Desktop Windows Manager (DWM) memory leakage in Windows 10 (Version 2004).

Anonymous
2020-09-06T11:24:54+00:00

The infamous dwm.exe hogging lots of memory. FYI this is not a specific program issue. It just happens with any programs, activities randomly.

I'm getting really tired of killing dwm.exe every so often so that it will release the occupied memory. When is this going to be fixed? Is this ever going to be fixed even?

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Performance and system failures

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

0 comments No comments

156 answers

Sort by: Oldest
  1. Anonymous
    2021-10-06T14:49:07+00:00

    dwm.exe is leaking on Windows 11?

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments No comments
  2. Anonymous
    2021-10-06T14:50:55+00:00

    I am testing Windows 11 since yesterday with Intel iGPU driver 30.0.100.9922 and it seems to not leak so far. I noticed some spiking in memory up to 250MB of DWM.exe but after some random time, it "reset" back down to 50mb, and then spiked again to 150MB and reset back. Seems maybe they implemented a workaround which will reset the memory in Windows 11? So far it behaves correctly. But I also had a week of no leak under Windows 10, so that could just be "luck" so far.

    Intel also claimed they implemented a "fix" in 30.0.100.9922, but I already had tested 30.0.100.9922 under Windows 10 and it still leaked.

    Was this answer helpful?

    1 person found this answer helpful.
    0 comments No comments
  3. Anonymous
    2021-10-07T09:24:29+00:00

    yesterday i have also installed intel driver (not HP driver) 30.0.100.9864 .. lets see what will happen.. dwm is currently eating ~200MB

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments No comments
  4. Anonymous
    2021-10-07T11:21:48+00:00

    Intel has already assured several times that they have fixed the leak on new versions of the drivers, but the problem is directly on the Windows OS side.

    In May MS stated that they had fixed this problem in test build 21382, but even on the insider build these problems were observed, although not as often or the leakage stopped at 800 mb.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments No comments
  5. Anonymous
    2021-10-07T12:17:39+00:00

    Just updating everyone on my experience :
    On May (5 months ago) I reverted my Intel graphics driver (UHD 600) to 26.20.100.7985 version (as recommended here by @TurboTacho on February 23 2021 - https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/desktop-windows-manager-dwm-memory-leakage-in/c2968fb0-ee26-4483-9f08-dfa19149cd24?page=2 )
    Since then no leakage of dwm.exe (steady on about 100MB) even after hibernation.

    Windows 10, 21H1
    OS Build 19043.1237
    8GB RAM
    256GB SSD

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments No comments