The genuine splwow64.exe file is a software component of Microsoft Windows by Microsoft. Microsoft Windows is an operating system. Thunking Spooler APIs is a Windows core process that makes 32-bit applications compatible with a 64-bit Windows ecosystem. Splwow64.exe is associated with Thunking Spooler APIS, and does not pose a threat to your PC.
Thunking Spooler APIS is listed as a printer driver host for 32-bit applications, and allows them to interact with the 64-bit printer spooler service on x64 Windows builds. It is an essential Windows file, which if removed may cause errors with the operating system.
Founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, the Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology company that was regarded as the world's most valuable brands and largest software maker in terms of revenue in 2016. Headquartered in Redmond, Washington, the company currently develops and sells a wide range of products, most notably the Windows range of operating systems, Microsoft Surface tablets, Internet Explorer and Edge browsers and the Microsoft Office suite.
SplWOW64 stands for Spooler Windows OS (Windows 64-bit)
The .exe extension on a filename indicates an executable file. Executable files may, in some cases, harm your computer. Therefore, please read below to decide for yourself whether the splwow64.exe on your computer is a Trojan that you should remove, or whether it is a file belonging to the Windows operating system or to a trusted application.
Description: The original splwow64.exe is an important part of Windows and rarely causes problems. Splwow64.exe is located in the C:\Windows folder or sometimes in a subfolder of C:\Windows.
Known file sizes on Windows 10/11/7 are 67,072 bytes (32% of all occurrences), 130,560 bytes and 19 more variants.
The splwow64.exe file is a Windows system file. The program has no visible window. Splwow64.exe is a trustworthy file from Microsoft.
Therefore the technical security rating is 3% dangerous, but you should also take into account the user reviews.
If splwow64.exe is located in a subfolder of the user's profile folder, the security rating is 60% dangerous. The file size is 192,000 bytes (33% of all occurrences), 148,480 bytes or 3,385,344 bytes.
It is not a Windows core file. The program has no visible window. The application is loaded during the Windows boot process (see Registry key: Run, User Shell Folders).
Splwow64.exe is able to manipulate other programs, record keyboard and mouse inputs and monitor applications.
If splwow64.exe is located in a subfolder of "C:\Program Files", the security rating is 56% dangerous. The file size is 22,016 bytes.
The program is not visible. It is not a Windows core file. There is no information about the author of the file.
splwow64.exe appears to be a compressed file.
Important: Some malware camouflages itself as splwow64.exe, for example Trojan.Gen or Yontoo.C (detected by Symantec), and Trojan.Win32.Inject.tsxo or Trojan.Win32.Yakes.hqgt (detected by Kaspersky). Therefore, you should check the splwow64.exe process on your PC to see if it is a threat. We recommend Security Task Manager for verifying your computer's security. This was one of the Top Download Picks of The Washington Post and PC World.
Score
User Comments
Splwow64.exe with description Thunking Spooler APIS from 32 to 64 Process is a process file from Microsoft belonging to Windows Operating System. Robert
Printer driver host for 32 bit applications. Allows 32-bit applications to connect with the 64-bit spooler service on x64 Windows builds. TWM
Causes Sybase PowerDesigner V16 to hang with "Not Responding" because pdshell16.exe is waiting for reply from splwow64.exe even though printing is not involved. Ted Saari
Causes Firefox to hang with "Not Responding" & Wait Chain shows waiting on splwow64.exe. Geckohale
Causes OpenOffice Calc 4.1.15 to hang with not responding. Wait chain shows waiting for splwow64.exe. Note that there is no printing process involved Brigitte D.
Summary: Average user rating of splwow64.exe:
based on 12 votes with 6 user comments.
7 users think splwow64.exe is essential for Windows or an installed application.
2 users think it's probably harmless.
One user thinks it's neither essential nor dangerous.
One user suspects danger.
One user thinks splwow64.exe is dangerous and recommends removing it.
One user is not sure about it.
Best practices for resolving splwow64 issues
A clean and tidy computer is the key requirement for avoiding problems with splwow64. This means running a scan for malware, cleaning your hard drive using 1cleanmgr and 2sfc /scannow, 3uninstalling programs that you no longer need, checking for Autostart programs (using 4msconfig) and enabling Windows' 5Automatic Update. Always remember to perform periodic backups, or at least to set restore points.
Should you experience an actual problem, try to recall the last thing you did, or the last thing you installed before the problem appeared for the first time. Use the 6resmon command to identify the processes that are causing your problem. Even for serious problems, rather than reinstalling Windows, you are better off repairing of your installation or executing the 7DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth command. This allows you to repair the operating system without losing data.
To get your computer running as fast as it did on day one, you can 8reset your PC. Your personal files will remain intact, but any programs you installed will need to be reinstalled.
To help you analyze the splwow64.exe process on your computer, the following programs have proven to be helpful: ASecurity Task Manager displays all running Windows tasks, including embedded hidden processes, such as keyboard and browser monitoring or Autostart entries. A unique security risk rating indicates the likelihood of the process being potential spyware, malware or a Trojan. A good Bantivirus software detects and removes sleeping spyware, adware, Trojans, keyloggers, malware and trackers from your hard drive.
Score
User Comments
Robert
TWM
Ted Saari
Mad (further information)
Geckohale
Brigitte D.
Summary: Average user rating of splwow64.exe: based on 12 votes with 6 user comments. 7 users think splwow64.exe is essential for Windows or an installed application. 2 users think it's probably harmless. One user thinks it's neither essential nor dangerous. One user suspects danger. One user thinks splwow64.exe is dangerous and recommends removing it. One user is not sure about it.