Across platforms, Chrome is notorious for hogging resources, draining battery, and consequently affecting the performance. To tackle this issue, we have even written a detailed guide on ways to speed up Chrome on PC. But what if I tell you that there is a hidden tool called the Chrome Software Reporter Tool which spikes the CPU abnormally? Google maintains that it’s for protecting users from malware and harmful extensions. But many users have reported that it keeps running in the background and severely affects the performance. So if you are wondering what is Chrome Software Reporter Tool and what is its exact purpose then you have landed at the right place. In this article, we explain the issue in detail and also provide you two easy ways to disable Chrome Software Reporter Tool permanently.
While geeks can manage and inspect their PC on their own, very often it’s seen that general consumers are tricked into installing malware from the internet. As a result, Chrome gets infected by harmful extensions and software that change the search engine, add a malicious toolbar, replace the new tab with a custom webpage, and bring a score of ads and redirects from all corners. All these changes hijack Chrome from working properly. And that’s why we have a dedicated explainer on how to enhance Google Chrome security for general consumers. Anyway, to combat this issue, Chrome ships with a Software Reporter Tool that scans the installed programs on your computer in the background, and removes the harmful ones. Basically, Chrome Software Reporter Tool works like antivirus, but its scope is only limited to the smooth functioning of Chrome.
I was wondering why my Canarytoken (a file folder) was triggering & discovered the culprit was chrome.exe. Turns out @googlechrome quietly began performing AV scans on Windows devices last fall. Wtf m8? This isn’t a system dir, either, it’s in Documents pic.twitter.com/IQZPSVpkz7
— Kelly Shortridge (@swagitda_) March 29, 2018
There are two ways we can easily block the Chrome Software Reporter Tool from running in the background. First, we can remove the elevated permission of the Software Reporter folder so that Chrome loses access to it. And the second method is, of course, a Registry hack. Having said that, the first method would be enough to stop the background scan. Now without any delay, let’s move to the steps.
- Remove Inherited Permissions
- First of all, Open the File Explorer and move to the “C” drive. Next, click on the “View” tab and enable “Hidden items”. It will allow you to access the hidden folders.
Remove Inherited Permissions
- Finally, click on “Apply” and then “OK” button. Now, you have successfully disabled Chrome Software Reporter Tool from running in the background and it won’t spike your CPU again.
Modify Chrome Registry
- Press the “Windows” key once and enter “registry” in the search box. Now, click on “Run as administrator”.
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Google\Chrome
- Again, create a new “DWORD (32-bit) Value” similar to step #3 and name it ChromeCleanupReportingEnabled. Here too, enter “0” in the Value data field.
So that was all about the Chrome Software Reporter Tool. You can learn about this tool in the first section and then choose to disable it from the second section. We have offered two ways to permanently block it from running in the background. As I said above, the tool is there for a reason and it’s to safeguard your web experience. So if it’s not affecting the performance, I would suggest you let it remain working.
