Fixing The “Task Host is stopping background tasks” Error in Windows 10

When you try to shut down Windows and you weren’t able to close all the programs properly, usually the operating system will throw up a window that asks you to close the program or shut your computer anyway – you can use either of the options to proceed. However, there are some cases when there is a specific internal process that could be preventing the shutdown or restart and you’ll get the following error message:
“Task Host Window, Task Host is stopping background tasks”
This kind of error message pops up when there is an update file that’s preventing your computer to update. The difficult thing about this issue is that a Clean Boot won’t be able to help since you won’t be able to restart your computer unless you really force it to shut down.
Refer to the following suggestions to fix the “Task Host Window, Task Host is stopping background tasks” error.
Option 1 – Use the Windows Update Troubleshooter

Click on the Start button and open Settings by clicking on the gear-like icon in the menu.
Next, select the Updates and Security option and click on the Troubleshoot tab to open the Troubleshooters page.
After that, navigate the page and look for the Windows Update Troubleshooter in the list and run it.
After running it, check if it is able to fix the problem or not. If not, proceed to the next given option below.

Option 2 – Restart the InstallService Service

Open the Services Manager and navigate down to find the InstallService Service.
Once you’re able to locate InstallService Service, right click on it and select Restart.
Finally, restart your PC.

Option 3 – Try changing your Sign-in option

Open Settings and go to Accounts.
From there, go to the “Sign-In Options” and scroll down and look for the “Use my sign-in info to automatically finish setting up my device after an update or restart” option which is under Privacy.
Turn the aforementioned option and check if it has resolved the issue or not.

Option 4 – Try to turn off Hybrid Shutdown/Fast Startup
In case you didn’t know, aside from speeding up Windows, the Hybrid Shutdown/Fast Startup could also fix the “Task Host Window, Task Host is stopping background tasks” error. How? Follow these steps:

Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run window then type in the command “powercfg.cpl” and hit Enter or click OK.
Select the “Choose what the power button does” option among the options given on the left-hand side.
After that, click on the “Change settings that are currently unavailable” option then uncheck the “Turn on fast startup” option.

Option 5 – Try reducing the shutdown time
Before you try out this option, you have to create a system restore point and create a backup of the registry file you will modify.

Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run window then type in the command “regedit” and hit Enter or click OK to open the Registry Editor.
Next, navigate to the path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SYSTEM/CurrentControlSet/Control
Then right-click on the “WaitToKillServiceTimeout” key located in the right pane and change the value to “5000”.
Afterward, navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Control Panel/Desktop
And once again, right click on the “WaitToKillServiceTimeout” key in the right pane and change the value to “5000”.

Note: If you set the value to lower four digits, it will make your system to shutdown faster than usual. However, you could end up losing important data or worse, cause some corruption in the disk so you have to use this tweak with cautious.
Aside from the “Task Host Window, Task Host is stopping background tasks” error, if you are experiencing some other system issues as of late, there is a one-click solution you could check out to resolve them. This program known as [product-name], is a useful tool that could repair corrupted registries and optimize your PC’s overall performance. Aside from that, it also cleans out your computer for any junk or corrupted files that help you eliminate any unwanted files from your system. This is basically a solution that’s within your grasp with just a click. It’s easy to use as it is user-friendly. For a complete set of instructions in downloading and using it, refer to the steps below.
Perform a full system scan using [product-code]. To do so, follow the instructions below.

Turn on your computer. If it’s already on, you have to reboot
After that, the BIOS screen will be displayed, but if Windows pops up instead, reboot your computer and try again. Once you’re on the BIOS screen, repeat pressing F8, by doing so the Advanced Option shows up.

To navigate the Advanced Option use the arrow keys and select Safe Mode with Networking then hit
Windows will now load the SafeMode with Networking.
Press and hold both R key and Windows key.

If done correctly, the Windows Run Box will show up.
Type in the URL address, [product-url] in the Run dialog box and then tap Enter or click OK.
After that, it will download the program. Wait for the download to finish and then open the launcher to install the program.
Once the installation process is completed, run [product-code] to perform a full system scan.