Geek Stuff

What is Desktop Window Manager (DWM.exe) and Should it be Running?

By Brian Burgess

Updated March 28, 2024

Wondering why Desktop Window Manager or, DWM.exe is running on your Windows PC? Here’s what you need to know.

If you keep track of the processes running on your Windows PC, you might wonder what DWM.exe is. Is it a virus or other type of malware? Good news. Desktop Window Manager (DWM) is a valid Windows process required by your system to provide graphical user experiences.

So, the short answer is it’s not a virus. However, there are important things to mention about it, its history, and what you can do if hogs system resources.

What is Desktop Window Manager (DWM.exe)?

Desktop Window Manager, aka DWM.exe, is a composite window manager that renders the graphical user interface effects that make Windows a pleasure to look at and use. For instance, it supports Windows transparency, Flip3D, animation effects, taskbar thumbnails, high-resolution monitors, and other graphical features.

Graphical features like Taskbar Thumbnails are possible because of Desktop Window Manager (DWM.exe).

Back in Vista’s day, it showed up in Task Manager as DWM.exe, and it was possible to disable it via services.exe. However, on Windows 10 and 11, you can no longer disable it, and you don’t want to. It was responsible for all the “eye candy” introduced in Vista, like Aero Glass.

Desktop Windows Manager (DWM.exe) running in Task Manager.

Starting with Windows 7, Desktop Window Manager became integral to the graphical user interface experience. That integration has only deepened with modern versions of Windows, i.e., 10 and higher. Plus, Microsoft has developed Windows well enough to the point (compared to Vista) so that DWM utilizes system resources more efficiently than older versions. Disabling DWM would effectively break the Windows GUI.

What if Desktop Window Manager Uses High RAM and CPU?

As we explained, this was more of a problem in earlier versions of Windows, and you could disable the DWM service. That, however, is no longer an option. You can kill the process, but unsaved work could be lost, the screen will flicker, and the process will restart.

If you keep an eye on Task Manager, you may notice spikes in CPU and RAM usage by DWM. Typically, that will happen when you boot up your PC, start a new instance of an app, or have multiple windows open. When there is a temporary spike, it should return to the 1-2% usage range and stay at that constant. In addition, since DWM performs graphically related tasks, it is not odd to see it use GPU cycles. But again, spikes are rare and only temporary.

Fix High DWM Resource Usage

Okay, you think Desktop Window Manager uses too much CPU or RAM. What can you do? Luckily, there are a few things you can try.

Kill the DWM Process

You can end the process without harming your PC by opening Task Manager. But unsaved work could potentially be lost, so keep that in mind.

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to launch Task Manager.
2. Select the Processes tab, right-click Desktop Window Manager, and click End task.

3. Make sure to save your work, i.e., documents, files, and web forms. Check the Abandon unsaved data and shut down box. Then, click the Shut down button.

As noted, your screen will flicker once or twice. After that, you will see DWM restart in Task Manager, and it should run normally.

Check for Malware

Another reason DWM may be using high system resources is because of a virus or other malicious code running on your PC. On rare occasions, a virus may have replaced the real process with an executable of its own.

Windows has a built-in virus and malware protection app that scans in real-time, but it never hurts to run a scan manually.

1. Press the Windows key, type Windows Security, and select the top result.
2. Select the Virus & threat protection tab in the left panel and click the Quick scan button on the right.

Note that the scan can take a while to complete. Follow the onscreen instructions to remove or quarantine the malware if something is found. If the Windows Security app doesn’t find anything, you can get a second opinion by running a scan with a third-party security app like Avast or AVG Antivirus.

Update Hardware Drivers

Another essential thing to do if DWM uses a lot of system resources is to update hardware drivers on your PC. Namely, ensure your graphics card (GPU) has the latest drivers. Since DWM offloads a lot of work to the graphics card to reduce the load on the CPU, it’s important to have GPU drivers updated.

Update Windows

Occasionally, an OS bug may cause DWM to use high resources under certain conditions. Luckily, a fix may be a few clicks away. Check out how to update Windows 11. Or, if you aren’t on it yet, read about updating Windows 10 by going to Settings > Update & security > Windows Update.

DWM is a Safe, Necessary, and Not a Virus

Desktop Window Manager or DWM.exe is not a virus but necessary for the graphical experience on Windows 10 and 11.

If it uses too much RAM, GPU, or CPU cycles, you can safely kill the process, and it will restart itself. If that doesn’t work, make sure to update system drivers and check for malware.

In the end, you can have peace of mind knowing that DWM is not a virus but a necessary Windows process that provides an important visual experience.