Microsoft Language IME high CPU usage on Windows 11

If Microsoft Language IME displays high CPU usage in the Task Manager of your Windows 11/10 computer, then this post is sure to help you. Some users have reported that Microsoft IME, when running, causes CPU usage of around 30% or more, which in turn makes it difficult to use other applications smoothly. If you are having this issue, then the solutions covered in this post might come in handy.

What is Microsoft IME in Task Manager?

Microsoft IME is an Input Method Editor that helps the users to input the text in a language that otherwise can’t be represented easily on a standard QWERTY keyboard. Microsoft IME works on physical or hardware keyboards as well as on-screen keyboards. Chinese IME and Japanese IME languages used for entering Chinese characters and Japanese characters are an example of Microsoft IME language.

If you have installed a Chinese IME or some other language Microsoft IME, you can change your keyboard layout to that particular language and then type in that specific Microsoft IME language. When some Microsoft IME is running on your Windows 11/10 computer, you can see it in the Processes tab of Task Manager. In some cases, if you are using some Microsoft IME language (mostly Chinese IME language), this may result in high CPU usage that can be seen in Task Manager’s Processes tab. If you encounter this problem, you can try the solutions below to use Microsoft IME properly.

Fix Microsoft Language IME high CPU usage on Windows 11

Here is a list of solutions that might help you fix the Microsoft language IME high CPU usage problem:

End Microsoft IME process using Task Manager
Set Startup Type for Touch Keyboard and Handwriting Panel Service to Manual
Uninstall KB4516058 Windows Update
Restore the original ownership of ChsIME.exe.

Let’s have a look at these solutions.

1] End Microsoft IME process using Task Manager

Try this basic solution and see if the Microsoft language IME works normally again. Here are the steps:

Open Task Manager of your Windows 11/10 computer
Access the Processes tab
Scroll down to find the Microsoft IME process
Right-click on the Microsoft IME process
Select the End task option.

2] Set Startup Type for Touch Keyboard and Handwriting Panel Service to Manual

This solution has worked for many users. The steps to use solution are as follows:

Click on the Search box of your Windows 11/10 computer
Type services in the Search box
Press the Enter key to open the Services window
Scroll down the page
Double-click on Touch Keyboard and Handwriting Panel Service
In the General tab, click on the drop-down menu available for the Startup type section
In that menu, select the Manual option
Press the Apply button
Press the OK button.

Now check if your Microsoft IME language is running fine and CPU usage is OK.

3] Uninstall KB4516058 Windows Update

Many users reported that after they installed KB4516058 Windows Update which was for Chinese IME, then the high CPU problem started. So, if this is the case, you can simply uninstall KB4516058 Windows Update. Windows 11/10 OS provides a built-in option to uninstall Windows updates, including KB4516058 Windows Update. You can access the Installed Updates window and then remove that update.

4] Restore the original ownership of ChsIME.exe

If the high CPU usage happened because of Chinese Simplified Microsoft IME (ChsIME.exe), then there are chances that its original ownership has been changed. So, in that case, you need to restore the original ownership of ChsIME.exe. To do that, follow these steps:

Open the Task Manager of your Windows 11/10 computer
Go to the Processes tab
Scroll down to find the Microsoft IME process
Right-click on the Microsoft IME process
Click on the Open file location option. A folder will open where that particular Microsoft IME file will already be selected
Right-click on that Microsoft IME (in this case ChsIME.exe) file
Click on the Properties option. A Properties box for that Microsoft IME will open
Go to the Security tab
Hit the Advanced button available for special permissions or advanced settings. An Advanced Security Settings window will open for that particular Microsoft IME file
Click on the Change button available for the Owner section in that window
A Select User or Group box will open. In that box, type Administrators in the Enter the object name to select the text field
Press the OK button
You will come back to the Advanced Security Settings window. Press the OK button to close that window
Now you will come back to the Properties box of that Microsoft IME file. Go to the Security tab
Select the SYSTEM option available in Group or user names section
Click on the Edit… button available for the To change permissions field
A Permissions box will pop up. In that box, select SYSTEM available in Group or user names section
Now under the Permissions for SYSTEM section, select the check box for the Read or execute row available for the Deny column
Press the OK button to close the Permissions box
You will come back to the Properties box of that Microsoft IME file. There, click on the Advanced button available for special permissions or advanced settings that you did in step 9
Hit the Change button available for the Owner section in that window just like you did in step 10
Select User or Group box will open. This time, type NT SERVICE\TrustedInstaller in that box under the Enter the object name to select the text field
Click on the OK button. This will restore the original ownership of CHsIME.exe
You will get back to the Advanced Security Settings window. Click on the OK button in that window to close it
After pressing the OK button, you will return to the Properties box. Again, press the OK button in that box
Finally, restart your computer.

That’s all! This should solve your problem.

How do I get rid of Microsoft IME?

If you want to remove Microsoft IME from your Windows 11/10 computer for a specific language, you can do so using the Settings app. You need to access where all the languages you have installed are located. After that, access the Language Options of that Microsoft IME language. There you will see Microsoft IME under the Keyboards section. This is where you can remove the specific Microsoft IME for that language.