What is dllhost.exe?
Taking a look at your Task Manager may often reveal a long list of unknown processes. You are not sure what they really do, and you are not sure whether they are safe or not. One of the common process names that Windows users research is dllhost.exe. It can be found on just about any modern Windows computer. Typically, it works quietly in the background and barely uses any resources. However, some users report that dllhost.exe is consuming a large amount of CPU and RAM resources. If you are also encountering this issue, then you might want to keep on reading.
Is dlhost.exe Safe?
The first thing to tell you about this process is that it is a legitimate part of Windows. This is why it usually is accompanied by the description COM Surrogate. Unfortunately, this also does not tell much to the average user. COM stands for Component Object Model. In layman's terms, the COM system is meant to enhance the communication between different pieces of software on your system. In short, the COM Surrogate process is responsible for linking different system apps and components to one another. It is meant to enhance the performance and reliability of your Windows system.
As you can probably tell, dllhost.exe is a safe process. However, legitimate Windows processes are often used by cybercriminals to conceal their malware. They may copy their names and descriptions to make them look like legitimate Windows components. Unfortunately, dllhost.exe is not an exception – if you notice anything strange about this process, you might want to do additional research.
What to do if dllhost.exe consumes too much Resources?
Typically, dllhost.exe should not be touched. If you notice:
- One too many dllhost.exe entries in the Windows Task Manager.
- Dllhost.exe taking too much RAM and CPU cycles.
- Dllhost.exe displaying error messages and alerts.
Any of these issues might be a symptom that some shady app is concealing its presence by using the name of this legitimate Windows component. The recommended course of action is to run a reputable anti-malware application. This way, you will quickly find out whether there is anything shady about dllhost.exe. Other Windows processes that users are curious about are Modern Setup Host and webhelper.exe.
