What Is “Runtime Broker” and Why Is It Running on My PC?

Wondering what ‘Runtime Broker’ is and why it’s running on your PC?

We’ve all opened our Task Managers trying to look for what’s slowing down our computer. When you look through the processes, you’ll notice a lot of background programs running on your computer.

Unfamiliar names like svchost.exe, rundll32.exe, MsMpEng.exe and other programs inhabit your system without any obvious purpose. Here at Saint, our goal is to educate and answer our reader’s questions in the simplest way possible.

Throughout this article, we will explain to you what the Runtime Broker program is, what it does, why it’s essential to have, and why it uses so much of your CPU at times.

Let’s jump right in.

What is Runtime Broker?

Though this program has been often confused with a virus, it is actually a Microsoft application built into your operating system. Whenever you first install an application on your mobile device, notice that they first ask you for permission to access certain parts of your phone.

task manager runtime broker

This process is more common on mobile devices but is also present when you install programs through the Microsoft Store. Whenever these programs are run, a constant background process called Runtime Broker is alerted.

The Runtime Broker is responsible for monitoring these applications and making sure they’re using only the permissions they asked for. This can be visualized by thinking of it as a supervisor making sure their subordinates don’t do anything out of the ordinary.

Why is Runtime Broker Running on My PC?

So why does Runtime Broker only get alerted with apps from the Microsoft Store? Well, because any programs you install outside of Microsoft’s offered applications are your responsibility, the user. Since Microsoft displays these problems in their official store, it’s their responsibility to keep it as safe as possible.

what is runtime broker

If the programs you install from their store begin to corrupt, or access parts of your computer that were outside their list of permissions. Chances are, Microsoft would be held liable for any damages to your system. The Runtime Broker monitors these apps to make sure they don’t do exactly that.

Why Does It Need So Much Processing Power?

Runtime Broker is a background process that should barely use 10 megabytes of RAM.

However, due to notorious memory leaks and faulty apps that would cause it to bug out, the Microsoft permission-watcher has earned a bad name for itself.

The Runtime Broker is a completely safe program and should not malfunction on its own. Usually, the part that goes wrong can be traced to the Windows app that’s utilizing the Runtime Broker.

How To Disable Runtime Broker?

Thankfully, users have found ways to disable or avoid using the Runtime Broker. These problems can be traced to Windows settings, faulty apps, or even directly terminating the process through your Task Manager.

what is runtime broker

Having your Runtime Broker monitor your applications is extremely important, and we cannot stress this enough. Microsoft programmed this into your operating system with your safety in mind.

However, this does not mean you have to live with it forever. There are a lot of alternatives and fixes you can do to avoid running into this program. We’ve compiled a complete guide to help fix this problem.

Now that you have reached the end of this article, we hope that this post helped provide a comprehensive explanation that helped you understand what ‘Runtime Broker’ is and why it’s on your computer. If you have other questions related to this article, please feel free to leave a comment below.

If this guide helped you, please share it. 🙂

Author

  • Mako Young

    Mako is a staff writer at Saint. He's been writing about tech for more than a decade. When he isn't reading about the latest news on Apple, he's busy studying cybersecurity, cryptocurrency, cloud computing, and other IT-related sectors. His exceptional work graces technology and Apple-related blogs like How-To Geek, VEED.io, Macgasm, onMac, PhotoWorkout, GameRant, and many more. He also has a Bachelors in Computer Science and has been writing since 2018, with over 400 posts published. LinkedIn X (Twitter)

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