How to Fix Modern Setup Host High CPU Usage?

A slow computer is one of the things that people rely on technology the most. When your PC isn’t working as well as usual, do you check the Task Manager? After all, this tool lets you see what is making your computer slow down. You may have seen that the Modern Setup Host uses a lot of CPU.

It makes sense to want to know more about this program that’s taking up space on your hard drive. If this is you, you’ll be glad you came across this post. We’ll talk about everything you need to know about Modern Setup Host here. We will also teach you how to fix the most common problems that come up with it.

How Does Modern Setup Host Work?

The Modern Setup Host executable file can be found in the C:$Windows.BTSources folder. It is an archive and installer that can open itself. If your computer runs the Windows beta system version, it may show up on your screen (Windows Technical Preview). When your system finds or installs updates, Modern Setup Host runs in the background. It is also a key part of running the setup file to upgrade a PC to Windows 10.

Modern Setup Host has its share of problems, just like other parts of Windows. Here are the most common complaints made by users:

• Modern Setup Host Uses a Lot of CPU
• Modern Setup Host isn’t working anymore.

Most of the time, Modern Setup Host errors are caused by problems with Windows Update. In this post, we talk about the best ways to solve this problem. Also, we’ll talk about how you can speed up your PC when the Modern Setup Host is using 100% of its disc space.

Is it safe to use the Modern Setup Host File?

The Modern Setup Host file was made by Microsoft, so it’s safe to have it on your computer. But a virus or other bad software can pretend to be the setuphost.exe file on your computer.

If you get the setup file from unofficial sources or third-party websites, you might install a Modern Setup Host that has a virus. That could cause problems with how the computer works, like a lot of CPU use, low battery life, etc.

Why Does the Modern Setup Host Use a Lot of CPU and Disc Space?

Modern Setup Host could use up a lot of your CPU or disc space for several reasons.

• If Windows downloads a big update to a hard drive with a slow read/write speed, it may use up almost all of the CPU or disc resources.

• Modern Setup Host might slow down if other tasks that use a lot of resources are running at the same time as SetupHost.exe.

• If your computer is infected with malware that looks like SetupHost.exe, it may use a lot of CPU or disc space.

• High CPU/Disk usage could be caused by temporary files on your PC that are damaged or don’t work well together.

• If Windows Update gets stuck because of a bug, SetupHost.exe may use a lot of resources.

• Sometimes, taking up too many resources can be so bad that SetupHost.exe crashes. So, you get a message that says “Modern Setup Host has stopped working.”

How to Fix Modern Setup Host High CPU Usage Issue?

Method 1: Delete the Modern Setup Host Task

This is the easiest way to fix the Modern Setup Host problem, but we don’t recommend doing it right away because it’s only a temporary fix. Still, if you’re lucky, ending the Modern Setup Host task can stop the high usage for a long time.

• To open Task Manager, press the Control, Shift, and Esc keys together.

• Find the Modern Setup Host or setuphost.exe and click the left mouse button on it.

• Click Finish Task at the bottom right of the window.

Method 2: Use the Windows Update Troubleshooter tool.

• Click Updates & Security when Windows Settings is up and running.

• Click Troubleshoot in the right column.

• Click on Windows Update and then on the button that says “Run the troubleshooter.”

• If the Windows Update troubleshooter finds a problem that keeps your computer from installing an update, you can fix the problem right away by clicking Apply the fix.

Method 3: Clean Boot Your PC

If you are using a Windows 10 or Windows 11 Insider preview build and have this problem, you can also try a clean reboot to see if the problem goes away. This can help you figure out if the problem is caused by a conflict between software or drivers. If the problem goes away after you reboot your device, you might have recently installed a new app that is causing it. That app could be the problem. You can uninstall it to see what happens. But if the problem keeps happening, it should be the system.

The preview versions of Windows Insider are not stable. There could be all kinds of bugs in them. Modern Setup Host may be using a lot of CPU, memory, or disc space. If you don’t want to deal with these bugs, you can switch to a stable version of Windows 11.

Method 4: Turn off apps in the background

When apps that aren’t needed run in the background, they take CPU resources away from important system tasks. Turn off as many background apps as you can that you don’t need. That should make your computer’s CPU less busy and speed up the process of Windows Update.

• Open the Settings menu in Windows and click on Privacy.

• Scroll down to the section called “App permissions” on the right side of the screen and choose “Background apps.”

• Look at the apps running in the background and turn off the ones you don’t use much.

Method 5: SoftwareDistribution Folder should be deleted

The SoftwareDistribution folder holds important files that your computer needs to install new updates. If this folder has temporary files that are broken or don’t work together, you might have trouble installing Windows updates. Plus, that could make the Modern Setup Host process stay in the background for a long time, which would use more CPU.

To fix this, delete everything in the SoftwareDistribution folder and restart your computer. There’s nothing on your device that you have to worry about breaking. Windows will get the files it needs again.

Follow these steps to get rid of everything in the SoftwareDistribution folder.

• By pressing “Windows + R,” you can open the Windows Run prompt.

• Next, type software distribution into the dialogue box and click OK.

• Choose everything inside the SoftwareDistribution folder and delete it. Even better, copy the files to a different folder on your computer.

Method 6: Run DISM and SFC Scans

When downloading and installing Windows Updates, if something unexpected happens, like a loss of Internet or power, corrupt files can build up. Because of this, the Modern Setup Host process could get stuck in the background and use a lot of CPU.

Use the Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) and System File Checker (SFC) tools to fix the corrupt files that are stopping Windows from updating.

• In the Windows Search box, type “command prompt” and then click “Run as administrator.”

• Copy the command below and paste it into the console.  Then, press Enter on your keyboard.

DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /HealthScan

• Wait until the tool has finished scanning your computer, which will happen when the progress bar reaches 100%, before moving on to the next step.

• Copy the command below and paste it into the console.Then, press Enter on your keyboard.

DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /HealthCheck

Again, wait until the progress bar reaches 100% before moving on.

• Copy this command and then press the Enter key.

DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth

• Last, to run the System File Checker tool, copy and paste the command below.

SFC /scannow

Note that each command can take anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes to finish. Don’t close the window for the Command Prompt or stop the process.

After these commands have been run successfully, restart your computer and see if the problem with Modern Setup Host using a lot of CPU is fixed.

Conclusion

We hope you were able to use the solutions we gave you above. Modern Setup Host only starts when Windows needs to be updated. If your CPU or disc is being used too much, your system could crash. This could make it impossible to update your system. System freezes and unexpected crashes can sometimes be caused by a hard drive that doesn’t have enough space to run many processes at once. If this is the case, make sure to close all tasks that don’t need to be running. This will help Windows and make it easier for it to upgrade your system.