5 Fixes: Adobe CEF Helper High Memory or CPU 

When installed incorrectly or due to Adobe CEF Helper High Memory incompatibility issues or CPU usage or CPU usage on your Windows computer. This will lead to various issues with the device such as lags, screen freezes and crashes.

The Adobe CEF Assistant will run in the background when Adobe Creative Cloud services are launched. It then performs standard checks to make sure all of your Adobe applications are up to date. Even when idle, this application is known to consume a lot of CPU resources.

This article addresses the high memory or CPU usage issue of Adobe CEF Helper in Adobe CEF Helper. Read this article to learn more about this issue and the fixes that can fix it completely.

What is the Adobe CEF Assistant?

Adobe CEF Helper is a processing service used by Adobe cloud creative applications. Its main function is to display various Adobe components. For example, this service is used for rendering when exporting a photo from Adobe Photoshop.

Go to the Task Manager Processes window. You will notice that various background processes (with similar names) are listed when you launch Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop. In a sense, Adobe CEF Helper is a vital service needed in two situations: at runtime and during rendering.

Why does Adobe CEF Helper cause memory or CPU overload?

Typically, Adobe products (Photoshop and Premier Pro) are CPU intensive. Your CPU can become overloaded quickly if Adobe CC and CEF Helper are constantly running.

Adobe Creative Cloud desktop applications manage various components with many background processes. It manages these processes through Adobe CEF Helper. Since CEF Helper processes each component assigned to it separately, many jobs can run under the same name (why can you see processes with the same name?).

Even if you are not using any Adobe software, these processes run in the background and consume your computer’s memory and CPU resources.

Although CEF Helper is running in the background, it may not be the only problem. The following are some possible situations that can cause out-of-memory or CPU usage issues in Adobe CEF Helper.

• System files on your computer may be corrupted.
• Or the Creative Cloud you downloaded might be corrupted, damaging your processor.
• Or Adobe Creative Cloud products are not compatible with the version of Windows installed on your computer.
• Or it could be a conflict between an antivirus program and Adobe CEF Helper.

Learn more about these points in the next section.

How to fix high memory or CPU usage in Adobe CEF Helper?

Below is a list of solutions (fixes) that you can apply to fix the “Adobe CEF Helper High Memory or CPU”issue.

1. Restart your computer
2. Update Windows OS
3. Run an SFC Scan
4. Pause or temporarily disable your antivirus program
5. Uninstall and reinstall Adobe CEF Helper

1. Restart your computer

Rebooting can clear your computer’s memory (RAM). The processor can also work more efficiently by terminating or updating programs.

If this is your first time encountering the “Adobe CEF Helper High Memory or CPU use”issue on your desktop or laptop computer, restarting your computer may fix the issue.

• Save your work and close all active programs.
• Press the Windows key or click the Start icon.

• Select the power icon.
• Click Reload.

Wait for the computer to finish restarting. Now check the memory and CPU usage indicator of your computer. If this fix doesn’t help, try the next solution.

2. Update Windows OS

Another issue could be an outdated/old version of Windows. You can fix this issue by updating your desktop/laptop operating system.

Microsoft releases regular service packs containing security updates, bug fixes, driver updates, and more.

If you’re experiencing high memory or CPU usage issues with Adobe CEF Helper, it could be a compatibility issue with Windows OS. Keeping your Windows operating system up to date will keep your system up to date with the latest technical standards.

• First, enter the Settings app: press Windows + I.

• Select Update & Security.
• Click Windows Update. It is on the left panel.

• Click the Check for Updates button to check for the latest available updates.
• If there are any new updates, you can check the checkboxes for the updates you want.
• Click Download and Install.
• After the download and installation of the updates is complete, the update wizard will prompt you to restart. Click Restart Now.

3. Run an SFC scan

SFC (System File Checker) scans your computer’s protected system files for corruption. It then replaces the corrupted files with the cached copy from the %WinDir%\System32\dllcache directory.

Is there any chance that Adobe CEF Helper is causing high memory or CPU usage due to corrupted system files? Then an SFC scan will prove useful.

• To access the Windows Search bar, press the Windows + S keys.
• Now type cmd in the search box and right click on the top result.
• Select “Run as administrator”.
• Copy and paste or type the following command into the window and press Enter.

“ sfc /scannow“

Wait for the process to complete. This may take a few minutes, then restart your computer.

4. Pause or temporarily disable your antivirus program

Disable anti-virus protection for a short time. With this, you can check if an incompatibility between the Adobe CEF Assistant and the antivirus program is causing high CPU usage.

• Right-click the antivirus icon (an umbrella with a red background) in the system tray and select Avast Shields Control.
• Select the Disable option for 10 minutes, then click OK.

If you have another antivirus program installed, you can disable it temporarily by following the steps above.

For example, if you installed McAfee:

• Right-click the McAfee antivirus icon.
• Select “Change settings”-> “Firewall”.
• Click Disable.
• Select a time from the drop down menu.
• Select Disable.

5. Uninstall and reinstall Adobe CEF Helper

Perhaps all other solutions did not work on your computer. In this case, you can try reinstalling the latest version of the Adobe Acrobat Creative Clouds Desktop application.

• Type Control Panel in the search box on the taskbar.
• Click on the “Control Panel”option in the list of results.
• Go to Programs -> Programs and Features.
• Find and select the Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop application.
• Right-click the application and select Uninstall or Uninstall/Change.
• Now follow the instructions on the screen.
• Restart your computer.

Remove Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop from the Start Menu.

• Click “Start”-> “All Apps”.
• Right-click the software and select Uninstall.
• Now follow the instructions on the screen.
• Restart your computer.

You can also remove the Creative Cloud app from the installation folder.

• Open File Explorer.
• Enter or copy and paste the path “C\:Program Files>Adobe Systems>Adobe CEF Helper or Adobe Creative Cloud>Adobe CEF Helper_uninstall.exe”
• Run the uninstaller executable (uninstall.exe).
• Follow the instructions on the uninstall wizard screen.

Now download and install the latest version of Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop. Go to the official Adobe page. Download the latest software and install it on your system.

Conclusion

In conclusion, you should have a basic understanding of the features of the Adobe CEF Assistant. All Adobe Creative Clouds Desktop programs require the Adobe CEF Support Service to function properly. If your computer is experiencing high memory and CPU usage, try the fixes in this article.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How to stop Adobe CEF Helper from starting on startup?

You can stop the Adobe CEF Helper service from starting automatically by doing the following: Launch the Adobe Creative Cloud desktop app. Go to Profile->Settings->General. Turn off the Launch Creative Cloud at login option. Finally, select Done to save your changes.

Why does CEF Helper work?

The Adobe CEF Helper service powers and supports (renders) Adobe Creative Cloud desktop applications. It is responsible for collecting and processing important data. The Adobe CEF Assistant also manages your licenses and subscriptions.

Why is Creative Cloud causing high CPU usage?

There are situations when the Mansion Programs take up much more than normal CPU and memory resources. High CPU usage will cause lag, screen freezes, crashes, and other issues with the device. The case is also valid when programs are in an idle state. Corrupted system files, incompatibilities and anti-virus programs are primarily responsible for this problem.

How to uninstall Creative Cloud from Windows?

Remove Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop from the Start Menu. Go to Start -> All Apps. Find the software you want to uninstall. Right-click the Creative Cloud application. Select Uninstall/Change. Follow the instructions on the screen.