epic games 100 disk usage

High disk usage by the Epic Games Launcher is a common issue, often caused by the launcher's background processes, game updates, or cache problems. Heres a step-by-step guide to diagnose and fix it. Immediate Fixes (Try These First) Close the Launcher Properly: Don't just minimize it to the tray. Right-click the Epic Games icon in your system tray (bottom-right) and select Exit. This stops all its background processes. Pause Downloads: If a game is updating or downloading, it will naturally use high disk I/O. Pause any active downloads from the launcher's library section. Wait It Out: If you just launched the launcher or a game, it might be performing initial checks, verifying files, or applying a small update. Give it 5-10 minutes to settle. Main Solutions Limit the Launcher's Bandwidth This throttles its download/update speed, reducing disk write activity. Open the Epic Games Launcher. Go to Settings (gear icon at the bottom left). Scroll down to LIMIT BANDWIDTH. Enable the option and set a limit (e.g., 10-20 Mbps). Also, enable Throttle Downloads while gaming. Disable Unnecessary Startup & Background Options The launcher has several auto-start features that cause high usage. In Settings, under the MANAGE DESKTOP SHORTCUTS section, uncheck Run When Your Computer Starts. Further down, under BACKGROUND, uncheck: Allow the Epic Games Launcher to run in the background Start Epic Games Launcher when you start up your computer Clear the Launcher's Web Cache Corrupted cache files can cause loops and high usage. Fully exit the Epic Games Launcher (from system tray). Press Win + R, type %localappdata%, and press Enter. Open the EpicGamesLauncher folder. Go into the Saved folder. Delete the folder named webcache or webcache_xxxx. Restart your PC and then the launcher. It will rebuild the cache. Verify Game Files (If a specific game is the cause) Corrupted game files can cause the launcher to work excessively. In your Epic Library, click the "..." (three dots) on the game tile. Select Manage. Click Verify. This will check and repair the game files. Change the Installation Drive (If Possible) If your main drive (usually C:) is a slower HDD or is nearly full, performance suffers. Consider moving your Epic Games library to a faster SSD or a less crowded drive using the launcher's Move function (under Manage for each game). Advanced / System-Level Fixes Disable Windows Search & Superfetch (SysMain) These Windows services can sometimes conflict with high disk activity. Press Win + R, type services.msc, and press Enter. Find Windows Search and SysMain (formerly Superfetch). Double-click each one, set "Startup type" to Disabled, and click Stop. Click Apply and OK. Restart your PC. Check for Malware Run a full scan with Windows Security (Defender) or your preferred antivirus software to rule out malicious activity. Update Drivers & Windows Graphics Drivers: Update your GPU drivers from NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel's website. Chipset/SATA Drivers: Update from your motherboard manufacturer's website. Windows: Run Windows Update to get the latest system patches. Check Disk Health A failing hard drive (HDD) will show constant 100% disk usage. Open File Explorer, right-click your main drive (C:), and select Properties. Go to the Tools tab and under Error checking, click Check. For a more detailed check, open Command Prompt as Administrator and type: (You will be prompted to schedule the scan for the next restart). Summary of Steps (Quick Checklist) Pause downloads and exit the launcher fully. Limit bandwidth in Epic Settings. Disable background/startup options in Epic Settings. Clear the webcache folder (%localappdata%EpicGamesLauncherSaved). Verify files of the problematic game. Disable Windows Search & SysMain services. Update drivers and Windows. Check disk health for potential hardware failure. If the problem persists only with Epic Games after trying these steps, it may be worth contacting Epic Games Support, as it could be a launcher bug specific to your system configuration.