What Is “Shell Infrastructure Host” and Why Is It Running on My PC?

The “Shell Infrastructure Host” is a critical process in Windows. Alongside other processes, such as the Shell Experience Host, it’s responsible for things like window transparency, the layout of the Start Menu, the desktop background slideshow, and several other graphical elements of the operating system (OS).

In Task Manager, where its process name is sihost.exe, Shell Infrastructure Host can be found in the Windows Processes section. Under normal conditions, it will consume very few system resources. Occasionally, the resources consumed by the Shell Infrastructure Host can spike unexpectedly, causing lag, system slowdown, and even crashes.

When operating under normal conditions, the Shell Infrastructure Host process will use only tiny amounts of CPU and power resources when specific graphical changes are made. It will also use a small amount of memory (or RAM) at all times. Occasionally that resource usage will spike, with users reporting up to 70% of CPU power being used by the process. This spike can sometimes last for hours, which can be both worrying and frustrating if it affects PC performance.

The main reasons for this problem are usually an app or apps with a memory leak, and incorrectly configured or out-of-date personalization settings. One of the easiest and most reliable ways to prevent the problem is to apply any available updates to Windows and apps.

Another common cause of high CPU usage by this process is having your desktop background set to Slideshow mode. If updating the operating system didn’t help, try setting the desktop background to a static image. If that helps, but you still want a slideshow, try using images from a different location or installing a third-party desktop slideshow app.

If the increase in resources only occurs when a particular app is running, it points to a memory leak. The easiest way to fix this is to repair the app in Settings. There is no way to permanently disable the process, and we wouldn’t advise doing so even if there was. Disabling the process would almost certainly prevent Windows from booting and leave you staring at a blue screen of death (BSOD).

You can end the process temporarily in Task Manager, to see if that fixes the high CPU use, but it will automatically restart after a few seconds. To do this, open Task Manager, find the Shell Infrastructure Host under Windows Processes, and right-click on it. Select “End Task” from the menu.

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How to Remove Dotted Lines in Microsoft Excel

Have you ever been working on an Excel spreadsheet when dotted lines suddenly appeared? While fine to some, those dotted lines may be distracting to others. We’ll show you when and why these dotted lines appear and how to remove them.

There are a few instances where you may see dotted lines in Excel. If you set up your sheet to print or use the Page Break Preview, you’ll see dotted lines for page breaks when you return to the Normal view. Additionally, if you share a spreadsheet with editing privileges, a collaborator may add a border with a dotted line style.

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Printing a Specific Selection of Cells in Microsoft Excel

This option is the quickest method to print a selected range of cells. Select and highlight the range of cells you want to print.

Next, click File > Print or press Ctrl+P to view the print settings.

Click the list arrow for the print area settings and then select the “Print Selection” option.

The preview will now show only the selected area. Click “Print” to finish the process.

Setting the Print Area in Microsoft Excel

  • If you print the selected area frequently, you can set the selected range as the print area. This option will save you from needing to select the range each time you print.
  • Select the range of cells you want to set as the print area. Next, click Page Layout > Print Area > Set Print Area.

  • The print area is now set.
  • The next time you print (File > Print or press Ctrl+P), this area will be printed by default.
  • To remove a print area, click Page Layout > Print Area > Clear Print Area.
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