This is one of the errors that can present itself anytime, you might be using your machine in a routine fashion and suddenly the error prompt will be displayed, in some cases, along with a software crash.

BackgroundTaskHost is a crucial process for the system to work, hence it is recommended that you take some time and resolve the error to prevent any major system crash or worse damage to your operating system files.

That being said since this error, at times, can have multiple reasons to present itself, you might have to try more than one fix mentioned below in order to eradicate the problem from the root level.

However, just follow the solutions step-by-step and you will be back to what you were doing in no time. So without further ado, let’s get started with the fixes.

Run SFC and DISM Scan Using Command Prompt

The first and foremost is to run a System File Checker (SFC) and Deployment Image Servicing and Management scan in order to check if there are any damaged or corrupted system files and download new system files from Microsoft Servers to replace them.

To do so, open the Start Menu and type Command Prompt. Then, from the search results, right-click on the ‘Command Prompt’ tile and select the ‘Run as administrator’ option to open the Terminal with admin rights.

Now, a UAC (User Account Control) screen will appear. If you are not logged with an admin account, provide credentials for one. Otherwise, click on the ‘Yes’ button to proceed and open the Command Prompt window.

After that, type or copy+paste the below-mentioned command and hit Enter on your keyboard. This will run the DISM tool on your PC which will reinstall the system image that is used to repair your Windows PC.

Note: This command requires an active internet connection to download the system image file from the Microsoft Servers.

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

The DISM command may take up to several minutes depending on the speed of your internet connection, it may also appear stuck at times and it is a normal behavior of the command. Wait patiently till the execution of the command completes.

Once completed, type or copy+paste the below-mentioned command to invoke the SFC (System File Checker) that will scan your currently installed Windows image and fix the damaged or corrupted files using the one you downloaded in the previous step.

SFC /scannow

Once the SFC command is finished executing, head to the Start Menu and restart your PC. Now, after your PC is restarted, check if the issue still persists. If it does, hop on to the next solution.

Roll Back to a System Restore Point

If you have a reason to believe that a recent software upgrade or a third-party software installation might be the culprit behind the issue, you can also roll back to a system restore point.

Press the Windows+R shortcut on your keyboard to bring up the ‘Run Command’ utility. Then, type control and hit Enter on your keyboard. This will open the Control Panel on your machine.

After that, locate and click on the ‘Recovery’ tile from the grid of options to continue.

Next, click on the ‘Open System Restore’ option from the list of options on your screen. This will open a separate ‘System Restore’ window on your screen.

From the separately opened window, click on the ‘Next’ button located at the bottom right section to proceed.

You will then see the list of System Restore points you can roll back to. Click to select from the list and then click on the ‘Next’ button.

You will now see the drives that will roll back using the chosen restore point from the ‘Drives’ section. If you also wish to see the files and programs that will be affected, click the ‘Scan for affected programs; option. This will open a separate window.

On the new screen, you can view the programs that will be deleted and the ones that will be restored (in our case there were no programs that were going to be affected by the restore, hence the list in the screenshot below is empty). Click on the ‘Close’ button to close the window.

Finally, click the ‘Finish’ button to start the System Restore process on your Windows 11 PC.

If the error was generated by a recent update or any third-party software installation, you no longer should face the issue. However, in the case you are still facing the error, hop on to the next solution.

Reset your Windows 11 PC

If none of the things worked for you, it is time to bring out the big guns, resetting your PC reinstall the complete Windows whilst keeping your personal files and folders intact.

To reset your PC, head to the Settings app either from the pinned apps section on the Start Menu or from the ‘All apps’ section.

After that, make sure you have selected the ‘System’ tab from the left sidebar present on the Settings window.

Next, from the right section of the window, scroll down to locate and click on the ‘Recovery’ tile to continue.

Now, locate the ‘Reset this PC’ tile present under the ‘Recovery options’ section and click on the ‘Reset PC’ button situated on the far right edge of the tile. This will open a separate ‘Reset this PC’ window on your screen.

On the separate ‘Reset this PC’ window that appears, you will have two options. Choose the ‘Keep my files’ by clicking on it to roll the system settings and apps to a fresh start whilst keeping your personal files and folders intact.

After that, you would need to choose between a ‘Cloud download’ and a ‘Local reinstall’. Cloud download is believed to be comparably more reliable and stable than ‘Local reinstall’ as there might be a possibility of damage or corruption of local files. However, the ‘Cloud download’ option would require an active internet connection.

Now, click on the ‘Cloud download’ option to reinstall Windows on your computer.

Note: Neither of the reinstalling options would require you to plug in any external installation media.

Next, you will see the current settings for your PC reset. If you wish to change these settings, click the ‘Change settings’ option.

On the ‘Choose settings’ window, you have three options that will alter the settings:

  • Clean data?: This option is generally applicable when you wish to give away your PC and do not want anybody to recover your personal files.
  • Delete files from all drives?: As the name suggests, this option enables you to choose to remove the data from your WIndows Installer drive or wipe the drive clean. If you wish to delete from all drives, toggle the switch to the ‘Yes’ position. Also, if enabled, ‘Clean data’ will apply to all drives.
  • Download Windows?: This option enabled to switch from ‘Cloud download’ to ‘Local reinstall’ – if you feel the need to change the resinstallation before it starts.

Once you have set the additional settings as per your preference, click the ‘Confirm’ button to proceed.

Then, click the ‘Next’ button at the bottom of the window to continue.

It might take a while for Windows to load the next screen. Sit tight while the process runs in the background.

On the next screen, Windows will list the impact of resetting your PC. Read them carefully and click on the ‘Reset’ button to start the resetting process.

Your machine may restart several times, which is completely normal whole resetting. Resetting may take up to several minutes depending on your computer and the chosen settings for resetting the PC.

That’s it, one of the above methods should positively resolve the issue on your Windows 11 computer.