Windows 10 is one of Microsoft’s most stable operating systems, but it still runs into issues like the ‘Critical Process Died’ stop code that results in a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD). Fortunately, it’s usually not a serious issue, so you can fix it yourself using these solutions.

How to Fix a Critical Process Died Windows 10 Error

This stop code can happen for various reasons, meaning several potential fixes exist. They’re listed here in order of usefulness and difficulty to complete, so work your way through the list starting at the top.

1. Reboot your computer if you haven’t already. A quick restart can clear away issues like this one if it was just a fluke. It doesn’t hurt to try before moving on to these more complicated steps.

2. Run an anti-malware scan. You’d be surprised how often BSOD errors can be caused by a nasty piece of malware. This is a great first step to take when fixing any problem, but especially BSOD errors.

3. Run the System File Checker to find and correct problems like this one in Windows. This should give your system a comprehensive once-over to see if the ‘Critical Process Died’ stop code can be identified and fixed automatically.

4. Run the Windows Hardware and Devices troubleshooter. This is an automated tool built into Windows that can fix problems that might be causing this stop code in Windows 10.

5. Perform a System Restore. If you think a recent Windows update or software installation caused the ‘Critical Process Died’ error, reverting to a recent restore point might fix it.

6. Reset or reinstall Windows. If nothing else has worked, you may need to use Reset This PC to reinstall Windows. It’s not a complicated process, but it can be quite lengthy, especially when it comes to reinstalling all your apps and restoring important data.

   However, when all else fails, this often solves any issues you might be having.

   Reinstalling Windows will erase all your files and software programs because Windows is reinstalled as if your computer is new. Be sure to back up important files you want to keep and log all the apps you don’t want to forget about reinstalling.

Causes of Critical Service Failed Errors

Although it might sound serious, in actuality, a Critical Service failure just means a process that Windows relies on for operation has become corrupted. This isn’t entirely uncommon and isn’t too difficult to fix.

As is often the case with these sorts of issues, though, it’s not always entirely clear what caused it, so trying to fix it often means trying a few different things to see what works.

What Is the Critical Process Died Stop Code?

A BSOD is a general error screen in Windows, but it serves two main purposes. First, it gathers system data to diagnose the issue and prevent it from happening again. Second, it provides a stop code to indicate what went wrong.

The blue screen will display a message like this: “Your device ran into a problem and needs to restart. We’re just collecting some error info, and then we’ll restart for you.”

Below that, you’ll usually see this message: “For more information about this issue and possible fixes, visit followed by the error message. In this case, it should say CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED, sometimes with the code 0x000000EF.

If it reads something else, you’ll want to search for that error instead.