Correct operation of the operating system requires a huge number of running processes that an ordinary user could see on the same tab in the "Task Manager". In this article, we will talk about the dwm.exe process. What is it, why is it needed in the system, what role does it play, and how to eliminate errors with its mention - you will learn all this and much more at the end of reading the text.
General information
Before delving into the question: “What is dwm.exe?”, It is worth highlighting some general points. It should be said right away that the presented process is not a virus, on the contrary, it is a system process responsible for the graphic component, but this will be discussed in more detail later.
If you want to see this process yourself, you need to perform a few simple steps:
- Launch Task Manager by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc.
- Click the Processes tab. If you do not observe it, then you need to switch to another data display mode - click on the "Advanced" button at the bottom of the window.
- In the list, find the process presented in the article.
There is a possibility that he will not be there. In this case, your system either does not support this technology, or the autorun process is simply disabled.
Process Functions and Tasks
We have already figured out that dwm.exe is the process responsible for the graphical component of the operating system, it is also called the "Desktop Manager". Now we’ll talk about this in more detail.
It is worth starting with the fact that it is not peculiar to every version of Windows, but only starting with the version of Vista. At the same time, in some OSs this service is also missing, for example, it is not in Windows 7 Starter. It is also worth noting that on computers that have a video card that does not support DirectX 9 technology, dwm.exe will also not work.
If you are interested in what exactly this process is responsible for, then its functionality includes ensuring Aero mode, that is, window transparency, as well as previewing the contents of the window and many more various small graphic elements of the system.
What happens if the process is completed
We realized that dwm.exe is a process that works with the graphical interface of the system, but what happens if it is disabled? That's what we’ll talk about now.
First, it’s worth mentioning right away that if a process is terminated accidentally or intentionally, nothing critical will happen. As mentioned, dwm.exe supports the operation of Aero mode and the preview of the contents of windows, respectively, after it is turned off, these functions will be unavailable. The display quality of some graphic elements will also deteriorate, but that’s all that can happen.
Despite all of the above, do not rush to turn off this process, perhaps you will do it wrong by “breaking” some other element of the system. Below we will look at how to do it right.
Process shutdown
If the computer has a small capacity, then at some point the user may notice that dwm.exe is loading the processor. In this case, there is a reasonable idea to simply disable it to reduce the consumption of PC resources. Moreover, we found out that nothing bad will happen from this.
So, to shut down the dwm.exe process in one session, you need to:
- Open Task Manager.
- Go to the Processes tab.
- Select the appropriate process.
- Click the "End Process" button.
- Confirm your actions in the window that appears.
After that, dwm.exe will be closed, and the graphic component of the system will deteriorate. But after restarting the PC, it will be started again, if you want to completely disable it, you need:
- Open the Run window by pressing Win and R.
- Run the command "services.msc".
- In the window that appears, find the "Session Manager of the Desktop Window Manager" service.
- Double click on it with LMB.
- In the window that appears, change the startup type to "Disabled".
- Click Apply, and then click OK.
After that, you can close all windows - the process is disabled and will remain so even after the computer restarts.
Dwm.exe error
This function may malfunction. In some cases, users may find the following error: "dwm.exe - Invalid image". It should be noted that the error appears every time you start the operating system. Various factors can cause it, most often it is viruses. Moreover, the damage is caused not to the process itself, but directly to the dynamic libraries with which it interacts. If you pay attention to the error text, you can find out information about which library was damaged; accordingly, to fix the problem, you need to restore or reinstall it.
The second way to solve the problem may be to restore the operating system itself, but for this it is necessary that there is a disk with the same distribution kit that you installed.
Conclusion
So we found out all the nuances related to the dwm.exe system process. Summing up, we can say that he is responsible for the graphical component of the OS, its shutdown does not affect the system in any way, and the error caused by a failure in its operation is not critical and is corrected by reinstalling the damaged library or the executable file itself.