The Windows operating system is the sum of its parts. It works thanks to millions of lines of code spread across hundreds of processes, services, applications and drivers. When you turn on your computer, these processes help create the user interface that you use to log in, download software, and more.
Unsecapp.exe is one of several Windows system processes that run in the background on your computer. This is a real system component, but with an unfamiliar name and purpose. You may be wondering what unsecapp.exe is, what it does, and whether it is safe. Here’s everything you need to know.
What is Unsecapp.exe and Is It Safe?
If you spot unsecapp.exe in your Windows Task Manager, don’t worry. Unsecapp.exe stands for a generic receiver for receiving callbacks from applications and refers to the process that Windows specifies as the receiver for receiving asynchronous callbacks for a WMI client application.
This is quite complicated and technically, but it essentially means that the process plays a role in how Windows responds to requests and instructions from other software. WMI, or Windows Management Instrumentation, allows these services, devices, and drivers to work as expected.
The receiver (which is unsecapp.exe) is a method that allows these applications to perform tasks and instructions that Windows understands. For example, you might have an app or service installed that wants to notify you of something using the notification area on the taskbar.
To do this, the program is designed to make certain calls (queries) in Windows using the WMI listener. Installed apps and services will do this all the time, offering a secure (but limited) way for those apps to interact with parts of the Windows infrastructure, such as the taskbar.
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This is why when you see this service running in Windows Task Manager, you shouldn’t worry. Although malware infection can sometimes hide itself and impersonate services such as unsecapp.exe, most users will find that the running process is a real unsecapp.exe file (and therefore safe to continue running).
How to remove Unsecapp.exe from Windows 10
You cannot remove the real unsecapp.exe from Windows 10. Like other important services that run in the background, such as msmpeng.exe, you cannot stop unsecapp.exe and the file itself cannot be deleted.
This is because it is a critical system process that Windows needs to start. If you somehow managed to stop this process, Windows will soon stop working and crash, forcing you to reboot. Worse, if you uninstall it, you may need to completely reinstall your Windows 10 system.
You cannot delete the real unsecapp.exe file, but you can delete fake versions of it. While this is rare, some internet users report malware that pretends to be important system services like unsecapp.exe to hide in plain sight and damage your computer.
If this happens, then there is free software that can completely remove the malware from your computer. If you don’t want to use a third-party option, you can always use Windows Security (formerly Windows Defender) to run a scan instead, or by using third-party antivirus software.
- If you don’t have a third-party antivirus installed, you need to run a scan at the boot level of your PC using Windows Security. To do this, right-click the Start menu and select the Settings option.
- From the Settings menu, select Update & Security> Windows Security> Open Windows Security. This will open a separate Windows Security menu.
- From the new Windows Security menu, select Virus & Threat Protection on the left, and then select Scan Options.
- From the Scan Options menu, select Microsoft Defender Offline Scan, then click the Scan Now button.
At this point, Windows will restart your computer and scan your system files for potential malware. If an infection is found, problem files should be quarantined or removed, but you can explore third-party options for removing highly persistent malware.
How to check if Unsecapp.exe is real or not
If you think the unsecapp.exe process running on your Windows 10 PC is not real, you can first check it with Windows Task Manager to see if it is in your Windows system folder.
- To do this, you first need to open the Windows Task Manager. Right-click the taskbar and select the Task Manager option to do so. Alternatively, hold down the Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys on your keyboard to open it.
- In the Task Manager window, you can find unsecapp.exe in one of two ways. On the Processes tab, scroll down to find a receiver for receiving asynchronous callbacks for a WMI client application process under the Background Processes category. You can also find unsecapp.exe in the Details tab. Right-click any option and select Open File Location.
- This will open the location of the unsecapp.exe process in Windows Explorer. If the file is a legitimate unsecapp.exe Windows system process, then the C: Windows System32 wbem folder will open where other important Windows system files are located.
- Users who find a legitimate unsecapp.exe file can rest easy as it is safe to run. If the file is in a different location (which means it is likely to be infected with malware), you can stop the process immediately by right-clicking it in Task Manager and choosing the End task option. This is unlikely to work for more sophisticated malware.
If that doesn’t work, try removing the malware by following the steps in the section above.
Can Unsecapp.exe cause high CPU, RAM, or other high system resource usage?
From time to time it is reported that the unsecapp.exe process is using a lot of system resources. High CPU or RAM usage is not common, but due to the nature of unsecapp.exe and the way it works, it is likely due to a third party service or application interacting with it and not a system bug or bug.
If an error is likely, you can use certain command line tools to scan your Windows installation for errors. The problems with unsecapp.exe can be caused by missing files or bad configuration, which leads to unnecessary use of system resources on your PC.
The age of your PC can also be an issue. If your computer is a little older, you may need to think carefully about whether it supports the latest Windows 10 features and updates. If so, you may need to consider updating your computer to fix the situation.
Understanding Genuine Windows 10 System Processes
Like svchost.com and others, unsecapp.exe is an important system process that cannot be disabled or removed. Without it, your system will not function properly. If you are still worried that unsecapp.exe is not legitimate, you can always use Task Manager to track down the location of the file to make sure it is the correct process.
If not, then you are probably dealing with malware that disguises itself as an important system service. To fix this problem, you need to scan your computer for malware and remove it. If that doesn’t work, you might have to erase your data and return Windows to its default settings, removing the malware in the process.
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