Windows Commands / IT Support Guides
Find CPU-heavy processes with PowerShell
A slow workstation needs evidence of which process consumed resources. A process list can identify candidates, but a single snapshot cannot establish sustained load.
Environment and inputs: Windows 11 · Command Prompt unless PowerShell is specified
Try the diagnostic command
Use the stated shell and platform. Replace sample domains, addresses, services and paths with values from the system you are authorized to support.
Get-Process | Sort-Object CPU -Descending | Select-Object -First 10 Name, Id, CPU, WorkingSet64How to read the result
CPU is accumulated processor time, not an instantaneous utilization percentage. WorkingSet64 reports the working set in bytes and does not equal all memory committed by the application.
What to do next
Take repeated observations and compare them with Task Manager's live CPU view. Ask what the user was doing when the slowdown occurred before considering an application restart.
Before you make a change
Do not stop a process merely because it appears first. Long-running processes can have high cumulative CPU while currently idle.