Runtime Broker (RuntimeBroker.exe) is a legitimate Windows process that normally sips a few megabytes of RAM while it manages permissions for Store apps. When it suddenly balloons to hundreds of megabytes — or eats more than 15% of your total memory — it is almost never the process itself that is broken. It is a misbehaving Microsoft Store app hiding behind it, and your job is to find which one.
Before You Change Anything
Do not delete or "clean" RuntimeBroker.exe. It is a signed Windows component. Removing it breaks Store apps, the Settings app, and parts of the Start menu.
Note your baseline first. Open Task Manager and write down your total RAM and Runtime Broker's current usage so you can compare before and after.
Save your work before ending any process. Ending a task can close an app with unsaved data.
Change one thing at a time. If you disable five apps at once, you will not know which one fixed it.
Avoid "registry cleaner" and "RAM booster" downloads. They do not fix this and often make it worse.
Create a restore point if you plan to uninstall or reset apps, so you can roll back cleanly.
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Confirm You Have This Problem
Runtime Broker is supposed to be quiet. On a healthy machine it typically sits between 5 MB and 60 MB, and it may briefly spike when a Store app requests a permission like camera, microphone, or file access. That is normal.
What is not normal:
Runtime Broker holding more than 15% of your total RAM for more than a few minutes. On an 8 GB machine that is roughly 1.2 GB; on 16 GB it is about 2.4 GB.
Its memory climbing steadily and never dropping back down.
Your PC feeling sluggish, fans spinning up, or the disk light staying busy while Runtime Broker sits at the top of the Task Manager list.
The same spike returning every time you open a specific app.
If you see a steady, high number that does not fall, you have a real problem worth diagnosing. If it is a brief spike that clears on its own, you can safely ignore it.
Possible Causes
| Evidence Observed | Likely Cause | Next Check |
|---|---|---|
| Runtime Broker high only after opening one specific app | That Store app is leaking memory through a permission call | Open apps one at a time and watch Runtime Broker |
| High usage with no obvious app open | A background/UWP app running at startup or in the background | Check Startup apps and "Background apps" in Settings |
| Memory climbs slowly over hours | A long-running Store app (Photos, Mail, Xbox, Widgets) leaking | Sort Task Manager by memory and watch the trend |
| Spike tied to notifications or live tiles | Widgets/News or a notification-heavy app | Disable Widgets and test |
| High usage right after a Windows update | A Store app updated to a buggy build | Check app update history and roll back the app |
| Multiple RuntimeBroker.exe entries, one huge | One app instance is stuck; others are normal | Expand the process tree to see the parent app |
Step-by-Step Diagnostic
Work from the least invasive checks to the most invasive. Stop as soon as the number drops back to normal.
Step 1: Verify the numbers in Task Manager
Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager. Click More details if you only see the compact view, then open the Details tab. Find RuntimeBroker.exe, right-click the column header, and add Memory (private working set) and Command line if they are not shown.
Note the exact figure and compare it to your total RAM (shown on the Performance tab under Memory). If Runtime Broker is above 15% of total and staying there, continue.
Step 2: Confirm it is really Runtime Broker and not a lookalike
Malware sometimes mimics legitimate process names. In Task Manager, right-click RuntimeBroker.exe and choose Open file location. A genuine copy lives in C:\Windows\System32. If it opens anywhere else, treat it as suspicious and run a full Microsoft Defender scan before doing anything else.
You can also verify the signature from an elevated Command Prompt:
tasklist /svc /fi "imagename eq RuntimeBroker.exe"This lists the running Runtime Broker instances and any services tied to them. A legitimate process will show a Microsoft signature if you check its properties.
Step 3: Isolate the app by watching the process tree
This is the step that actually solves the problem. In Task Manager's Processes tab, click the small arrow next to Runtime Broker (or the app group) to expand it. Windows groups the parent app with its child processes, so the app responsible usually appears right there.
If it does not expand cleanly, use Resource Monitor for a clearer picture:
Press Win + R, type resmon, and press Enter.
Open the Memory tab and sort by Commit (KB).
Watch which app's memory rises at the same moment Runtime Broker rises.
The app that moves in lockstep with Runtime Broker is your culprit.
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Step 4: End the Runtime Broker task (temporary relief)
Once you have noted the numbers, right-click RuntimeBroker.exe in Task Manager and choose End task. Windows will restart it automatically the next time a Store app needs it, usually within seconds and back at a normal size.
If the memory drops to a few megabytes and stays there, you have confirmed the process was the symptom, not the disease. If it climbs right back up, the offending app is still running — go back to Step 3.
Step 5: Find and neutralize the triggering app
Now that you know which app is involved, deal with it directly:
Update the app. Open the Microsoft Store, go to Library, and click Get updates. Many memory leaks are fixed in a later build.
Restart the app. Fully close it (right-click its taskbar icon, then Close window), then reopen it and watch Runtime Broker.
Disable it at startup. In Task Manager's Startup apps tab, right-click the app and choose Disable.
Turn off background running. Go to Settings > Apps > Installed apps, select the app, open Advanced options, and set Background apps permissions to Never.
Reset the app. In the same Advanced options screen, click Reset to clear its data and cache. This fixes a surprising number of leaky Store apps.
Uninstall it if you do not need it. This is the cleanest fix when an app is genuinely broken.
Step 6: Check Windows and Store health
If no single app stands out, verify the underlying components:
sfc /scannowRun this in an elevated Command Prompt. It repairs corrupted system files that can cause Runtime Broker to misbehave. Follow it with:
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealthThen restart and recheck Task Manager.
Step 7: Reduce background app load
As a last resort, trim what runs in the background. Go to Settings > Privacy & security > Background apps and turn off apps you do not need running when closed. Disable the Widgets taskbar item if you are not using it — it is a common source of persistent Runtime Broker activity. Restart and confirm the number stays low.
How to Know It's Fixed
You are done when Runtime Broker sits at a few megabytes to a few tens of megabytes at idle, does not climb over time, and no longer spikes when you use your normal apps. Open the app that used to trigger it and watch Task Manager for a few minutes — if the number stays flat, the fix held. Reboot once and check again, because some leaks only appear after a fresh start.
When to Stop and Get Help
Stop and seek help if:
Runtime Broker returns to high usage no matter which app you disable.
You find RuntimeBroker.exe running from a folder other than C:\Windows\System32.
sfc /scannow and DISM report errors they cannot repair.
The machine is still sluggish after the process is under control, suggesting a deeper hardware or driver issue.
This is a work machine under IT policy — check with your help desk before uninstalling apps or changing system settings.
In my years running a corporate help desk, Runtime Broker complaints almost always traced back to one neglected Store app — usually something nobody remembered installing. Isolate the app, update or reset it, and the "mystery memory hog" disappears.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my PC still slow after I cleaned it up?
Generic cleanup often misses the real bottleneck — a background process pinning your disk, a driver conflict, or low available RAM. An AI diagnosis reads your actual system data to pinpoint what's actually slowing you down instead of deleting files at random. Run a free scan at diagnosemypc.com.
Will adding more RAM speed up my computer?
It helps if you're regularly running out of memory (high RAM usage, lots of open tabs or apps). But if the bottleneck is a slow hard drive, a startup bloat problem, or a background process, more RAM won't fix it. Diagnose first, then upgrade.
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A quick monthly check is enough for most people, plus a scan any time you notice new slowdowns, crashes, or after a big Windows update. Catching issues early keeps small problems from turning into crashes or data loss.
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