Easy Steps To Disable Superfetch Windows 10/11

This tutorial aims to teach you how to Disable Superfetch Windows 10/11. You will also learn how to re-enable SysMain in Windows. Superfetch is a technology integrated into Windows Vista and later versions. This technology allows the Windows OS to manage random access memory (RAM) effectively, enabling your applications to perform efficiently.

It assists both third-party applications and critical Windows components in executing common tasks swiftly. To accomplish this, Superfetch stores and retrieves data for frequently used applications directly from RAM instead of relying on the hard drive, which is significantly slower.

Now, you can proceed with the following steps to Disable Superfetch Windows 10/11 and re-enable it.

To follow this guide, ensure you are logged into your Windows Client. The following steps are demonstrated on a Windows 10 machine, but the principles apply similarly to Windows 11.

Step 1. Disable Windows Superfetch Service

If you observe that Superfetch is increasing CPU usage, consuming excessive RAM, or causing your hard disk to work excessively, disabling it might be beneficial.

When Superfetch overuses disk resources, it can lead to a noticeable decrease in your computer’s speed and overall performance. This can occur even if you are using a Solid State Drive (SSD) instead of a traditional Hard Disk Drive (HDD).

Slowdowns caused by Superfetch typically arise when it preloads too many applications or makes incorrect predictions, loading applications that you are unlikely to use. When you choose to open a different program, your RAM is not prepared, leading to delays. Consider turning off Superfetch to determine if your SSD or HDD performs faster.

Turn off Superfetch with services.msc

Services.msc is a shortcut in the Windows operating system that provides a list of all the services running on the computer.

First, open the Run dialog box by pressing the Windows key + R. Type services.msc and click OK to open the Windows Service Manager.

From the list of services, locate SysMain. Double-click on it to open its properties. In the Properties window, set the Startup type status to Disabled.

Finally, click OK, then reboot your system. The Superfetch service will now be disabled.

Turn off Superfetch from CMD

For users comfortable with the command-line interface, this method offers an alternative way to disable Superfetch.

From your Start menu, search for CMD (Command Prompt) and run it as an administrator.

From the CMD, you can use the following command to disable Superfetch:

sc stop “SysMain” & sc config “SysMain” start=disabled

Then, restart your Windows to apply the changes.

Step 2. Enable Superfetch Service

Enabling Superfetch might help improve your Windows performance, especially if you have ample RAM. Let’s look at how to turn it back on.

Turn on Superfetch with services.msc

First, open the Run dialog box by pressing the Windows key + R. Type services.msc and click OK to open the Windows Service Manager.

From there, search for SysMain. Double-click on it and set the Startup type status to Automatic (Delayed Start).

Finally, click OK, then reboot your system. Service Host Superfetch will be enabled.

Turn on Superfetch from CMD

For those who are comfortable with the command line interface, can use this method.

From your start menu, search for CMD and run it as an administrator. Then, you can use the following command to enable Superfetch:

sc config “SysMain” start=auto & sc start “SysMain”

Then, restart your Windows to apply the changes.

Step 3. Monitor Superfetch Disk Usage

At this point, you can check to see if Superfetch is causing high disk usage or not. First, you need to right-click on the Taskbar and select Task Manager.

In the Task Manager, search for an item called Service Host: SysMain – also known as Service Host Superfetch on Windows.

If you see a high CPU usage percentage or double-digit MB/s disk usage for more than a few minutes, turn Superfetch off.

Conclusion

At this point, you have learned how to Disable Superfetch Windows 10/11 and enable the Superfetch Service (SysMain) on Windows.

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Alternative Solutions to High Disk Usage

While disabling Superfetch might resolve high disk usage, it’s essential to consider other potential causes and solutions. Here are two alternative approaches:

1. Adjusting Virtual Memory Settings

Sometimes, excessive paging to the hard drive due to insufficient RAM can mimic Superfetch’s behavior, leading to high disk usage. Adjusting virtual memory settings can help alleviate this. Virtual memory acts as an extension of your RAM, using a portion of your hard drive. If Windows is constantly swapping data between RAM and virtual memory, it can cause disk thrashing.

Explanation:

• Increasing Virtual Memory: If you have a relatively small amount of RAM (e.g., 4GB or less), increasing the virtual memory size might improve performance. This provides Windows with more space to store temporary data.
• Letting Windows Manage It: The simplest approach is often to let Windows automatically manage the page file size. This allows Windows to dynamically adjust the virtual memory based on your system’s needs.

Steps to adjust Virtual Memory:

1. Press the Windows key, type "advanced system settings," and select "View advanced system settings."
2. In the System Properties window, under the "Advanced" tab, click the "Settings" button in the "Performance" section.
3. In the Performance Options window, go to the "Advanced" tab and click the "Change" button in the "Virtual memory" section.
4. Uncheck the "Automatically manage paging file size for all drives" box.
5. Select the drive where Windows is installed (usually C:).
6. Choose either "System managed size" (recommended for most users) or "Custom size."
   • If you choose "Custom size," enter an initial size and maximum size in megabytes (MB). A good starting point is to set the initial size to 1.5 times your RAM and the maximum size to 3 times your RAM. However, you don’t need to set it too high – 8GB is often more than enough.
7. Click "Set," then "OK" in all open windows.
8. Restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

2. Identifying and Resolving Other Disk-Intensive Processes

High disk usage isn’t always Superfetch’s fault. Other processes, such as antivirus scans, Windows updates, or background applications, might be the culprits. Identifying these processes and taking appropriate action can significantly reduce disk usage.

Explanation:

• Task Manager: Use Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) to identify processes consuming a large portion of disk resources. Sort the processes by disk usage to quickly find the most demanding ones.
• Resource Monitor: For a more in-depth analysis, use Resource Monitor (type "resmon" in the Start menu). This tool provides detailed information about disk activity, including which files and processes are involved.

Troubleshooting Steps:

1. Antivirus Scans: Schedule antivirus scans to run during off-peak hours or consider switching to a lighter antivirus solution.
2. Windows Updates: While important, Windows updates can temporarily increase disk usage. Ensure that updates are installed and that your system is up-to-date. Deferring updates for a short period is an option if they consistently cause performance issues.
3. Background Applications: Disable or uninstall unnecessary background applications that consume disk resources. This includes programs that automatically start with Windows and run in the system tray.
4. Disk Defragmentation (HDDs only): If you’re using a traditional HDD, regular disk defragmentation can improve performance by optimizing file placement. Windows typically handles this automatically, but you can manually run Disk Defragmenter if needed. Do not defragment SSDs.

Code Example (PowerShell to list processes sorted by disk I/O):

While not directly disabling anything, this PowerShell script helps identify processes contributing to high disk I/O:

Get-Process | Sort-Object -Property IODataBytes -Descending | Select-Object -First 10 | Format-Table -AutoSize ID, ProcessName, IODataBytes, CPU

This script retrieves all running processes, sorts them by the amount of data they’ve read and written to disk (IODataBytes), and displays the top 10 processes with their ID, name, I/O data, and CPU usage. This information can help you pinpoint processes that are heavily using the disk.

By carefully examining your system’s resource usage and applying these alternative solutions, you can effectively address high disk usage issues and optimize your Windows experience, potentially without needing to Disable Superfetch Windows 10/11 completely.