microsoft/PowerToys

Bug: CPU Usage stats in Dock goes beyond 100%

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#46381 opened on Mar 21, 2026

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 (12 comments) (3 reactions) (0 assignees)C# (133,154 stars) (7,978 forks)batch import
CmdPal - Performance monitorHelp WantedIssue-BugProduct-Command Palette

Description

Microsoft PowerToys version

0.98.0

Installation method

PowerToys auto-update

Area(s) with issue?

Command Palette

Steps to reproduce

Steps to Reproduce

  • Open the Command Palette Dock.
  • Start a CPU-intensive workload: - Run a stress test, or - Open multiple heavy applications simultaneously.
  • Observe CPU usage in: - Task Manager (reference) - Command Palette Dock

CPU Usage Reflection 144%

✔️ Expected Behavior

The CPU usage shown in the dock should accurately reflect system usage and remain within the valid range of 0% to 100%.

❌ Actual Behavior

The dock reports CPU usage values exceeding 100%, often reaching around 150% under heavy load

Upload Bug Report ZIP-file

No response

Additional Information

  • OS: Windows 11 Pro (25H2, Build 26200.7922)
  • .NET Framework: 4.8.1
  • System Language: English
  • Installation Type: User (per-user install)
  • Run as Administrator: No

Other Software

No response

Contributor guide

Tech stack
csharp
Domain
desktop
Issue type
bug
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
half day
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
active
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
clear
Prerequisites
understanding of CPU usage calculationbasic C# debugging
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
60
Research direction
Investigate the code in the Command Palette dock where CPU usage is retrieved, likely using PerformanceCounter or similar Windows APIs. The bug suggests that values are being summed across CPU cores without dividing by the number of cores, causing percentages over 100%. Look for related parsing or display logic in the dock's performance monitoring module. Check if there are any existing fixes or discussions in the repository for similar issues.