Windows Setup API Process Consumes Too Much CPU Resources

Published by: Alex George on December 28, 2018
I have an Acer Aspire laptop which often hangs in the middle of my work. When I started checking the actual reason for this, I found a few processes which consumes too much CPU resources. So, most of the time, my laptop CPU usage is 100%. One of the main culprits is a process named Windows Setup API. This article explains the process Windows Setup API and how to prevent it from consuming too much CPU.


My Acer Aspire laptop runs on Windows 10 Operating System. I started Task Manager to check the reasons for the continued freezing of my Acer Aspire laptop. The below photo is a screenshot of my Task Manager.

The screenshot shows how much the Windows Setup API process demands CPU resources.

While at the time of taking the screenshot, Windows Setup API was consuming 57.2% of the total CPU usage. But most of the times, it demands more CPU usage and let other processes suffer.

Another point I have noted is the 100% Disk usage.

How to Solve Windows Setup API High CPU Usage Problem?
You can solve the high CPU usage of the process Windows Setup API by killing that process from Task Manager.

You may need to start Task Manager in admin mode to kill this rough process. For that, I suggest you follow the instruction given below.
  1. Type Task Manager on Windows Search

  2. Right click on the Task Manager, and click on Run as administrator

  3. Microsoft may need you to authenticate yourself by entering the admin password to continue.

  4. Once the Task Manager (with administrative privilege) opens, you need to right-click on Windows Setup API under the Processes tab

  5. From the menu, click on End Task

Once you have ended the process, check the CPU usage. You can see a sudden drop in CPU usage by your computer.

What is Windows Setup API and Its Uses?
According to the Microsoft database, the Setup API provides a set of functions that a setup application calls to perform installation operations.

However, Microsoft says they no longer use it for the installation process of software applications on a Windows 10 computer.

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But, they say, installation of device drivers require this process.

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