How to Disable Microsoft Compatibility Telemetry (CompatTelRunner.exe) To Fix Its High CPU Usage

High CPU usage from CompatTelRunner.exe (Microsoft Compatibility Telemetry) slowing down your PC? Want to stop Microsoft from collecting telemetry data? Disabling Microsoft Compatibility Telemetry can fix both. Here’s how.

By default, the Microsoft Compatibility Telemetry process, CompatTelRunner.exe, runs in the background and is responsible for collecting telemetry data such as system diagnostics and usage data, and sending it to Microsoft. The process is designed to run periodically or on specific triggers, such as scheduled tasks and updates.

In general, the Microsoft Compatibility Telemetry process is pretty lightweight and doesn’t cause problems. But, under certain circumstances, such as failed updates, incompatible software, or system crashes, it can misbehave and cause high CPU usage and overheating, which in turn slows down your system. On laptops, it also drains the battery quickly, reducing overall battery life.

Thankfully, you can easily fix these problems by disabling the Microsoft Compatibility Telemetry feature. To do that, you have two methods: using Task Scheduler or the Group Policy Editor.

So, without further ado, let me show you how to disable Microsoft Compatibility Telemetry (CompatTelRunner.exe) in Windows 11 and Windows 10.

Disable Microsoft Compatibility Telemetry in Task Scheduler

Disabling the “Microsoft Compatibility Appraiser” scheduled task stops Microsoft Compatibility Telemetry (CompatTelRunner.exe) from starting and running automatically. Here’s how to do it.

1. Press the “Windows key” to open the Start menu.
2. Search for “Task Scheduler” and click “Open“.
3. Go to the “Task Scheduler Library” > “Microsoft” folder.
4. Go to the “Windows” > “Application Experience” folder.
5. Right-click the “Microsoft Compatibility Appraiser” task.
6. Select “Disable“.
7. If you have more than one task with the same name, disable it too.
8. Close the Task Scheduler.
9. Restart your system
10. You’ve disabled Microsoft Compatibility Telemetry in Windows 11 & 10.

Detailed Steps (With Screenshots)

First, open the Task Scheduler application. To do that, open the Start menu by pressing the “Windows key” on the taskbar, type “Task Scheduler”, and click “Open”.

Once it opens, go to the following folder from the left sidebar.

Task Scheduler Library > Microsoft > Windows > Application Experience

On the right panel, right-click on the “Microsoft Compatibility Appraiser” task and select the “Disable” option. This disables the selected task.

If you have multiple tasks with the same name, disable those tasks too.

Once done, close the Task Scheduler window by clicking the “X” button on the title bar. Next, restart your system and you are done. From this point forward, the Microsoft Compatibility Telemetry (CompatTelRunner.exe) process won’t start or run automatically.

Disable Microsoft Compatibility Telemetry Using Group Policy

Note: Administrator rights are required to modify group policy settings.

If you want to fully disable the CompatTelRunner.exe process, you can go with the nuclear option. i.e, disable full telemetry via Group Policy.

1. Press “Windows key + R” to open the Run dialog.
2. Type “gpedit.msc” and click “OK“.
3. Go to the “Computer Configuration” > “Administrative Templates” folder.
4. Go to the “Windows Components” > “Data Collection and Preview Builds” folder.
5. Double-click the “Allow Diagnostic Data” or “Allow Telemetry” policy.
6. Select the “Disabled” option.
7. Click “OK“.
8. Close the Group Policy Editor.
9. Restart your system.
10. With that, you’ve disabled Microsoft Compatibility Telemetry in Windows 11 & 10.

Detailed Steps (With Screenshots)

First, open the Run dialog by pressing the “Windows key + R” shortcut. Next, type “gpedit.msc” in the Run field, and click “OK” to open the Group Policy Editor.

In the Group Policy window, go to the following folder on the left sidebar.

Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Data Collection and Preview Builds

On the right panel, find and double-click the “Allow Diagnostic Data” policy. On Windows 10, double-click the “Allow Telemetry” policy.

Select the “Disabled” option and click the “OK” button to save the change.

Finally, close the Group Policy window and restart your system to apply the policy change. Once restarted, the Microsoft Compatibility Telemetry (CompatTelRunner.exe) is disabled.

Wrapping Up: Fixing High CPU Issues Caused By Microsoft Compatibility Telemetry

If the CompatTelRunner.exe process or the Microsoft Compatibility Telemetry feature is causing high CPU usage or other problems and slowing down your system, disabling the “Microsoft Compatibility Appraiser” schedule task and/or “Allow Diagnostic Data” or “Allow Telemetry” policy will fix the problem. Remember that unless there is a problem, it is generally not recommended to disable Microsoft Compatibility Telemetry.

If you have any questions or need help, comment below. I’ll be happy to assist.