What Is WatchDog.exe? Is It A Virus Or Malware? Uninstall?

What is WatchDog.exe?

WatchDog.exe is an executable exe file which belongs to the Bitdefender Agent WatchDog process which comes along with the WindowsService1 Software developed by Bitdefender software developer.

If the WatchDog.exe process running in the Windows Operating system is important, then you should be careful while deleting it. Sometimes WatchDog.exe process might be using CPU or GPU too much. If it is malware or a virus, it might be running in the background without you knowing it.

The .exe extension of the WatchDog.exe file specifies that it is an executable file for Windows Operating Systems like Windows XP, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10.

Malware and viruses are also transmitted through exe files. So we must be sure before running any unknown executable file on our computers or laptops.

Now we will check if the WatchDog.exe file is a virus or malware. Whether it should be deleted to keep your computer safe? Read more below.

Is WatchDog.exe safe to run? Is it a virus or malware?

Let’s check the location of this exe file to determine whether this is legit software or a virus. The location of this file and dangerous rating is.

File Location / Rating: C:Program FilesBitdefender Agent

To check whether the exe file is legit you can start the Task Manager. Then click on the columns field and add Verified Signer as one of the columns.

Now, look at the Verified Signer value for WatchDog.exe process if it says “Unable to verify” then the file may be a virus.

File Name	WatchDog.exe
Software Developer	Bitdefender
File Type	EXE
File Location	C:Program FilesBitdefender Agent
Software	WindowsService1

 

Over All Ratings for WatchDog.exe : 4/5

Next, check the developer of WatchDog.exe. If the developer of the software is legitimate, then it is not a virus or malware. If the developer is not listed or seems suspicious, you can remove it using the uninstall program.

Based on our analysis, we have displayed our result of whether this WatchDog file is a virus or malware below.

How to check if WatchDog.exe is a security issue?

We also recommend using the Security task manager application to find which processes are unwanted in your Windows computer and can be a security issue. Here is how you can find whether WatchDog.exe is a security threat using the Security Task Manager application.

1. Download the Security Task Manager application and install it on your computer.
2. Run it as administrator. It will now show all the applications that are running on your computer.
3. Now it will show the Rating, file location, company, and product name for each process.
4. Now click on the rating column to sort based on ratings.
5. You will now see which process has the worst rating easily so can decide WatchDog.exe is given a bad rating or not easily.
6. You will also find whether the WatchDog.exe process is important or not with this feature. Here is a screenshot of the software running on our windows computer.

How To Remove or Uninstall WatchDog.exe

To remove WatchDog.exe from your computer do the following steps one by one. This will uninstall WatchDog.exe if it was part of the software installed on your computer.

1. If the file is part of a software program, then it will also have an uninstall program. Then you can run the Uninstaller located at directory like C:Program Files>Bitdefender>WindowsService1 >Bitdefender Agent WatchDog> WatchDog.exe_uninstall.exe.
2. Or the WatchDog.exe was installed using the Windows Installer then to uninstall it Go to System Settings and open Add Or Remove Programs Option.
3. Then Search for WatchDog.exe or the software name WindowsService1 in the search bar or try out the developer name Bitdefender.
4. Then click on it and select the Uninstall Program option to remove WatchDog.exe file from your computer. Now the software WindowsService1 program along with the file WatchDog.exe will be removed from your computer.

How do I stop WatchDog.exe process?

In order to stop the watchdog.exe process from running you either have to uninstall the program associated with the file or if it’s a virus or malware, remove it using a Malware and Virus removal tool.

Is WatchDog.exe a Virus or Malware?

As per the information we have the WatchDog.exe is not a Virus or Malware. But a good file might be infected with malware or a virus to disguise itself.

Is WatchDog.exe causing High Disk Usage?

You can find this by opening the Task Manager application (Right-click on Windows Taskbar and choose Task Manager) and clicking on the Disk option at the top to sort and find out the disk usage of WatchDog.exe.

Is WatchDog.exe causing High CPU Usage?

You can find this by opening the Task Manager application and finding the WatchDog process and checking the CPU usage percentage.

How to check GPU Usage of WatchDog.exe?

To check WatchDog.exe GPU usage. Open the Task Manager window and look for the WatchDog.exe process in the name column and check the GPU usage column.

I hope you were able to learn more about the WatchDog.exe file and how to remove it. Also, share this article on social media if you find it helpful.

Let us know in the comments below if you face any other WatchDog.exe related issues.