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Audiodg.exe: How to Fix its High CPU Usage on Windows 11
6 min. read
Updated onOctober 4, 2023
updated onOctober 4, 2023
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If you go through the background processes listed in the Task Manager, you will find a plethora of them, and many wouldn’t sound familiar.
This very fact keeps you from terminating these processes. One of these, the audiodg.exe, is often found to be using a high CPU.
Whenever a process or program starts consuming extensive resources, it’s bound to downgrade the system’s performance and lead to lagging issues.
This will cause the apps to crash and even lead to a complete shutdown in the worst case. Dogo through our guide on how to speed up your Windows 11 PCand prevent that from happening.
If the audiodg.exe is using a high CPU, rest assured the problem is easily fixable. But before we head to that, let’s first understand what the process is all about.
Why is the audiodg.exe process consuming high CPU?
The audiodg.exe or the Windows Audio Device Graph Isolation process plays a critical role in audio enhancement, apart from digital signal processing.
It’s isolated from the Windows Audio service to allow hardware producers to use their own enhancement service. Isolating reduces the likelihood of conflicts and prevents the OS from crashing.
The process is configured to run in the background for the best audio output. However, it’s found to be consuming high CPU values at times. This could be due to one or more of the following reasons:
After understanding the underlying causes, you are in a far better position to start troubleshooting the audiodg.exe high CPU error. Let’s now walk you through the most effective fixes.
What can I do if Windows 11’s audiodg.exe is using a high CPU?
1. Remove external peripherals
Your primary approach when dealing with high CPU usage by audiodg.exe is to remove any external microphones or headsets. After disconnecting, verify if the resource consumption changes.
If it does, reconnect the peripheral and check the effects. In case the CPU usage continues to be under normal levels, the error is fixed.
But if it spikes again, the issue most likely lies with the device or its configured settings. In which case, try the methods listed below and if they don’t work, replace the device itself. Also,check our curated list of headphones, in case you plan to purchase one.
2. Update drivers (both sound card and devices)
Running an outdated driver is also known to cause high CPU usage by the audiodg.exe process. This can be resolved by updating the driver to the latest version. Though Windows takes care of the updates, there’s no harm in checking for it manually.
The Device Manager method listed above only looks for newer driver versions on the computer, thus acting as an offline update.
If you don’t remember downloading it or Windows is unable to find one, you can alwayslook for the latest driver version in Windows Update or download it from the manufacturer’s website.
Similarly, update the drivers for the external audio devices connected to the PC. In case that sounds like too much trouble, you can always go with a third-party app. We recommend usingOutbyte Driver Updater, a dedicated tool that will scan the web for updates and keep the installed drivers up-to-date.
3. Disable audio enhancements
4. Reduce the audio sample rate
A higher sample rate will consume more system resources, thus leading to the high CPU usage by the audiodg.exe process. Therefore, reducing the sample rate can work as an effective fix.
In case your speakers don’t support other sample rates, skip this method and head to the next one.
5. Disable volume adjustment
What are the other processes that consume high CPU in Windows?
Apart from audiodg.exe, there are various other processes and services that are known to consume high CPU in Windows 11. Though similar to the audiodg.exe process, this spike is also momentary until the underlying issue is fixed.
Several users have reportedhigh CPU usage by the explorer.exe process, so learn how to fix it. Though the guide is for Windows 10, the listed methods work just as well in Windows 11.
Also,check our dedicated guide to fix high CPU usage by Diagnostic Policy Service. Another peculiar error often encountered by users isAnother app is controlling your sound, here are its fixes.
That’s all there’s to high CPU usage by the audiodg.exe process and the most relevant fixes for the problem. The methods listed here work on all iterations of the OS, including fixing the audiodg.exe high CPU in Windows 7.
Many users are unable to identify what’s causing the high resource consumption. If that’s the case,go through our guide to learn how to fix high CPU usage in Windows 11.
Finally, tell us which fix worked for you. You may use the comments section below in this regard.
More about the topics:High CPU usage,Windows 11
Kazim Ali Alvi
Windows Hardware Expert
Kazim has always been fond of technology, be it scrolling through the settings on his iPhone, Android device, or Windows PC. He’s specialized in hardware devices, always ready to remove a screw or two to find out the real cause of a problem.
Long-time Windows user, Kazim is ready to provide a solution for your every software & hardware error on Windows 11, Windows 10 and any previous iteration. He’s also one of our experts in Networking & Security.
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Kazim Ali Alvi
Windows Hardware Expert
Kazim is specialized in hardware devices, always ready to remove a screw or two to find out the real cause of a problem.
