please reopen: steamwebhelper consuming cpu even if minimized

[kokoko3k]

Your system information

• Steam client version: Nov 22 2021 at 22:12:42 ; Steam package version 1637624439
• Distribution: Archlinux
• Opted into Steam client beta?: NO
• Have you checked for system updates?: Yes

Please describe your issue in as much detail as possible:

steamwebhelper uses cpu even when it is not necessary and uselessly.

Steps for reproducing this issue:

1. From the steam client store tab, have a video playing
2. note that the cpu is higher, it is due to steamwebhelper cpu usage, note it.
3. minimize steam client
4. Notice that the cpu usage remains the same

Imho, steamwebhelper has no use if nobody is watching it, so the process should be stopped, or at least paused, when minimized. If someone has some interest in just "listening" what it is playing in background, then he can keep it unminimized or at very last, an option like "low performance mode" should control even this behaviour.

[ishitatsuyuki]

Bump. From my testing, it's not only consuming ~25% single core CPU but also some amount of GPU, potentially lowering gaming performance. This can be quite a dealbreaker and should be fixed.

I did not observe this behavior on Windows. Not sure about past Linux versions but this could be a Beta regression for Linux.

[ishitatsuyuki]

Huh, reporter does not use Beta. So either the situation on Beta is worse or it's a issue that has existed for a while.

[coozoo]

I can confirm that steam cpu usage really high especially with latest versions stemwebhelper few processes consuming in total about 130-150%, just one process about 70-80% and never gets low no matter is it minimized or not. It's 4 cored laptop with hyperthreading so basically almost half of CPU resources are busy with steam client it is additionally to high memory usage... I haven't played any video just simply launched steam client and sometimes I can play some games...

[kokoko3k]

Huh, reporter does not use Beta. So either the situation on Beta is worse or it's a issue that has existed for a while.

Probably long standing issue, but can't be 100% sure.

A workaround for me that maybe still works in beta client is to switch away from the store page to the library so that webhelper process is not used.

In an ideal world those processes have to be stopped even when starting a game.

[ishitatsuyuki]

Here's a recap after some investigations:

Problem: steamwebhelper (CEF) does not detect whether it's occluded/minimized and constantly continues rendering in the background. Workaround: Switch Steam to a page that does not have videos or animations. In the case of library pages, you need to enable "Low Performance Mode" from "Settings->Library" or the glowing achievements frames would ruin the performance.

[tukoz]

To add another feedback on Steam Beta for Linux, here on Arch:

• Steamwebhelper uses a full cpu thread from the moment I launch it on the 'Store' page till I change to eg the 'Library' page.
• Steamwebhelper's CPU use while playing a game goes up to 37.5% of my 4 threads 2 cores Intel CPU @3.3GHz (more CPU than the game I play...). That was after hours playing with Steam minimized before starting this game.
• observations above all are with "Low Performance Mode" activated.
• High CPU usage isn't new here. staying high is.

[ianvm]

Ate all my CPU too, indeed even with "low performance mode" Workaround ~ load steam without the browser function :

steam steam://open/minigameslist -console -no-browser

Steam looks really dated like that, but I can at least play my games without the 50% FPS decrease.

[kokoko3k]

Ate all my CPU too, indeed even with "low performance mode" Workaround ~ load steam without the browser function :

steam steam://open/minigameslist -console -no-browser

Steam looks really dated like that, but I can at least play my games without the 50% FPS decrease.

Doesn't switching to Library tab work for you instead of opening the whole thing with no-browser parameter?

[ianvm]

Ate all my CPU too, indeed even with "low performance mode" Workaround ~ load steam without the browser function : steam steam://open/minigameslist -console -no-browser Steam looks really dated like that, but I can at least play my games without the 50% FPS decrease.

Doesn't switching to Library tab work for you instead of opening the whole thing with no-browser parameter?

Nope!! eats my CPU no matter what I do

[Saroumane]

I wonder if the high CPU / high RAM usage is correlated with the number of games in library ? With around ~2000 games, my steam/steamwebhelper processes uses more than 1.45 GB, just after launch. (Despite that I have all "low performance" boxes checked) + 10-40% CPU (on a 12-cores Ryzen). Minimizing steam windows does not change anything.

If I launch steam with -no-browser (what a lifesaver !), steam uses only 261 MB + 0/1 % CPU

[coozoo]

I wonder if the high CPU / high RAM usage is correlated with the number of games in library ? With around ~2000 games, my steam/steamwebhelper processes uses more than 1.45 GB, just after launch. (Despite that I have all "low performance" boxes checked) + 10-40% CPU (on a 12-cores Ryzen). Minimizing steam windows does not change anything.

If I launch steam with -no-browser (what a lifesaver !), steam uses only 261 MB + 0/1 % CPU

It's absolutely unrelated. It's related to bad programming style and worse technologies. I have just about 40 games and it's usually from start more than 1 GB....

nobrowser option it's saving some RAM for me it's about 50MB in RAM till the moment when I want to maximize steam window.

high cpu usage usually related that steam making some sale and hot it's cool to make falling snow or some another crap and yahoo CPU loaded with this crap even when you minimizing changing tabs it is still loads you cpu with that sh*t. But it is just one case...

[kaphula]

steam steam://open/minigameslist -console -no-browser

This seems to be the only working solution for me. Otherwise 1 cpu core of my laptop is 25% utilized and the fans scream when ever steam just idles in the background.

[brianstamper]

Curious if there is correlation here with DE. I'm using Arch with KDE/Plasma and lately have been having occasional bog downs that I'd get out of with a killall plasma_session. Just today I'm realizing I have this same issue with Steam, so I wonder if that is behind it all, because killing the session also closes the Steam client. So far the "switch to library tab" solution seems to be working for me.

[kriss-s]

Have had CPU issues with steamwebhelper for at least a year or so, LInux Mint, CInnamon. Don't think there is a correlation to DE used. For me keeping the Library tab open was the only solution that worked most of the time, until I now ticked the low-performance mode which seemed to have helped. The CPU usage would be fairly low on the library page with full effects, but as soon as it was minimized the CPU would go to 100% and stay there till the Library page was opened again.

[RodoMa92]

Curious if there is correlation here with DE. I'm using Arch with KDE/Plasma and lately have been having occasional bog downs that I'd get out of with a killall plasma_session. Just today I'm realizing I have this same issue with Steam, so I wonder if that is behind it all, because killing the session also closes the Steam client. So far the "switch to library tab" solution seems to be working for me.

Same here, steamwebhelper is always active even in background (KDE/Arch/X11). Only when switching to the library tab and minimizing that steamwebhelper stop using any meaningful CPU cycles. This is especially an issue on systems on a constrained power budgets like laptops. Hope to see it fixed soon.

[sabian2008]

In my case, I only get high idle steamwebhelper usage if I have the friends menu opened. With that menu closed, even if I still have chat windows opened, I don't have abnormal CPU usage.

Can't remember this happening years ago, it must have started sometime in the last year or so. Is it possible a bug introduced with the animated avatars and frames?

@kisak-valve this should get proper attention, as using 45% of a modern CPU core to display a simple friend list means someone fucked up greately.

[degasus]

I can confirm that -no-browser is the only way to stop the steamwebhelper to waste a lot of power. Archlinux, gnome, wayland here.

This is a serious issue, so Valve, please fix it.

[Tricky12321]

I can confirm that -no-browser is the only way to stop the steamwebhelper to waste a lot of power. Archlinux, gnome, wayland here.

This is a serious issue, so Valve, please fix it.

I have the same problem Archlinux, gnome, xorg.

Same fix with -no-browser worked.

[1player]

Same issue with Wayland. Still broken on the Beta branch.

[jhenninger]

This bug is really annoying. While -no-browser works, it breaks a lot of other functions like chats, stuff in the overlay etc.

[sabian2008]

This bug is really annoying. While -no-browser, it breaks a lot of other functions like chats, stuff in the overlay etc.

Try, as I suggested, closing the Friends panel. I know it's non-optimal, but if I keep it closed, even with the Library and chat windows opened, I get an acceptable 7% of CPU core usage. That way I can keep the steam browser enabled, which it doesn't break functionality. Perhaps this workaround can help you too.

[jhenninger]

Try, as I suggested, closing the Friends panel. I know it's non-optimal, but if I keep it closed, even with the Library and chat windows opened, I get an acceptable 7% of CPU core usage. That way I can keep the steam browser enabled, which it doesn't break functionality. Perhaps this workaround can help you too.

Unfortunately this doesn't seem to work. Just had steamwebhelper using >80% CPU again with no Steam windows open at all. Opening and closing the friends panel didn't help either.

[coozoo]

damn really it's annoying. Just started steam client nothing more all library, chat, friends basically all windows closed. and it is still two steamwebhelpers processes for 20% each, one more about 10%, and process steam up to 10 percents, so basically it's about 50-60% in freshly launched steam after calming down, in my case 50-60% it's half of one core (4 hyperthreaded cores)..

[isparks]

Installed steam on Ubuntu 20, played a game, closed steam (or did I? Looks like it continued to run in background). 4 steamhelpers remained running, each consuming 100% of a hyperthreaded core.

[havit1]

+1. What's interesting, in my case hight cpu usage only occurs when "downloads" page has some entities, after clearing them (clicking close button) cpu usage goes back to normal. (no beta, version 1.0.0.74)

[ishitatsuyuki]

macOS/Linux

Fixed resource usage of chat and browsers when Steam client is minimized/closed

https://steamcommunity.com/groups/SteamClientBeta/announcements/detail/3350130288813963246

[RodoMa92]

I do not see the same behaviour now, AFAICS.

It could be finally fixed. Let's hope that it will stay that way.

Marco

[n0nuser]

Using Ubuntu 20.04 on an Intel i5-7200U with 8GB. of RAM.

Output of uname: Linux n0nuser 5.13.0-52-generic #59~20.04.1-Ubuntu SMP Thu Jun 16 21:21:28 UTC 2022 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

Steam version:

Built: 7 Jun 2022 at 03:18:43
Steam API: v020
Steam package versions: 1654574690

Attaching a filtered htop image for reference as of today.

cef_log.txt

[0705/132428.688698:INFO:crash_reporting.cc(246)] Crash reporting enabled for process: browser
[0705/132428.815690:INFO:crash_reporting.cc(269)] Crash reporting enabled for process: gpu-process
[0705/132428.901316:INFO:crash_reporting.cc(246)] Crash reporting enabled for process: utility
[0705/132432.430183:INFO:crash_reporting.cc(269)] Crash reporting enabled for process: renderer
[0705/132432.508422:INFO:crash_reporting.cc(269)] Crash reporting enabled for process: renderer
[0705/132432.535912:INFO:crash_reporting.cc(269)] Crash reporting enabled for process: renderer
[0705/132433.603496:INFO:crash_reporting.cc(269)] Crash reporting enabled for process: renderer
[0705/132433.606771:INFO:crash_reporting.cc(269)] Crash reporting enabled for process: renderer
[0705/132433.652074:INFO:crash_reporting.cc(269)] Crash reporting enabled for process: renderer
[0705/132433.760858:ERROR:x11_software_bitmap_presenter.cc(132)] XGetWindowAttributes failed for window 0
[0705/132433.764585:WARNING:xproto_util.cc(49)] X error received: serial 166, error_code 9 (BadDrawable), request_code 55, minor_code 0 (Unknown)
[0705/132433.768590:WARNING:xproto_util.cc(49)] X error received: serial 167, error_code 3 (BadWindow), request_code 3, minor_code 0 (Unknown)
[0705/132433.772769:WARNING:xproto_util.cc(49)] X error received: serial 169, error_code 13 (BadGC), request_code 60, minor_code 0 (Unknown)
[0705/132438.270012:INFO:CONSOLE(15)] "FriendStore.ForceReadyToRender() - Initial Persona States not ready: 0 received, friends list: 27 users", source: https://community.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/public/javascript/webui/friends.js?v=6Pm6N3h_MhIP&l=english&_cdn=cloudflare (15)
[0705/132438.270315:INFO:CONSOLE(15)] "FriendStore.ForceReadyToRender() - Initial app info not ready", source: https://community.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/public/javascript/webui/friends.js?v=6Pm6N3h_MhIP&l=english&_cdn=cloudflare (15)
[0705/132438.270558:INFO:CONSOLE(15)] "FriendStore.ForceReadyToRender() - Per-friend preferences not ready", source: https://community.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/public/javascript/webui/friends.js?v=6Pm6N3h_MhIP&l=english&_cdn=cloudflare (15)

[ishitatsuyuki]

@n0nuser Have you see the Steam beta client changelog above and try updating to the Jun 27 beta?

[n0nuser]

@ishitatsuyuki Nope, sorry.

Updating the info. to be a comparison reference between the stable and the beta versions.

Steam version:

Built: Jun 27 2022 at 21:00:03
Steam API: v020
Steam package versions: 1656367348

cef_log.txt

[0705/135112.271796:INFO:crash_reporting.cc(246)] Crash reporting enabled for process: browser
[0705/135112.334335:INFO:crash_reporting.cc(269)] Crash reporting enabled for process: gpu-process
[0705/135112.381861:INFO:crash_reporting.cc(246)] Crash reporting enabled for process: utility
[0705/135114.330971:INFO:crash_reporting.cc(269)] Crash reporting enabled for process: renderer
[0705/135114.455312:INFO:crash_reporting.cc(269)] Crash reporting enabled for process: renderer
[0705/135114.503021:INFO:crash_reporting.cc(269)] Crash reporting enabled for process: renderer
[0705/135115.932812:INFO:crash_reporting.cc(269)] Crash reporting enabled for process: renderer
[0705/135115.943303:INFO:crash_reporting.cc(269)] Crash reporting enabled for process: renderer
[0705/135115.994848:INFO:crash_reporting.cc(269)] Crash reporting enabled for process: renderer
[0705/135248.876012:INFO:crash_reporting.cc(269)] Crash reporting enabled for process: renderer

[kisak-valve]

Thanks for retesting, closing as fixed in the 2022-07-27 Steam client update.

[kokoko3k]

I think this needs to be opened. For me the issue is present right now, and it is even worse, because not only steam client is minimized, but it is literally not showing anything "moving", just my static library:

I request this issue to be reopened, sob...

[serprex]

I'm also seeing steamwebhelper hogging cpu

[janek-git]

i can confirm the Issue still exists, i was wondering why i got 50 more FPS in Nobara then in my normal Fedora (170fps vs 120fps), and i find out its because my CPU bottlenecked and this was because steamwebhelper is grabbing a full 4,7GHz Core of my 4 Core CPU (7600k).

minimizing Group Chat Channel Window and Friends Panel solve the cpu hook, but this is really annoying :(

Edit: This Fix it for me: Go in "Settings -> Interface" and disable: "Enable GPU accelerated redenering in web views (requires restart)"

[hbede]

I have the same issues, I tried the suggestions above (launching with -no-browser flag, switching to library, putting steam to background, enabling low-performance mode, disabling gpu acceleration...), but nothing works! I am using a laptop with switchable graphics (AMD Ryzen CPU + iGPU and Nvidia dGPU), and in both integrated and dedicated mode the issue persists. At least 1-4 out of 16 threads are running on 100%, and the laptop runs very hot. I am using Fedora with gnome and wayland.

Update: happens only with steam beta!

Update2: seems random:(

Update3: Turning off backround processing of vulkan shaders reduced the frequency of the issue

[jkrasna]

I have noticed that this only happens when I have Limit Download Speed (Steam -> Settings -> Downloads) setting enabled and am downloading a game or update. As soon as I switch this setting off the CPU consumption of all steamwebhelper processes reduce considerably.

[fiechr]

I'm having the same issue on Manjaro Linux. "steamwebhelper" usually consumes different amounts of CPU time, even if minimized or if I'm using another desktop. More than any other app in idle.

Disabling the download speed limit didn't change anything, unfortunately.

It can't be that hard for the devs to find out what exactly is causing the issue, can it?

[ryannathans]

yeah I'm seeing this issue with steam running on boot (silent/minimized)

the process uses about ~10% of a core (CPU: 5950X) indefinitely until I open my steam library (via tray icon on gnome) and close the window again

[academo]

I'm having this issue. Steamwebhelper consuming 100% of a single core of my CPU while minimised.

[joshgiesbrecht]

Same as academo. 50%-100% CPU usage on one core, seems to be more likely to happen after a game is run and then closed.

[skookie]

Thanks for retesting, closing as fixed in the 2022-07-27 Steam client update.

So you just close it? This is total madness; it is eating 35-40% of my cpu: This kind of non-provisioned system resource domination is more closely associated with a virus than with computing. 16464 skookie 20 0 9485588 713852 258884 S 39.3 0.3 42:27.81 steamwebhelper

[vbichkovsky]

Just googled 'ubuntu steamwebhelper' and this was my first result. Experiencing the same problem and it's October 2023.

[heyryanw]

Same, but as others have noted, disabling GPU rendering and background work does help a bit.

[Kethen]

Same, please re-open

[daveemu]

can confirm, please re-open

[coozoo]

exactly the same, I'm thinking why my laptop fan so mad, checked minimized steam and find out that the process over 1GB and and all the time making something with cpu....

[kuzetsa]

exactly the same, I'm thinking why my laptop fan so mad, checked minimized steam and find out that the process over 1GB and and all the time making something with cpu....

this is only happening for me with the new steam client for linux.

looks like an old, previously documented issue which got closed for some reason, and is back with the current version of the steam client for linux.

specifically:

steamwebhelper is using more CPU than games or other system / background processes

[fintonk]

I'm seeing this issue on my Steam Deck. I've tried a full factory reinstall but it's still happening. Only started a few days ago, it was fine until then. Will be forced to return the Deck if it's not resolved.

[Kangaroux]

Still happening for me. Steam becomes unusable with the renderer maxing a single core and the window becoming unresponsive. Closing and relaunching the client doesn't fix the issue. Force killing the steamwebhelper process temporarily resolves the freezing (though CPU still sits at 30% when idling on the library screen).

I'm using "low performance mode" with GPU acceleration disabled.

[alexzk1]

Still happens for me. 9% CPU usage when I left PC ON over night with minimized to tray steam, constant 80C degree heat because of this. Setting in OFFLINE relaxes to 0.8% CPU use.