WerFault.exe has been plaguing Windows computers since Windows 10 by occupying a hundred percent of system resources and staying there indefinitely. It's a shame Microsoft still hasn't been able to rectify the root cause of it in Windows 11, where it has definitely leaped ahead in design and processing.
Fortunately, the WerFault.exe error is well documented, and there are several tried and tested methods you can use to resolve the problem. So, let's get going!
What is WerFault.exe, and is it safe? WerFault.exe is an essential component of the Windows Error Reporting Service, designed to help your computer communicate with Microsoft about any application crashes or issues. This helps Microsoft work on fixing these problems.
Normally, WerFault.exe activates when there's a crash and closes after collecting crash data. Sometimes, though, it might use up too much of your computer's resources.
While WerFault.exe itself isn't harmful, if you notice it's using a lot of resources, this could be due to malware pretending to be WerFault.exe, corrupted system files, or an outdated operating system.
1. Restart Your Computer
Restarting your PC might seem very elementary or unnecessary. However, sometimes there could have been an issue with the update, or a third-party service/software might be creating an issue, and a simple restart can resolve it.
If you have a laptop computer, press and hold the Power button to force shut down the computer. Wait for a couple of seconds, and then turn it back on.
In case you have a desktop computer, you can either press the physical power button on the CPU unit or you can pull the plug and start afresh.
2. Update Drivers or Roll Back Drivers
In case you have a recently updated driver, roll it back to the previous version, and your problem should be eradicated. Otherwise, if your drivers are out of date, you will have to manually make sure each driver is up to date.
To do so, open the Start Menu and type Device Manager to search for it. Then, from the search results, click on the 'Device Manager' tile to open it.
If you are here to roll back the driver, locate the component category you recently updated the driver for and double-click on it to expand the section. Then, double-click on the component to open its properties. This will open a separate window on your screen.
After that, from the properties window, click on the 'Driver' tab. Then, click on the 'Roll back Driver' button to roll back the recent update. If the button is greyed out, the driver has not been recently updated and cannot be rolled back.
In case you are here to update the driver, on the properties window of a component, click on the 'Update Driver' button. This will open a separate window on your screen.
After that, from the 'Update Drivers' window, click on the 'Search automatically for drivers' to let Windows search for drivers on its servers. Otherwise, if you already have the latest driver available on your machine, click on the 'Browse my computer for driver' option to browse the file using File Explorer.
3. Update Windows
One of the most elementary and effective methods to resolve the majority of issues is to make sure your system is up to date.
First, head to the Start Menu and click on the 'Settings' tile.
After that, click on the 'Windows Update' tile from the left sidebar to proceed.
Then, from the right section of the window, click on the 'Check for updates' button. Otherwise, click the 'Download & Install' button to download the updates. When the updates are installed, click 'Restart Now' to restart your computer and apply the changes.
4. Run a System Scan
A full system scan checks your system for any malware or virus. Typically Windows does that automatically. However, running a deep scan on your PC cannot hurt. If you have a third-party antivirus installed, follow the steps for your software to run a scan. However, for this guide, we'll be using Windows Defender (the default security system on Windows) to run the scan.
To run a full scan, head to the Start Menu and type Security in the menu to perform a search for it. After that, from the search results, click on the 'Windows Security' tile to proceed.
Next, on the right section of the page, click on the 'Scan options' button situated under the 'Current threats' section.
Then, on the next page, click on the radio button preceding the 'Microsoft Defender Antivirus' scan and then click on the 'Scan now' button present at the bottom of the page to proceed.
Your PC might shut down and restart once to complete the scan and detect any malware and/or virus on your system.
5. Run CHKDSK
CHKDSK scan will check your hard disk for physical bad sectors and logical errors. This will help you to pinpoint problems with your secondary storage device which could be causing the 'WerFault.exe' error.
First, head to the Start Menu and type Terminal to perform a search for it. After that, right-click on the 'Terminal' tile and choose the 'Run as administrator' option to proceed.
Then, enter credentials for admin on the UAC screen if not logged in with an admin account. Otherwise, click on the 'Yes' button to proceed.
After that, click on the chevron (downward arrow) and choose the 'Command Prompt' option to continue. This will open the Command Prompt in a separate tab.
Next, type or copy+paste the below-mentioned command and hit Enter on your keyboard to execute the command.
chkdsk /f
After that, press the Y key to schedule the scan to be initiated when you boot up your PC next time.
6. Run SFC and DISM
Deployment Image Servicing and Management scans will check and repair the existing operating system files installed on your device, along with other system files currently on your PC. This has been known to fix the issue for many users.
Head to the Start Menu and type 'Terminal' to search for it. Then, right-click on the 'Terminal' tile and choose the 'Run as administrator' option from the context menu to proceed.
Next, if you are not logged in with an admin account, enter credentials for one. Otherwise, click on the 'Yes' button to proceed.
After that, click on the 'chevron' (downward arrow) icon and select the 'Command Prompt' option.
Then, type or copy+paste the below-mentioned command and hit Enter on your keyboard. This will restore the currently installed OS image on your device.
DISM/ Online/Cleanup-Image/RestoreHealth
Once completed, type or copy and paste the following command to check and repair the system files on your PC. SFC is a free tool from Microsoft that can help you find and recover corrupted files on your PC.
SFC/ scannow
Once the scan is successful, restart your PC and check if the method resolves the issue.
7. Run Windows Memory Diagnostics
Windows Memory Diagnostic tool helps you diagnose and find issues with the RAM module installed on your computer. If the issue is hardware-based, this will help you pinpoint the issue.
Head to the Start Menu and type Memory Diagnostic to perform a search for it. After that, from the search results, click on the 'Windows Memory diagnostic' tile to proceed.
Then, either click the 'Restart Now and check for problems' option to restart the PC immediately. Otherwise, click the 'Check for problems the next time I start my computer' option based on when you are comfortable performing these checks.
8. Perform a Clean Boot
A third-party software/ service often interferes with the system and generates this error. Hence, starting the system in the clean boot can help you determine if the actual culprit behind the issue is a third-party software/service.
First, press the Windows+R keys together on your keyboard to bring up the Run utility. Then, type msconfig and press Enter on the keyboard to continue.
Then, click on the ‘General’ tab and select the ‘Selective startup’ option. Afterward, check the ‘Load system services’ option.
Then go to the 'Services' tab, check the 'Hide all Microsoft services' checkbox, and click 'Disable all'.
Finally, click on the ‘Apply’ and ‘OK’ buttons to save the changes and close the window.
Now, restart your PC and see if the error persists. If it doesn't, one of the third-party services was a culprit; you'll have to enable services and startup items one by one to find which one.
9. Roll Back to a System Restore Point
If you have created a system restore point previously when you were not facing this issue, you can easily roll back to it. But do note that any data from after the restore point will be gone.
Open the Start Menu and type Control. Now, click on the 'Control panel' tile from the search results.
After that, locate and click on the 'Recovery' tile from the grid of icons.
Next, click on the 'Open System Restore' option from the list. This will open a separate window on your screen.
From the separately opened window, click on the 'Next' button.
All created system restore points will be listed on the screen. Click to select the desired one and then click on the 'Next' button to initiate the rolling back process.
Next, a list of drives the rollback will impact will be displayed along with the timestamp of the restore point created. You can also check the programs that will be affected; click on the 'Scan for affected programs' button. A new window will appear on the screen.
On the new window, you can view the programs that will be deleted and the ones that will be restored (since no programs will be affected on the test PC, the list in the screenshot below is empty). Click on the 'Close' button to navigate to the previous window.
Finally, click the 'Finish' button to initiate the rollback process.
10. Disable WerFault.exe
Turning off any service on your computer is a rather easy task. However, since this service plays a crucial role in error reporting, this fix should be used as a last resort. If you can, try resetting your PC (which is the next method) before trying this.
First, head to the Start Menu and type 'Services'. Then, from the search results, click on the 'Services' tile to proceed.
After that, manually search or tap W key on your keyboard to jump to services starting from the alphabet and locate the 'Windows Error Reporting Service.' Then right-click on it and select 'Properties' from the menu. This will open a separate window on your computer.
On the Properties window, click the 'Startup' dropdown and select the 'Disabled' option. Then, click the 'Apply and 'OK' buttons to save the changes.
11. Reset Your PC
If none of the things worked for you, it is time to bring out the big guns. Resetting your PC reinstalls the complete Windows whilst keeping your personal files and folders intact.
To reset your PC, head to the Settings app from the Start Menu.
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.
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 window.
On the separate 'Reset this PC' window that appears, you will have two options: 'Keep my files' and 'Remove everything'. Choose '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.
On the next screen, you will need to choose a method for reinstalling the operating system on your machine. Since there could be an issue with the copy already present in your system, it is recommended that you click on the 'Clouid download' option.
After that, Windows will list the settings that you have chosen. If you wish to change any of it, click the 'Change settings' option to continue.
If you click the change settings option, you can configure the following settings on the next screen. You can choose not to restart the apps and settings by clicking on the toggle switch under the 'Restore preinstalled apps?' option and bringing it to the 'No' position. You can even switch from the Cloud download to the local installation by clicking on the toggle switch under the 'Download Windows?' option to change the installation method. Once adjusted according to your preferences, 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. 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. It may take several minutes, depending on your computer and the settings for resetting the PC.
Typically WerFault.exe should reduce its resource usage in a couple of minutes. However, in case it doesn't, the above-mentioned methods will definitely help you resolve the issue on your computer.
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