How to Fix ‘DCFWinService’ High CPU Usage on Windows
The DCFWinService might show high CPU usage mainly due to incompatibility with the latest Windows updates. The issue arises when a user’s system becomes too sluggish (with high fan noise) and upon opening the Task Manager, he notices that a large CPU space is taken up by the DCFWinService (sometimes above 90%).
You can get rid of Dcfwinservice by clean booting or disabling the service (as discussed below) but before that, make sure you are using the latest version of Dell Foundation Services (check the Dell website for the latest version).
Clean Boot Your System to Stop Launching of the DCFWinService at the System Startup
Dell Foundation Services may show up in your Task Manager (consuming the CPU) if these services are added to the start-up items of your system. In this context, clean booting your system to stop this service at the system start may solve the problem.
- Click Windows, key in System Configuration, and open it.
Open the System Configuration from the Start Menu - Now head to the Services tab and checkmark Hide All Microsoft Services.
- Then uncheck the DCFWinService and other Dell services (if not required).
Hide All Microsoft Services, Disable All Dell Services, and Open the Startup Tab - Now head to the Startup tab and click on the link of Open Task Manager.
Click on Open Task Manager in the System Configuration - Then disable all the processes related to Dell and close the opened windows (after applying the changes).
Disable Dell Processes in the Startup tab of the Task Manager - Now reboot your PC and upon reboot, check if the high CPU usage by DCFWinService is normalized.
Disable the DCFWinService in the Services Manager
If clean booting the system did not work for you, then you may have to disable the DCFWinService in the Services manager of your system.
- Right-click Windows and open Task Manager.
Open the Task Manager from the Quick Access Menu - Now head to the Services tab and right-click on DCFWinService.
- Then select Stop and again right-click on DCFWinService.
Stop the DCFWinService in the Services Tab of Task Manager and Open Services - Now select Open Services and double-click on DCFWinService.
Open the DCFWinService in the Services Manager - Then set the Startup Type to Disabled and Apply the changes.
Set the Startup Type of DCFWinService to Disabled - Now reboot your PC to check if the high CPU usage by DCFWinService is normalized.
If you are in a corporate environment, then you may have to set the Startup Type of DCFWinService to Manual and Stop it (so that you can utilize different corporate utilities by Dell).
Uninstall the Dell Foundation Services in Apps & Features
If disabling the DCFWinService service did not work for you, then you may have to uninstall the Dell Foundation Services in Apps & Features to solve the high CPU usage.
- Right-click Windows and open Apps & Features\.
- Now select Dell Foundation Services and click on Uninstall.
Uninstall Dell Foundation Services - Then confirm to Uninstall the Dell Foundation Services and wait till the uninstallation.
- Now reboot your PC and upon reboot, hopefully, the high CPU usage by the DCFWinService is back to normal.
If the issue persists, then check if uninstalling all the Dell-related applications (like Dell Support Assistant) in the Apps & Features of your system solves the high CPU usage issue.
