure Windows restores them from scratch. SoftwareDistribution is a special folder generated by Windows to store various signatures related to updates. Sometimes they can be damaged or simply uploaded causing Svchost.exe to fault and require more resources than usual. Before running manipulations with this folder, you should stop the Windows Update service to prevent any damage or conflict. Here are all of the steps:

1. Press Windows key + R buttons, copy-paste services.msc, and press Enter to open it up.
2. Find Windows Update from the list, right-click on it and choose Stop to terminate it for a while.
3. After this, navigate to SoftwareDistribution folder through this path C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution and delete all contents from it. You can also paste the path to run dialogue by pressing Windows key + R buttons again.
4. Now, return back to Windows Update service we found above, right-click on it, and select Start to turn it back on.

After executing these steps, go to Task Manager and see if consumption has changed for the better. Still not? – Follow the next methods presented below.

3. Remove logs in Event Viewer

This is another short, yet sometimes effective method to deal with high network usage. Do these easy steps and confirm if network consumption improves.

1. Type Event Viewer into the search bar next to Start Menu and open it up.
2. On the left pane, expand Windows Logs and left-click on Application.
3. Then move your eyes onto the right part of the window and choose Clear Log from the menu.
4. Select the Clear button and do exactly the same steps with Security, Setup, and System.

Once finished, close the window and go to Task Manager again. We hope no same problem with the svchost.exe service persists.

4. Install fresh updates

Many stability issues can be solved by simply downloading new updates. Unless you have Automatic Updates enabled, new patches may pend in Windows Update Center. Thus, try to install available updates and see if the problem gets fixed. Also, in case there was some Windows update installed right before svchost.exe started behaving weirdly, you can try to remove it and see if this helps. Some updates getting released by Microsoft contain bugs and flaws that affect your system. It is worth checking if some new patches were installed prior to the error appearance. Below, you will find instructions for both removing and installing new updates.

To install new updates:

1. Press Windows + I combination and choose Update & Security the same way we did above.
2. Then go to Windows Update and click on the Check for updates button. If your Windows found new updates automatically, just click on Install/Download and follow on-screen instructions.

To uninstall recent updates:

1. Press Windows Key + I buttons to open Settings and choose Update & Security.
2. Then, in Windows Update, click View update history on the right pane.
3. Choose Uninstall updates on top and delete the most recent update by date of installation.
4. Now you can reboot your PC and open the problematic application again.

We hope you found this method useful and finally managed to solve the issue of high network usage.

5. Scan for Malware

Sometimes it may be hard to know whether your PC is being affected by malware or not. Though, if none of the previously-mentioned solutions helped with addressing the issue, it becomes even more reasonable to scan your PC for malicious behavior. Different infections can lead to various conflicts and instabilities in one’s system. Unwanted or malvertising programs may eat a lot of network resources to maintain their functions and work in a system. You can use default Windows Defender or try to install a more advanced antivirus developed by Malwarebytes – a trusted and talented group of experts constantly updating their software to combat both minor and global threats. You can download it now using the link below and try a 14-day trial of the ultimate antimalware experience for free.


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Summary

Solving problems with the Svchost.exe (netsvcs) process should not be an arduous task after all. We hope it is no longer the case as you managed to reset your network usage back to adequate levels. Feel free to leave a comment below and share your experience on how you dealt with this uncomfortable issue.