The Microsoft Compatibility Telemetry (MCT) on Windows is a double-edged sword. I say that because it collects data to improve your experience, but it can sometimes become a resource hog, consuming excessive CPU power and slowing down your PC. MCT is typically known to be one of the culprits that causes your system to lag, and you are not alone in trying to find ways to reduce MCT's high CPU usage.

More often than not, a simple restart is all you need to fix this issue of MCT taking up a lot of CPU resources. But if that doesn't solve the problem for you, then you might want to try the following troubleshooting methods to see if those help.

Refresh the Telemetry service

Give it a quick refresh

Refreshing the Telemetry service itself is a good way to rule out any temporary issues with the Windows telemetry process. It's a simple fix that's likely to help you iron out the issue. To do this:

1. Press the Start button and type "services" to find the Services app.
2. Open it and scroll down until you locate Connected User Experiences and Telemetry service.
3. Simply right-click on it and select Restart.

Try replacing the CompatTelRunner.exe file manually

Replace the file that runs the telemetry process

The CompatTelRunner.exe, as the name implies, runs the telemetry process, and it may cause a ruckus in your system if it gets corrupted somehow. Replacing the file manually seems to have helped many users to reduce MCT's high CPU usage, so I'd say there's no harm trying it. To replace the CompatTelRunner.exe on your Windows PC:

1. Press the Start button and start typing "command prompt."
2. Right-click on Command Prompt from the result and select Run as administrator.
3. Type the following command in Command Prompt, and press Enter.

   takeown /f C:\Windows\System32\CompatTelRunner.exe

Now that you have ownership of the file, you can replace it with a fresh copy of the said file from a different PC.

Manage Telemetry process runtime

This can greatly reduce the damage being done

The telemetry process, in case you didn't know, is scheduled to run every day at a specific time. It's also designed to run indefinitely, which is likely the cause of a lot of problems. So my recommendation here would be to try and reduce the damage being done by adjusting the trigger settings of the task, and limiting resource consumption. You can do it via the Task Scheduler app, and here's how:

1. Press the Start button and type "task scheduler" to pull the Task Scheduler app.
2. Open it and navigate to Task Scheduler Library > Microsoft > Windows > Application Experience in the left sidebar.
3. Locate and double-click on the Microsoft Compatibility Appraiser.
4. Head to the Triggers tab and click the enabled trigger twice.
5. Reschedule the task to run when your device is idle, or to the time when you're not actively using it during the day.
6. Check the box for Stop task if it runs longer than, and select for how long you want to keep the process running.
7. Click OK, and head to the Settings tab to uncheck the box for Run task as soon as possible after a scheduled start is missed.

Doing this will ensure the telemetry process won't hinder your system's performance when you're actively using your computer for work. Notably, it'll also prevent it from running indefinitely, which is great.

Disable Microsoft Telemetry on Windows

When nothing else works

Disabling the Microsoft Telemetry services on Windows is always an option which you can use as a last resort. It's fairly simple to disable Telemetry on Windows via the Registry Editor, but keep in mind that your system may run into some stability issues without MCT looking over it. If you understand the risk and want to continue, then read to find instructions on disable Telemetry on Windows using Registry Editor.

1. Press the Start button, type regedit, and press Enter.
2. Head to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DataCollection.
3. Right-click in the white space in the right pane, and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
4. Name it Allow Telemetry, and double-click on it to insert Value data as 0.
5. Click OK.

Don't let the telemetry process come after your system performance

With all that out of the way, I believe you are now well-equipped to deal with the Microsoft Compatibility Telemetry (MCT) and prevent it from hogging your CPU resources. From managing tasks, and even delving into registry tweaks, there are plenty of things you can do to prevent the telemetry process causing high CPU usage, and they're all simple to work with. You should be able to take control and optimize your system's overall performance as long as you don't mind spending some time tweaking the settings.