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Windows Image Acquisition (WIA) is a Microsoft driver service that can be used by your graphics software to communicate with hardware such as printers, scanners, digital cameras, and other video devices. This is the standard application programming interface (API) and visualization for Microsoft Windows Me and later versions of Windows.
However, sometimes you, like many others, may run into the problem of high CPU utilization when capturing Windows images. Don’t worry, there are several effective methods to solve this problem.
Table of Contents:
What causes Windows Image Capture High CPU?
Incorrect configuration of the Windows Image Acquisition API. If there are improper settings or the service is stuck at a certain stage, it can cause a high CPU load.
The printer or scanner connected to the system might be in an error state or jobs are waiting to be received.
The Windows Image Capture module is corrupt and therefore regularly goes into an error state. This usually only happens in very rare cases.
How to fix the high CPU load in Windows Image Acquisition?
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Updated: March 2025
Restore the system files
- Find Command Prompt in the Windows search bar.
- Right-click on the icon and select Run as administrator.
- Enter the following command and press Enter:
- SFC /scannow.
- Reboot the system immediately after running the command.
Updating graphics drivers
- Press Win + R to open the Run window, and type devmgmt.MSC.
- Press Enter to open the Device Manager.
- Expand the list of graphics adapters.
- Right-click and select Update Graphics Drivers.
- You can also uninstall the graphics drivers and reboot the system.
Disable the Smart Transfer service in the background
- Press Win + R to open the Run window, and type services.MSC.
- Press Enter to open the Services Manager.
- Find the Smart Background Transfer service and right-click it.
- Open properties.
- Change the startup type to Disabled and apply the settings.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How do I restore the Windows Image Capture service?
- Restart the Windows Image Capture service.
- Check the affected hardware.
- Recover the system files.
- Update the graphics drivers.
- Turn off the Background Intelligent Transfer service.
How do I fix the WIA driver?
- Check the WIA service: open Services > find the Windows Image Acquisition (WIA) service > change the startup type to Automatic.
- Uninstall the WIA driver: open Windows Device Manager > find image processing devices > right-click on the scanning device > select Uninstall device.
Why is WIA consuming so much CPU?
If you encounter high CPU usage by Windows Image Acquisition, it most likely means that either there are problems with your image processing hardware or some modules of your computer are configured incorrectly. A situation with high CPU utilization can usually be solved without much effort.