Have you recently observed an unusual disk and CPU usage pattern in your Task Manager for a background service named WSAPPX?

Go through this tutorial to learn all the details abot the WSAPPX service and the steps you need to perform to prevent it from consuming an insanely high amount of primary memory and CPU resources.

 

What is WSAPPX?

WSAPPX is a Windows 10/8 background service. It’s a part of the Windows Store and Microsoft’s Universal App platform.

This service is used for installation, uninstallation, and updates of Windows Store apps.

WSAPPX communicates with the Windows Store to fetch installation files and scripts from the server system.

 

Is WSAPPX a Virus?

The WSAPPX service is an inbuilt Windows 10/8 system software. It’s not a virus or malware. Don’t believe us? Run an antivirus scan to put your doubts to rest.

 

Why does WSAPPX Consume High Disk and CPU Resources?

The WSAPPX process normally doesn’t consume too many system resources when it is running idle.

It may use a noticeable amount of CPU/disk while installing/updating an app, but resource utilization should be back to normal once the installation process is over.

To find out whether the system is currently installing or updating any apps, you can take a look at your Windows Store activity.

If you don’t see any active app installation/update notification, and yet the disk/CPU usage is higher, then the WSAPPX service might have become unresponsive.

 

Is There a Fix for WSAPPX High Disk/CPU Usage?

Are you concerned due to the system slowness caused by WSAPPX high CPU/disk usage and looking for an easy fix? Don’t worry, you have landed in the right place.

We can help you solve this problem with the help of a detailed step-by-step guide.

Let’s find out how you can prevent the WSAPPX service from consuming a high amount of disk and CPU resources.

 

METHOD 1: Update Device Drivers

While the WSAPPX issue may not directly be linked to device drivers, sometimes outdated hardware drivers may lead to compatibility issues.

In such a scenario, your computer may try to automatically update the outdated drivers, and if it can’t find the desired driver program in the Windows Store, the WSAPPX service may become unresponsive.

It will keep on searching for the updated device driver, but won’t be able to fetch it due to its unavailability.

In the process, your computer will consume lots of primary memory and CPU resources.

To avoid such a situation, it’s a good idea to update your device drivers manually.

You can easily download the required drivers from your computer manufacturer’s website and then install them on your PC/laptop. Here’s how:

1. Go to your computer manufacturer’s official website and navigate to the downloads section.
2. Select your computer’s model from the list and download the latest device drivers for your operating system.
3. Run the executable files to install the device drivers.
4. Finally, reboot your computer for the changes to take effect.

Now go to the Task Manager interface to monitor your disk/CPU usage. If the problem was related to outdated device drivers, you should now see normal usage for all services, including WSAPPX.

If you are still observing high CPU/disk usage by the WSAPPX service, proceed to the next method.

 

METHOD 2: Increase Virtual Memory Size

While Windows 10/8.1 has the ability to automatically manage the virtual memory and page file size, sometimes it can act a little conservative in its approach.

If the current virtual memory allocation is not sufficient to run all your installed programs/apps smoothly, it may lead to higher primary memory and CPU utilization.

You can easily adjust the virtual memory allocation to improve the performance of your computer.

A higher amount of virtual memory often translates to better processing speed and reduced resource utilization.

To increase the size of your virtual memory, please follow the steps listed below.

1. Go to Control Panel > System Settings.
2. Use the left navigation pane to open “Advanced System Settings.”
3. A new window will open up with five different tabs. Open the third one, which reads “Advanced.”
4. Click on “Settings” under the “Performance” section.
5. Here you will see three tabs. Select the middle one (“Advanced”).
6. Click on the “Change” button under the “Virtual Memory” section.
7. This will open up a new window where you can enter the desired amount of virtual memory. By default, the radio button for “System Managed Size” will be selected. Change it to “Custom Size.”
8. Now enter values for Initial Size and Maximum Size in MB. If you have enough hard disk space available, it’s a good idea to allocate twice the amount of virtual memory compared to the system managed size.
9. Now click the “Set” and “OK” buttons to save the revised settings.
10. Reboot your computer.

That should do the trick for you. Once you have increased the virtual memory size, it is unlikely that the WSAPPX high disk issue will trouble you again.

The majority of users can get rid of the problem by simply increasing the virtual memory allocation.

But if the issue still persists, follow the next method.

 

METHOD 3: Disable the Windows Store

Although disabling the Windows Store means no automatic updates for your installed programs and apps, it’s worth trying this method if the WSAPPX error continues to bug you.

Follow the steps below to disable the Windows Store:

1. Simultaneously press the Windows + R keys.
2. In the Run dialogue box, type “gpedit.msc” and hit Enter.
3. This will open up the registry editor. Expand “Local Computer Policy” and double-click on “Computer Configuration.”
4. You will find a list of administrative templates. Scroll down and locate “Store.” Double-click on it to see the registry settings.
5. You will find an entry for “Turn off the Store application.” Right-click on it and then select “Enable.”

Now you have turned off the Windows Store app on your computer. You will need to reboot your system once for the changes to reflect in the system registry.

That was the final piece of the jigsaw puzzle. Once you disable the Windows Store, the WSAPPX process will cease to run on your computer.

So there’s no chance of it consuming any disk/CPU resources.

 

Conclusion

The WSAPPX high disk/CPU usage problem can cause your computer to overheat and become unresponsive, leading to frequent crashes.

It’s a common problem on Windows computers, so it is especially prudent to fix on systems powered by Windows 10/8 operating systems.

We hope the tutorial presented above will prove to be helpful in resolving your WSAPPX high memory/CPU usage problem.