What is the vsserv.exe process?
Vsserv.exe is the main Bitdefender process that provides continuous real-time protection against a wide range of malware threats and online attacks.
This process should run permanently on your system without being stopped. If you try to stop it, an error message will appear.
Note: Bitdefender is self-protecting all its files and processes to make sure no malware affects the product.
If you notice a significant slowdown and Task Manager indicates that the vsserv.exe process stays at 100% CPU usage, follow these steps:
1) Set Bitdefender On-Access scanning on Default level:
a. Open the Bitdefender window.
b. Click the Settings button on the upper toolbar.
c. In the Settings Overview window, select Antivirus.
d. In the Antivirus Settings window, select the Shield tab.
e. Set On-access scanning on Default.
Check if your system performance is improved. If you are satisfied with the system speed, you may keep the default protection level because it ensures good protection against malware, with minor impact on system performance.
2) In case the system still runs slowly, temporarly turn off the Active Virus Control :
a. Open the Bitdefenderwindow.
b. Click the Settings button on the upper toolbar.
c. In the Settings Overview window, select Antivirus.
d. In the Antivirus Settings window, select the Shield tab.
e. Click the switch to turn off Active Virus Control.
Check if your system performance is improved with the Active Virus Control disabled.
If you do not notice any improvement, go to the Bitdefender dashboard and turn off Autoscan on the Antivirus panel. If the issue is solved, please contact the Bitdefender support providing a short description of your situation and mention the steps you performed.
You may also encounter “Bitdefender services are not responding (the vsserv.exe process)” as follows:
- The Bitdefender icon in the system tray is grayed out and you are informed that the Bitdefender services are not responding.
- The Bitdefender window indicates that the Bitdefender services are not responding.
The error may be caused by one of the following conditions:
- temporary communication errors between the Bitdefender services.
- some of the Bitdefender services are stopped.
- other security solutions running on your computer at the same time with Bitdefender. Usually when you use more than one security solutions on the same computer, the system may become unstable. This happens because all security solutions try to scan a file whenever one is accessed but they cannot do it at the same time, so this causes either slowdowns or crashes.
To troubleshoot this error, try these solutions:
1. Wait a few moments and see if anything changes. The error may be temporary.
2. Restart the computer and wait a few moments until Bitdefender is running. Open
Bitdefender to see if the error persists. Restarting the computer usually solves the problem.
3. Check if you have any other security solution installed as they may disrupt the normal operation of Bitdefender. If this is the case, we recommend you to remove all of the other security solutions and then reinstall Bitdefender.
Instructions on how to uninstall other security solutions are available in this article:
If the error persists, please contact Customer Care to help you.
