Windows 10: Desktop Window Manager (DWM.exe) taking up high GPU resources

Ever since 10/10, the Windows service "Desktop Window Manager" or DWM.exe has been taking up a lot of GPU processing. It can go as high as 12% or more during normal use, but the real problem is that it jumps as high as 50% usage during a game, severely reducing my performance. The problem gets worse the more demanding the game I'm playing is. That is, DWM's GPU usage increases with the GPU use of the game I'm playing. Games I could run at max settings at 80-120 FPS now drop down to 30 or less because this process is taking up a large chunk of my GPU.

I've been run through the whole gamut of level 1 help desk "cure all" solutions which solved nothing. Looking up the problem online had no solutions. As a service DWM.exe used to be able to be disabled, but apparently Win10 no longer allows that. I'm wondering if anyone else has had a similar problem. Nothing major or even minor was changed before the problem manifested, other than update KB4462919 being installed the night before.

My video drivers have been rolled back, reupdated, un- and reinstalled, I did a system restore to a point before the problem appeared, tried booting with all third party services disabled, and replicated the problem with a new test user account. I ran a scan with Malwarebytes and removed a few minor threats. I've tried clean boot.

Windows 10: Version 1803: Build 17134.345

Custom-built PC

Ryzen 1600X 6-core

16G RAM, DDR4

NVIDIA GTX 1070ti

M.2 SSD (boot drive), 2.5" SSD, 2TB HDD

All drivers are up to date.


I have a theory. When playing a game, Desktop Window Manager goes as high as it has been, but the game process itself stays very low (0.1% usage). I think that Desktop Window Manager is somehow routing all graphics through itself, which might be a major inefficiency.

:)

 

Desktop Windows Manager taking up high gpu

Desktop windows manager is taking up around 10%-80% of my gpu. This can be INCREDIBLY annoying when playing games, because it can lag to like 20 fps, or start freezing. I can't figure out the solution after clicking on almost every site google suggests.
I tried changing the theme, which didn't work.

 

Desktop Windows Manager (dwm.exe) load GPU too much.

Hi Artur,

In order to help you with the issue about the Desktop Windows Manager (dwm.exe), kindly refer to the troubleshooting suggestions posted by Julie Ram dated January 16, 2018. Click the link below to access her posted troubleshooting steps which have been helpful
to several Community members. This may also be the solution that you are looking for to resolve the issue at hand.

Desktop Window Manager (dwm.exe) using high usage gpu?


Let us know the result for us to help you further.

Regards.

 

Desktop window manager takes up 70% of GPU while gaming

Go into Task Manager > Performance tab. On the left side of the tab, there is a stack of resources: Disk, Wifi, Ethernet, GPU.

Do you have more than one GPU identified?

If you do, then you should try to force DWM to use the built in (GPU0) video, freeing up the addin card for gaming. Here is an example of how that can be done:

https://www.addictivetips.com/windows-tips/forc...