---
title: "Windows Resource Monitor"
source: "https://docs.nexcess.com/hosting/server-administration/windows/windows-server-optimization/windows-resource-monitor-resmon/"
description: "Is your Windows Server slow? Use the Resource Monitor (Resmon) to diagnose high CPU, memory, or disk usage. Our guide shows you how to find bottlenecks."
vertical: "Hosting"
date: "2025-10-24"
last_modified: "2026-07-23"
---

# Windows Resource Monitor

## **Overview**

If your Windows Server feels slow, unresponsive, or is experiencing performance issues, the **Windows Resource Monitor (Resmon)** is the best built-in tool to diagnose the problem. It gives you a live, detailed look at how your server is using its CPU, memory, disk, and network resources.

**This guide will show you how to use the Resource Monitor to:**

- Find out which applications are slowing down your server.
- Identify processes causing high disk or network activity.
- Check for memory leaks in your applications.
- Pinpoint the root cause of performance bottlenecks.

### Accessing Windows Resource Monitor

The Windows Resource Monitor can be run by following either of these methods:

- Type **resmon** in the Windows search bar and press **Enter.
- Run **resmon.exe** from the **Run** dialog (Win + R).
- Access via **Task Manager → Performance tab → Open Resource Monitor.**

## **Parameters / Features**

| Tab | Description |
|---|---|
| Overview | Displays CPU, Disk, Network, and Memory usage summaries. |
| CPU | Shows process-level CPU usage, threads, and handles. Identifies processes causing high CPU load. |
| Memory | Displays physical and virtual memory usage by each process. Helps locate memory leaks. |
| Disk (Storage) | Monitors read/write operations and disk response times for each process. |
| Network | Shows per-process network activity, including TCP connections and bandwidth usage. |

## **Examples**

### Identify High CPU Usage Process

1. Open Resource Monitor (resmon.exe).
2. Go to **CPU tab → Processes.**
3. Click the **CPU** column header to sort by usage.
4. Identify the process using the most CPU resources.

Monitor trends

You can right-click any process and select **Analyze Wait Chain** to check for dependent or blocked threads.

### Analyze Memory Usage

1. Open the **Memory tab**.
2. Check the **Commit (KB)** and **Working Set (KB)** columns to identify processes consuming large memory portions.
3. Hover over the **Physical Memory** bar graph to see how much memory is in use, modified, standby, or free.
4. Identify if any process shows **High Hard Faults/sec**, which could indicate excessive paging.

Hard faults explained

Think of RAM as your desk and the hard disk as a filing cabinet. Grabbing something from your desk (RAM) is very fast. A “hard fault” happens when your server needs a file that isn’t on the desk and has to walk over to the filing cabinet (the disk) to get it. A few hard faults are normal. However, a constant, high number of hard faults means your server is spending too much time running to the filing cabinet. **This can be a sign that you don’t have enough RAM (your desk is too small) for your current workload.**   
*[More information about Windows RAM found here.](https://docs.nexcess.com/hosting/server-administration/windows/windows-server-optimization/windows-server-memory-ram/)*

### Monitor Disk Activity

1. Open the **Disk tab.**
2. Sort by **Total (B/sec)** to view processes performing heavy read/write operations.
3. Expand **Disk Activity** to view specific files being accessed.

Background services

Many background services (e.g., Windows Defender or indexing) can temporarily cause high disk usage.

### Monitor Network Activity

1. Go to the **Network tab**.
2. Sort by **Send (B/sec)** or **Receive (B/sec)** to find processes using the most bandwidth.
3. Expand **TCP Connections** to view local and remote addresses, ports, and latency.
4. Identify unknown processes with persistent or suspicious connections.

Check for unknown connections

If you find processes connecting to unfamiliar IP addresses or domains, investigate further using antivirus or firewall tools to rule out malware or data exfiltration.

## **Common Use Cases**

- Diagnosing **system slowdowns** due to high CPU or memory usage.
- Identifying **applications causing disk thrashing** or I/O delays.
- Monitoring **network connections** to detect unusual traffic or potential malware activity.
- Checking **memory leaks** in applications or services.
- Verifying that **processes release the system handles** correctly.

## **Troubleshooting & FAQs**

**Resource Monitor won’t launch.**Ensure you’re running it as an **administrator**. You can also try launching from **Task Manager → Performance → Open Resource Monitor**.

Administrative rights required

Running without admin privileges limits access to certain system information.

**Graphs or data appear frozen.**Click **Monitor → Resume Monitoring** from the menu bar.

****Can Resource Monitor export logs?****Resource Monitor doesn’t export logs directly. Use **Performance Monitor (perfmon)** or **Task Manager → Details → Export** for detailed logging.

Alternative logging

Use **perfmon /report** for a complete system diagnostic report, including performance summaries.

## Next Steps

Once you’ve used the Resource Monitor to identify a problem, here are some common next steps:

- **If a specific application has high CPU or memory use:** Try restarting the application or service. If the problem persists, check the logs for more information. You may have an update from the software vendor or you may need to review its configuration settings.
- **If your server consistently has high memory usage and hard faults:** Your server may not have enough RAM for its workload. Consider upgrading your server to a plan with more memory.
- **If you see suspicious network activity:** If you’ve identified a process with unknown or suspicious network connections, you should run a security scan and ensure your firewall is properly configured.
- **If you’re unsure how to resolve an issue:** After identifying the problematic process or resource, you can contact our Support team with your specific findings. Providing the name of the process and the data you observed will help us assist you more quickly. *1*

## **Helpful Links and Articles** 

- [Windows Server Administration](https://docs.nexcess.com/hosting/server-administration/windows/)
- [What is Windows server? Features and functions explained](https://www.liquidweb.com/blog/windows-server/)

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*1 Service provided ‘as is’ without any warranties or guarantees, express or implied. Please be aware that while we investigate all reported issues, a resolution isn’t always possible.. If the problem is downstream, we will engage our vendors.*