Shell Infrastructure Host, orsihost.exe, handles various graphics UI elements in Windows, such as the desktop background, taskbar, and Start menu.
Due to a memory leak bug with the default Photos app, users face the Shell Infrastructure Host High CPU usage issue when browsing through a large number of photos. Even after closing the faulty app,sihost.exestill lingers around withhigh CPU usagefor hours, which can understandably be quite annoying.
So, in this article, we’ve detailed what steps you may take to fix the Shell Infrastructure Host High CPU usage problem.
What causes Shell Infrastructure Host High CPU Usage?
How to Fix Shell Infrastructure Host High CPU Usage?
Even though this bug has been around for quite some time, Microsoft still hasn’t addressed it. As such, as of July 2022, there is no way to permanently fix the Shell Infrastructure Host High CPU Usage issue at its root.
However, that’s not to say that you may’t work around it. There are a number of ways to resolve the high CPU usage issue, which we’ve discussed in the sections below.
Use Different Photo Viewer App
The memory leak problem is with the default Photos app only. If you use a different Photo viewer like the classic IrfanView, for instance, you will no longer face thehigh CPU usageproblem. We highly recommend this method, as this is more or less a permanent fix, while the other methods are only temporary workarounds.
Here’s how you may change the default photo viewer app on Windows 10:
Default apps work slightly differently on Windows 11. Here are the steps to change the default photo viewer app on Windows 11:
End Sihost.exe via Task Manager
If thesihost.exeCPU usage is excessive, you may also end the process via the Task Manager to deal with it swiftly. Here are the steps to do so:
According to user reports, repairing the Microsoft Photos app can also resolve this issue. Here’s how you may try this fix:
Log Off or Restart Your PC
