How to fix Event 10120 and 10116 Critical Events on Windows 11

Tubular Fox 0 Reputation points
2026-09-15T23:46:42.5033333+00:00

Hello,

I was reviewing the event logs of my laptop, and I noticed that I had multiple Critical Event error logs for "ID 10120 DriverFrameworks-UserMode" in the list. On Saturday, 9/12 alone I had EIGHT 10120 Critical Events, most within minutes of each other. I don't use any peripherals, no mouse or external keyboard or tablet, nothing like that. I have apparently had 672 10120 Events since 6/19/26. Unlike the other Usermode Driver Events I got, this one doesn't say what driver is the problem. All this event says is:

"A problem has occurred with one or more user-mode drivers and the hosting process has been terminated. This may temporarily interrupt your ability to access the devices.

Log Name: System

Source: DriverFrameworks-UserMode

Event ID: 10120

Level: Critical

User: SYSTEM

OpCode: Info

Logged: 9/12/2026 11:31:54 PM

Task Category: User-mode Driver problems.

Keywords: [No Keywords given]

Computer: [My Computer]"

I don't know what's wrong or how to fix it. Does anyone have any advice?

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Performance and system failures
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  1. EmilyS726 268.1K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-09-16T00:21:12.4533333+00:00

    Event 10120 means one or more user-mode drivers crashed and Windows terminated the driver host process. It does not necessarily mean that an EXTERNAL device is involved. Built-in devices such as Bluetooth, fingerprint reader, camera, audio, touchpad, or other laptop hardware can also use user-mode drivers.

    The problem with 10120 is that it often does not identify the actual device in the General tab.

    Can you double-click one of the 10120 events, go to Details > XML View, and post the information shown there?

    Also, please check if there are any DriverFrameworks-UserMode events such as 10110, 10111, or 10121 around the exact same time. Those sometimes identify the device that actually failed.

    Was this answer helpful?


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