Windows Processes

Every program that you run on your computer, or that runs automatically in the background, shows up as a process in Task Manager. Each process shows the amount of memory it is taking up moment-to-moment as well as any service it relies on and its file location. You can access this information by right-clicking the process name. All Windows processes end in ".exe," and this signifies that the process is an executable program. Some processes are required for Windows to run correctly, and you will not be able to end them.

Winword.exe

Winword.exe is the process that appears in Task Manager when you start Microsoft Word. This process shows you how much memory Word is using. If you open multiple instances of Word, their combined memory usage will be shown in the single winword.exe process. Normally, this process would run only as long as you have Word open. If you kill the winword.exe process, Windows will close Word immediately and you will not have a chance to save any work you have open in the program.

Windows Configuration

If winword.exe runs continuously, regardless of whether you have loaded Word yourself, it may be set to start when Windows does. The Windows configuration utility contains a list of these programs. To check if Word is set to start at startup, click "Start," type "msconfig" into the search bar and then press "Enter." Click the "Startup" tab when the "System Configuration" dialog box loads and then scroll down the list of programs that appears. If you find Word among them, you can click it to deselect it. Click "OK," and then "Yes," to restart your computer. Winword.exe will no longer run in the background.

Malware

It is possible for malware to infiltrate your system by using identical or similar process names to legitimate Windows programs. You can determine if a process is legitimate by right-clicking it and then clicking "Open File Location." In the case of winword.exe, its file location should always be "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office." If you find winword.exe in any other location, you should kill its process and then scan your computer with antivirus software.