Category Windows, How-To

How to solve “Windows 10 critical process died” error? Find solution here.

Author Abhijeet Published on 4 min read
How to solve Windows 10 critical process died error

You are here because you might be facing some issues with your computer. Windows 10 Critical Process Died is an error code which means that a critical system process died while showing an error code 0x000000EF or a blue screen error. In this post, we will know the reasons behind this and the probable solution to fix this issue.

Some computers show errors like the Blue screen of death, while others enter a continuous rebooting loop due to “Windows 10 Critical Process Died“. We have discussed some known fixes to that error that anyone can perform and are easy to fix. Continue reading the post till the end.

Enough about the error, now let’s know about the reasons behind this.

Reasons behind windows 10 critical process died –

Windows 10 is known for weird bugs. This one is also a weird bug with no fix reasons, most common reasons for the errors are –

  1. Any hardware part might be damaged.
  2. Any software crashed.
  3. Critical software drivers are not installed properly.

This error also occurs after a Windows 10 system update or new installation of Windows.

How to fix Windows 10 critical process died?

Now, you know the reasons behind this critical error, let’s learn about the solutions. We have explained some easy solutions to fix this kind of issue.

Solution 1: Restart PC in Safe Mode to fix Windows 10 critical process died

This solution is like a panacea. Every little problem of computers can be solved using this. The “Windows 10 Critical process Died” error can make your PC or Laptop unusable. Thus you can restart your computer in safe mode.

Here is a quick way to enter safe mode in Windows 10:

  1. Restart Windows 10
  2. Press Shift + F8 before Windows 10 starts loading. This will open the recovery mode.
  3. Now go to Advanced Boot Options and set boot mode as Safe Mode. This will restart your PC in Safe mode.

You can also enter Safe mode using an installation disk or restart your PC several times to trigger Windows Recovery. Then go to –

 Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Startup Settings > Restart.

how to boot in safe mode Windows 10

After that, select Enable Safe Mode option.

MUST READ – Windows 10 factory reset from boot Easily

Solution 2: Update System Drivers

Your computer’s drivers might be out-of-date. After you have booted into Safe mode, you can try updating your drivers using the following steps.

  1. Press Windows + X and open Device Manager.
  2. Check all your drivers for updates. If a driver has a yellow exclamatory mark, the driver could be corrupted.
  3. Follow the on-screen instructions, and Windows will Search automatically for updated driver software.

Solution 3: Use SFC/Scannow to fix Windows 10 critical process died

If any of the above solutions didn’t work for you, you might now try doing this. I hope it helps. Sometimes missing/corrupted files are also the cause of this error. To check that, you can use the SFC/Scannow command to check the file system.

If the file checker detects some missing or faulty files, it will attempt to repair them. To use this command, follow the steps below:

First of all, shut down your computer or laptop. Press the power button; as soon as it turns ON, turn it OFF using the power button. Repeat this step until the Automatic Repair page appears.

After doing it a few times, it will show preparing automatic repair. On the next screen, it will show diagnosing your PC. On the next screen, the Automatic repair page will appear. There you will get two options Restart, advanced options. Click on advanced options. Then click on troubleshoot, then click on the advanced option; on the next screen, click on the command prompt. Once the command prompt window opens up, you have to :

  1. Type sfc/scannow and press the Enter key. The system will start scanning. Please wait for a few minutes for it to complete.
  2. If it finds any faulty/missing files, it will repair them automatically. If there are no faulty files, you will receive a note saying, “Windows Resource Protection did not fund any integrity violations.”
  3. At last, if the command repaired any files, you need to restart your computer.

ALSO READ – Fix Windows 10 update stuck at 0[ 6 easy fixes]

Solution 4: Uninstall Third-Party Software

According to Microsoft, this error can also be caused due to incompatibility of recently installed software like an Antivirus. Thus it is recommended that you uninstall such software and check if the problem still exists. To uninstall software, follow these steps:

  1. Press Windows Start key, search Settings, and press Enter.
  2. Go to Apps > Apps & Features.
  3. Uninstall any third-party software that you suspect might have caused the error.

Solution 5: Run DISM to Repair Corrupted System Image to fix Windows 10 critical process died

If using SFC/Scannon command did not fix the Critical Process Died error, you can try running DISM to fix the Windows System Image. Just run Command Prompt as administrator and type the following lines:

Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

This will repair and fix the Windows System Image.

I hope this article has helped you to fix Windows 10 critical process died issue. Please share with your friends to help them solve the problem, and Let me know your feedback in the comments below.

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