Is Steam Client WebHelper having high Memory, CPU or GPU usage on your PC? If so, this post will help you fix the problem.
Is it okay to close Steam Client WebHelper?
Steam Client WebHelper is a vital part of the Steam app. It is Steam’s built-in web browser that renders web pages and displays the Online Store, Steam Library, and Community tabs. When you start the Steam desktop client, the Steam Client WebHelper process runs in the background. So, it is not recommended to close the Steam Client WebHelper.
However, some users have reported that the Steam Client WebHelper process consumes unreasonably high RAM and CPU usage. This results in the deterioration of gaming performance and the overall performance of your PC.
Fix Steam Client WebHelper high Memory, CPU or GPU usage
If the Steam Client WebHelper is taking a high Memory, CPU or GPU usage on your computer, use the below methods to resolve the issue:
- Turn off animated avatars.
- Disable in-game overlay.
- Disable visual elements in Steam.
- Disable Steam Client WebHelper.
- Uninstall the latest Windows update.
- Uninstall and then reinstall Steam.
Before trying the below fixes, you can try restarting the Steam client or your PC to check if the problem is resolved. If not, go ahead and try a suitable method to fix the problem.
1] Turn off animated avatars
The high CPU usage of Steam Client WebHelper is often caused by the use of animated avatars on Steam. Hence, if you have enabled the animated avatars feature in Steam, disable it and then see if the issue is resolved.
Here are the steps to turn off animated avatars on Steam:
- First, open the Steam desktop client and go to the Steam menu from the top menubar.
- Now, click on the Settings option.
- Next, move to the Friends & Chat tab from the left-side pane.
- After that, disable the toggle associated with the Enable Animated Avatars & Animated Avatar Frames in your Friends List and Chat option.
- Then, exit the Settings window and check if the high CPU usage of Steam Client WebHelper is reduced or not.
See: Fix Steam Voice Chat not working on Windows PC.
2] Disable in-game overlay
This issue could also be caused by Steam overlay which is a feature of Steam’s user interface. So, if the scenario is applicable, you can turn off the in-game overlay on Steam and check if it fixes the issue. Here’s how you can do that:
- Firstly, open the Steam desktop client and click on the Steam > Settings option.
- Now, move to the In-Game tab from the left-side pane.
- After that, disable the toggle associated with the Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game and Use the Big Picture Overlay when using a controller options.
- Once done, check if the problem is resolved.
Read: Steam running slow or lagging on Windows PC.
3] Disable visual elements in Steam
You can also try disabling some visual elements from the Steam user interface to fix the high CPU usage of Steam Client WebHelper. Here are the options that you can disable:
- Enable smooth scrolling in web views.
- Enable GPU accelerated rendering in web views.
- Enable Hardware video decoding, if supported.
You can open Steam > Settings and move to the Interface tab to turn off the above features. Once done, you can relaunch Steam to let the changes take effect. See if the issue is now resolved.
4] Disable Steam Client WebHelper
If the problem remains the same, you can try running Steam without WebHelper. However, as Steam Client WebHelper is responsible for Library, Store, Community, and other features, you won’t be able to use these features. But, you can still play the game while allowing Steam to use less memory.
Here are the steps to disable Steam Client WebHelper:
First, open Task Manager using Ctrl+Shift+Esc and close all Steam-related tasks.
Now, use Win+E to open File Explorer and navigate to the installation directory of Steam:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam
This is the default location of Steam. If you have installed Steam at a customized location, navigate to that folder.
Next, right-click on the steam.exe file and choose the Copy as path option.
After that, press Win+R to open the Run command box and enter a command in the following syntax:
<Steam path> -no-browser +open steam://open/minigameslist
Your command will look something like the below command:
"C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steam.exe" -no-browser +open steam://open/minigameslist
As you enter the above command, Steam will run without WebHelper.
You can now play your games without the high CPU usage of Steam Client WebHelper.
In case you wish to launch Steam normally with the web browser, click on the Steam > Exit option and then reopen Steam.
See: Fix Steam Error Code e20 on Windows PC.
5] Uninstall the latest Windows update
Some affected users have reported fixing the issue by uninstalling the latest Windows updates. You can also try doing the same and see if it helps.
6] Uninstall and then reinstall Steam
If none of the above solutions worked, the Steam client is likely corrupted which is why you are experiencing high CPU usage of WebHelper. So, you can try uninstalling the Steam app and then reinstalling a fresh and clean version of the client to fix the issue.
To do so, first, create a backup of C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps folder so that you don’t lose your games. Now, launch the Settings app using Win+I and move to the Apps tab. Next, click on the Installed apps option and look for Steam. After that, click on the three-dot menu button present next to Steam and click on Uninstall. Follow the prompted instructions and remove Steam from your computer.
Now, restart your computer and download the latest version of Steam from its website. Then, install it on your computer and start using it. The high CPU usage of Steam Client WebHelper should be now fixed.
I hope this helps!
Read: How to fix Disk Write Error on Steam in Windows?
Why is Steam client using so much RAM?
If Steam Client Bootstrapper uses excessive memory or RAM, CPU, and other system resources, it might be caused because of using the in-game overlay feature. Besides that, it can also be caused due to corrupted system files and outdated or corrupted graphics drivers. You might face this issue if your Steam client is broken.
