The genuine sihost.exe file is a software component of Microsoft Windows Operating System by Microsoft Corporation. "Sihost.exe", in Windows 8 and above, when located in "C:\Windows\System32", is Microsoft's Shell Infrastructure Host. It works together with ShellExperienceHost.exe to control the Windows Graphical User Interface (GUI). It appears to depend on the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable Packages used by Windows. It handles only certain aspects such as taskbar opacity or transparency, the Start menu, displaying applications in the Windows interface, and changing wallpaper. There is an ongoing widely-discussed problem since 2015 with an "Unknown Hard Error" for "sihost.exe" in Windows 10, which disables the Start button and generally renders a system useless. It may be due to using the built-in Win10 "Guest" user account. Using "Ctrl+Alt+Del" to "Switch user" sometimes allows normal use under the main administrator account, but without fixing the Guest account. Deleting and reinstalling all Visual C++ Redistributable Packages via Windows Update has been suggested, but no permanent fix by Microsoft has been reported.
SIHost stands for Shell Infrastructure Host
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 sihost.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: Sihost.exe is not essential for Windows and will often cause problems. The file sihost.exe is located in a subfolder of the user's profile folder (mostly C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\toolsyshost\ or C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Network\).
Known file sizes on Windows 10/11/7 are 70,144 bytes (16% of all occurrences), 69,120 bytes and 13 more variants.
Sihost.exe is not a Windows system file. There is no description of the program. The app is launched periodically by the Windows Task Scheduler.
Therefore the technical security rating is 64% dangerous, however you should also read the user reviews.
If sihost.exe is located in the C:\Windows\System32 folder, the security rating is 2% dangerous. The file size is 66,048 bytes (35% of all occurrences), 92,160 bytes and 5 more variants.
Sihost.exe is a Windows core system file. The program is not visible. Sihost.exe is a trustworthy file from Microsoft.
If sihost.exe is located in a subfolder of "C:\Program Files", the security rating is 81% dangerous. The file size is 309,040 bytes (40% of all occurrences), 316,968 bytes, 72,704 bytes or 315,432 bytes.
The file is not a Windows system file. Sihost.exe is a file with no information about its developer. The program has no visible window. You can uninstall this program in the Control Panel. The file has a digital signature. It can change the behavior of other programs or manipulate other programs. The program is a hidden stealth process.
Sihost.exe is able to manipulate other programs and monitor applications.
Uninstalling this variant:
If you experience any issues with installation of sihost.exe, you may want to contact www.searchinform.ru to assist you or remove the entire program MSXML using Windows Control Panel.
If sihost.exe is located in a subfolder of Windows folder for temporary files, the security rating is 68% dangerous. The file size is 5,632 bytes.
If sihost.exe is located in a subfolder of C:\Windows, the security rating is 16% dangerous. The file size is 106,496 bytes.
If sihost.exe is located in the Windows folder for temporary files, the security rating is 84% dangerous. The file size is 18,944 bytes.
Important: Some malware camouflages itself as sihost.exe, particularly when located in the C:\Windows or C:\Windows\System32 folder, for example Trojan.Win32.Fsysna.dzmg or HEUR:Trojan.Win32.Generic (detected by Kaspersky), and Gen:Variant.Barys.52756 (detected by F-Secure). Therefore, you should check the sihost.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.
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User Comments
Can be responsible for creating an invisible window on the desktop of windows 10 This means that when you choose to display the windows side by side, there is an invisible window in addition to the open windows iSAk
this virus has got to this scanner to it aint worth running if it can be corrptted, have a virus operating in windsows 10 in core of drives mike
If you stop the process sihost.exe from running you get the error banner ((Critical Error – Start menu and Cortana aren’t working. We’ll try to fix it the next time you sign in.)) This is an error that Microsoft has no solution for yet. DJC
If it is a critical process, why doesn't SYSTEM own it instead of the user-account? Anony Mous
There may be a few errors in the description... On my Windows 10 Home 64-bit system, which I had upgraded from Windows 7, sihost.exe is located in "C:\Windows\System32" (with size 72,704 bytes). Apparently, it did not exist in Windows 7 - there's no version in the Windows.old directory. Security Task Manager rates it as harmless. Eugenio (further information)
Sihost.exe damaged my Dell laptop chromosome security was on paranoid mode and detected it my screen went black nothing worked everything was frozen except my antiviral
If you kill the process "sihost.exe" on windows 10 anniversary update, the process "explorer.exe" will restart. All windows 10 apps like microsoft edge, windows store, settings,etc will glitch out close. waffain
its not a virus.. if you end task it will restart explorer.exe, shellexperincehost.exe and searchui.exe
You could change the program in regedit. Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon Anonymoos
Its safe and important for some windows shell (explorer.exe) features unnamed
Summary: Average user rating of sihost.exe:
based on 14 votes with 11 user comments.
7 users think sihost.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.
3 users think sihost.exe is dangerous and recommend removing it.
One user is not sure about it.
Best practices for resolving sihost issues
A clean and tidy computer is the key requirement for avoiding problems with sihost. 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 sihost.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
iSAk
mike
DJC
Anony Mous
Eugenio (further information)
waffain
Anonymoos
unnamed
IDontHaveAName (further information)
Summary: Average user rating of sihost.exe: based on 14 votes with 11 user comments. 7 users think sihost.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. 3 users think sihost.exe is dangerous and recommend removing it. One user is not sure about it.