How to decrease CPU usage by ravbg64.exe on a Windows 10 PC?

Many processes are designed to run in the background at all times in the Windows operating system environment without users noticing anything. The RAVBg64.exe process is one of them. If the RAVBg64.exe process has come to your attention, then we must assume you saw it listed as a program using up a disproportionate amount of your system resources.

RAVBg64.exe was never designed to go heavy on your computer processing power or its memory, which means the behavior you observed is closer to an anomaly or outlier than the standard order of things. For what it’s worth, it might interest you to know that some users have also experienced and reported the same issue. Well, in this guide, we plan to examine the RAVBg64 process and the issues affecting it and then move to proffer solutions to the major problem.

What is RAVBg64.exe?

RAVBg64.exe is a process associated with Realtek High Definition Audio codecs or Realtek drivers on Windows. RAVBg64.exe typically handles tasks for the Realtek program, which helps users manage audio on their computers. The process is configured to run in the background on your system for obvious reasons. It is not supposed to cause problems for you through any means, especially by consuming a disproportionate amount of your computer resources.

Why is RAVBg64.exe causing high CPU usage on Windows 10?

We cannot authoritatively state the reason due to which the RAVBg64.exe process starts using up a disproportionate amount of system resources, but we suspect the issue has something to do with alterations in the program code. Some of the changes are a result of the installation and uninstallation of programs and similar events, while others are down to the removal and reintroduction of system files and entries.

Is RAVBg64.exe a virus or malicious program?

No, RAVBg64 is unlikely to be a virus. The legit RAVBg64.exe process from Realtek cannot be a virus, but you must understand that malware that masquerades as RAVBg64.exe does exist. It is up to you to figure out or verify that your computer is using the genuine RAVBg64.exe process.

How to fix the high CPU usage issue caused by RAVBg64.exe on Windows 10 computers

The first three fixes should be used to resolve the problem in cases where the high CPU usage issue involving the RAVBg64.exe process is down to changes in the program or driver code, while the fourth one constitutes the ideal solution in a scenario where RAVBg64.exe is suspected to be a malicious program.

Disable the Realtek Audio program and driver and then reenable them:

The disabling and enabling operations for the Realtek High Definition Audio program and driver typically force through changes to eliminate almost all forms of issues affecting the program or driver code. Windows will end up resetting the broken processes or malfunctioning services, and everything will start afresh.

To disable the Realtek High Definition Audio program, you have to perform a task on the System Configuration application, while to disable the Realtek High Definition Audio driver, you have to do some work on the Device Manager app. These instructions cover everything:

• First, you must launch the System Configuration app.
• Use the Windows logo button + letter R key combination to fire up the Run application and then fill the text field on its window with this code: msconfig. 

Hit Enter and Windows will run the code.

• Assuming you now have the System Configuration window up, you must click on the Startup tab (to go there).

If the list of applications is missing, then you must click on the Open Task Manager link to get to the Startup tab in a different application.

• Check for the Realtek program on the list. Click on it to get it highlighted and then click on the Disable button.

You will now proceed to execute a similar operation on the Realtek driver.

• Fire up the Run app using the keyboard shortcut we recommended earlier. This time, after the application window shows up, you must fill the text field there with this code: devmgmt.msc.

Here too, you must hit Enter to get Windows to run the code.

• Assuming you now have the Device Manager window up, you must locate the Sound, video, and game controllers category and then click on its expansion icon. 

Once the category contents become visible, you will see the Realtek HD Audio driver functioning on your machine.

• Right-click on the Realtek driver to see its context menu and then choose the Disable button.
• Here, assuming you have gotten Windows to disable the Realtek program and driver, you must restart your computer.
• After your computer reboots and settles down, you must check the Task Manager application to see if there is any activity related to the RAVBg64.exe process. There should be none. 

If some RAVBg64.exe process is listed active, then you might want to see the fourth fix.

Here, if you stopped experiencing the high CPU usage – since RAVBg64.exe is not running for the time being – then you can move on to reverse the changes you made to the Realtek program and driver configuration. We want you to enable them again and see how things go. You need those Realtek components to function well on your computer, and given the work you did, they are likely to do so now more than ever.

Uninstall the Realtek High Definition Audio driver and install a new version:

If the high CPU usage issue involving RAVBg64.exe persists even after you executed the refresh/reset operations for both the Realtek program and driver, then you must proceed to fetch and install the latest Realtek High Definition Audio driver. There is a good chance that your computer is using a faulty, corrupted, or outdated Realtek driver and hence this explains the problems you have to resolve.

It is time we walked you through the steps on uninstalling or removing the Realtek HD driver:

• First, you have to launch the Device Manager program this way: Perform a right-click on the Windows icon visible in the bottom-left corner of your desktop screen to see the Power User menu programs and options. Select Device Manager from the list.
• Go through the listed categories, locate the Sound, video, and game controllers category and then click on the expansion icon for this category.
• Assuming your Realtek HD audio device is now visible, you must right-click on it to see its context menu and then choose Uninstall.

If Windows brings up a prompt to get some form of confirmation for the driver uninstallation operation, you must click on the Uninstall or Yes button to proceed.

Once your system finishes uninstalling the Realtek driver, you must move on to find and install a replacement for it. You can go about the driver update process in two ways:

You can run Auslogics Driver Updater and allow this program to assist you with the operations that matter. You can get the app to scan your system to identify or detect the corrupted, old, or struggling drivers. Most importantly, the application will search online for the ideal replacements for the problematic drivers and then fetch and install them.

In other words, with the recommended program, your computer will end up running the newest drivers (manufacturer-recommended versions) for almost all its components in no time. The troubled Realtek driver is hardly the only driver that might need an update, after all. Anyway, after your computer completes the required installation tasks for the new drivers, you must reboot your machine to let the changes go into effect.

Alternatively, if you must work without a helpful program or tool, then you have to perform all the driver update tasks on your own. Here, you will have to identify the Realtek driver for which you seek a replacement or update, search for the new driver online, download the required file, and then run it. These instructions cover the most important parts of the process:

• Launch the Device Manager app, navigate through the necessary menus to locate your Realtek driver, right-click on the device, and then choose Properties.
• Click on the Driver pane (to go there). Now, you must gather as much information as you can about the Realtek High Definition Audio driver currently installed on your computer. You will need the device details later, so write them down somewhere (if you must).
• Fire up your web browser. Initiate some search operations for the needed Realtek driver on Google using the details that define the driver as queries. 

If you know your computer manufacturer’s site, you can head there to see what is available for your machine. You might have to select the parameters or options that define your system.

We are against you fetching drivers from the Realtek site or its download centers directly. The drivers there are generic for specific Windows builds or iterations, which means they are not guaranteed to function as well as they should on your device.

Whatever Realtek driver you find, you must ensure that it is the correct version meant for your PC (precisely). If you download and install the wrong driver or incompatible software, then your computer might end up with more issues than what you are facing currently. You certainly do not want this outcome.

We also want you to be mindful of the sites you choose to get drivers from on the web. Many webpages or download centers host malicious programs or harmful items embedded in harmless-looking packages. If you cannot verify that a site is trustworthy or reputable, you must avoid getting stuff from its pages. Of course, you would not want to infect your computer with viruses and malware.

• Here, assuming you have found the driver you need, you must click on the Download button. Your browser will then fetch the driver package.
• Click or double-click on the downloaded driver file to run it. You might have to provide some form of confirmation on a prompt window by clicking on Yes or Allow.

The Driver installation wizard (or a similar window) will eventually come up.

• Click on the relevant buttons and follow the instructions displayed to install the new Realtek driver. Eventually, you will be asked to restart your computer. If the prompt to this effect fails to come up, then you have to initiate the reboot operation yourself.

Anyway, after you get your computer to run the latest driver for your Realtek High Definition Audio device, you must launch the Task Manager program and confirm that the RAVBg64.exe process is no longer a nuisance.

Add new registry entries:

Some users figured out that the high CPU usage issue involving RAVBg64.exe was down to the process searching for certain registry entries that got deleted. This event explains the continuous search and detection exercise, which resulted in the chaotic consumption of your system resources.

Here, we want you to add the missing registry entries manually so that the RAVBg64.exe process stops searching (after it finds them). This way, you will no longer experience the high CPU issue. While the procedure here provides a convenient path to dealing with the problem – since you do not have to contend with the lack of sound due to the loss of the Realtek driver or program – we must warn you of certain risks.

You might run into trouble if you make the wrong changes to entries on your registry and let them become effective. In such a scenario, a solid backup will save you, though, so we recommend you make one now. Nevertheless, if you manage to perform the required tasks correctly, you will not have to deal with any complications or problems.

Anyway, here are the instructions you must follow to add the two entries needed in the registry:

• First, you have to fire up the Run application using the Windows logo button + letter R keyboard shortcut. After the program window shows up, you must fill the text field on it with this code: regedit.

Hit Enter to force Windows to run the code. You will have to confirm a prompt by clicking on the Yes button on the dialog box or window.

• Assuming you now have the Registry Editor window up on your screen, you must click on the Computer entry (close to the top-left corner of the window) and then continue by browsing through these directories: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / SOFTWARE
• In your current location, in the SOFTWARE folder, you must check for SRS Labs. If you find it, then you must continue to the next step directly.

Otherwise – if SRS Labs is missing – you must create the required entry this way: Right-click on the SOFTWARE folder to see its context menu, choose New, and then select Key.

The name of the new key should be SRS Labs. Carefully input the name (as it appears here) and confirm that everything is in order. Save the new key.

• Right-click on SRS Labs to see its context menu, select New, and then choose Key (from the sub-list). The name of the key here should be APO. Save the new key.
• Here, you can now close the Registry Editor window. Restart your computer.
• After the recommended reboot, RAVBg64.exe will have less work to do, which means the high CPU issue involving this process will become a thing of the past.

Examine the RAVBg64.exe process; run checks on it:

There is a small chance the RAVBg64.exe process – which was consuming your computer resources at an unprecedented rate – is not the real program associated with the Realtek High Definition Audio codecs or Realtek High Definition Audio driver. In that case, you are probably dealing with a malicious program designed to masquerade as the RAVBg64.exe process to evade detection while it engages in nefarious activities.

The RAVBg64.exe process is supposed to operate from the \Realtek\Audio\HDA path in the Program Files directory (unless you made changes to its location or configuration). To confirm that the process you saw is the legit Realtek program, you must check to see from what place it is running. You can right-click on the RAVBg64.exe process visible in the Task Manager program to see its context menu and then select the Open File Location option.

If you find the RAVBg64.exe file in a directory that does not fall along the expected path or if you find it in a weird or strange folder, then you must consider the file malicious. We recommend that you get rid of it immediately, but we understand that you might want to run checks on it using your antivirus or security utility. Hopefully, your antivirus will back up the postulates here and tell you the same thing (about the suspicious RAVBg64.exe process being malicious or harmful).

If your antivirus does not recognize the RAVBg64.exe process as malware – which probably means it took no action to quarantine or remove it from your computer – then you might want to try out a different security utility. You can get Auslogics Anti-Malware and use this superb program to run a full scan for threats on your computer. It might identify or detect the malicious items which your antivirus missed.

Other things you can try to resolve the high CPU issue involving the RAVBg64.exe process on Windows 10 devices

Do a clean boot:

Since Windows is forced to start up your machine with as few drivers, services, and third-party programs as possible in a clean boot, you will end in an environment or platform where isolating the source of problems (or troubleshooting issues) is as easy as it gets. There, you can run tests to find out which third-party applications or processes (besides RAVBg64.exe) were involved in causing the high CPU usage issue.

Run scans and repairs using the SFC (System File Checker) and DISM (Deployment Image Servicing and Management) utilities:

If the high CPU issue has anything to do with broken Windows components or damaged system files, then the recommended tools will help you confirm the truth of the matter and even fix things (where applicable). You have to run them on an elevated Command Prompt window so that they get all the rights or permissions they need to detect stuff and execute their repairs or restoration operations.

Download and install all the Windows updates released for your device:

Given how widespread the RAVBg64.exe high CPU usage issue has become, there is a good chance that Microsoft has released an update to address bugs (or patches to cover up the holes) that trigger the problem. Perhaps, your computer is yet to fetch and install that update. In that case, all you have to do is initiate a manual check for the available updates in the Settings application. We recommend you download and install everything available.