What Is “Service Host: Network Service” in Windows

Plus 5 ways to reduce its usage

Service Host: Network Service is an essential system process that helps your computer maintain a secure, stable connection to the internet. The problem is that the process often uses a stack of system resources, causing your PC or network to slow down significantly.

Below, we’ll explain what Service Host: Network Service is; then we’ll cover the five best ways to reduce its CPU usage.

What Is Service Host: Network Service?

Service Host: Network Service, also known as svchost.exe, is a host process on the Windows operating system. It hosts various Windows services related to network connectivity, ensuring your computer maintains a stable internet connection.

Some examples of services that Service Host: Network Service manages include Windows Firewall, Windows List Service, and Network Location Awareness. It’s also involved in maintaining network security and optimizing resource allocation.

Is Service Host: Network Service a Virus?

It’s unlikely that your Service Host: Network Service process is malware. However, it is possible since malicious coders like to use the name of Windows processes to remain hidden. And it might explain why your process has suddenly started causing high Network, CPU, or disk usage.

Here’s how to check whether your process is a virus or malware:

If the executable file is located elsewhere on your PC, it might be a virus. We recommend running anantivirusscan to clear your computer of any potential viruses.

Note:It’s also possible forstubborn malwareto take advantage of system processes like svchost.exe, masking their activity and making it seem like the system process is responsible for high network or memory usage. We recommend installing reputable antivirus software and running a deep scan, just in case your device is infected.

How to Fix Service Host: Network Service High Network or CPU Usage

Usually, if the svchost.exe process is causing high network or CPU usage, something went wrong. A properly functioning system process should not use up that many system resources. Luckily, there are a few easy fixes that should solve your problem.

Updating Windows can clear out any residual glitches in its system processes. To update Windows:

Problems can also occur when aWindows update freezesand cannot be completed. In these cases, Windows Update might cause svchost.exe’s high network usage. To fix problems with Windows Update, you should run the Windows Update Troubleshooter. On Windows 10:

On Windows 11:

A second quick fix that works for some users is simply ending the task and restarting your computer. This seems to refresh the system process, clearing out whatever bug caused it to malfunction. To do so:

There are several services that, when disabled, seem to resolve the high CPU usage of Service Host: Network Service. We recommend disabling these individually to find out whether any are at fault. If disabling them has no effect on your system resource usage, re-enable them to ensure that your computer runs as it should.

If neither works, try disabling Delivery Optimization. To do so on Windows 10:

To disable Delivery Optimization on Windows 11:

Often, when Service Host: Network Service is causing extremely high network bandwidth usage, it’s because of an application like the Xbox app or Steam downloading (or failing to download) in the background.

To find out whether or not this is the case for you, check each app you know of that might be downloading something in the background. The most common culprits are the Xbox app, Steam, and the Microsoft Store.

Your final resort is to run an SFC scan. This will check your PC for any corrupted system files, replacing them with fully functional files. To run an SFC scan:

Service Host: Problem Solved

The Service Host: Network Service process is an essential system file and can’t be removed. But hopefully, with the help of this article, you’ve fixed its high resource usage and your computer is now running as it should.

Jake Harfield is an Australian freelance writer whose passion is finding out how different technologies work. He has written for several online publications, focusing on explaining what he has learned to help others with their tech problems. He’s an avid hiker and birder, and in his spare time you’ll find him in the Aussie bush listening to the birdsong.Read Jake’s Full Bio

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