What is Runtime Broker.exe?

Runtime Broker.exe is a system process in Windows, introduced in Windows 8 and continuing into Windows 10. It is used to manage permissions between Windows Store apps and is typically found in the System32 folder.

The Runtime Broker process is a crucial part of the Windows operating system. It ensures that apps downloaded from the Windows Store are behaving themselves and not taking more permissions than they should. It checks whether an app is declaring all of its permissions, like letting it access your location or microphone.

Runtime Broker is needed to help protect your security and privacy when using Windows Store apps. Without it, there would be no checks and balances for these apps, potentially leading to security risks.

You should not remove Runtime Broker.exe as it's a critical system process. If it's using too much memory or CPU resources, it might indicate a problem with a particular app or the Runtime Broker process itself. In such cases, you might need to troubleshoot the issue, but outright removal is not recommended as it could cause system instability.

Please note that the Runtime Broker should be located in your System32 folder. If you find it in other locations, such as "C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Roaming", it could be a sign of malware disguising itself as the Runtime Broker process. In such cases, you should run a full system scan with a reliable antivirus program.

Click to Run a Free Scan for Runtime Broker.exe related errors

Runtime Broker.exe file information

The process known as Runtime Broker or Windows Broker appears to belong to software Windows Broker or Runtime Broker by Windows Broker or Runtime Broker.

Description: Runtime Broker.exe is not essential for the Windows OS and causes relatively few problems. The Runtime Broker.exe file is located in a subfolder of the user's profile folder (primarily C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\DriversUpdate\ or C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\). Known file sizes on Windows 10/11/7 are 2,898,944 bytes (40% of all occurrences), 5,005,516 bytes, 103,936 bytes or 40,960 bytes.
It is not a Windows core file. The program is not visible. The application listens for or sends data on open ports to a LAN or the Internet. Runtime Broker.exe is able to record keyboard and mouse inputs. Therefore the technical security rating is 87% dangerous.

Uninstalling this variant: If you still experience problems with Runtime Broker.exe, you can do the following:
1) uninstall the program using the Control Panel ⇒ Uninstall a Program ⇒ REAPER (x64)
2) use the software publisher’s support
3) make sure that you have installed the latest version.

If Runtime Broker.exe is located in a subfolder of "C:\Program Files", the security rating is 58% dangerous. The file size is 13,179,660 bytes (50% of all occurrences) or 208,384 bytes. It is not a Windows system file.
If Runtime Broker.exe is located in a subfolder of C:\Windows, the security rating is 52% dangerous. The file size is 13,179,660 bytes. The file is an unknown file in the Windows folder. The program is not visible. Runtime Broker.exe is not a Windows core file. Runtime Broker.exe is able to monitor applications, manipulate other programs and connect to the Internet.
If Runtime Broker.exe is located in the user's profile folder, the security rating is 100% dangerous. The file size is 245,760 bytes.

Important: Some malware also uses the file name Runtime Broker.exe, for example HEUR:Backdoor.MSIL.Crysan.gen or HEUR:Backdoor.MSIL.Bladabindi.gen (detected by Kaspersky), and Trojan:Win32/Occamy.C77 or Trojan:Win32/Persistence!rfn (detected by Microsoft). Therefore, you should check the Runtime Broker.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

One user thinks it's neither essential nor dangerous.

Best practices for resolving Runtime Broker issues

A clean and tidy computer is the key requirement for avoiding problems with Runtime Broker. 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 Runtime Broker.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.

Other processes

pgmtrusted.exe pbhelper.dll eacefsubprocess.exe Runtime Broker.exe runtimebroker .exe zz.exe prodreg.exe slimsvc.exe controldeckstartup.exe hotswap!.exe yzshadow.exe [all]

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