What is CTF Loader (ctfmon.exe)?
The CTF stands for Collaborative Translation Framework and this framework is used by Microsoft Windows to deliver text support for the users who use other input applications. And in order to make the CTF come into action Windows uses the CTF Loader program. This program helps Windows to execute tasks like virtual keyboard data input, speech and handwriting input, etc. Windows also use the CTF Loader program to activate the Language Bar of Microsoft Office. The Language Bar is the feature that provides flexibility to the user to switch b/w different input languages on the Windows OS.
What is ctfmon.exe
As far as the name ctfmon.exe is considered, it is the actual .exe windows program file that runs when Windows runs the CTF Loader program. Hence the CTF Loader is the name of the program and ctfmon.exe is its actual .exe program file.
Is CTF Loader a Virus or Malware?
From the above explanation of what CTF Loader is, it is pretty clear that it is not any kind of virus or malware. Instead, it is a legit Microsoft Program that runs in the background and is used by Windows to meet some of the basic input requirements. It is just a basic program that executes the Collaborative Translation Framework.
Antivirus and Antimalware on CTF Loader
The CTF Loader program has the original filename as ctfmon.exe that actually runs under the CTF Loader naming on the PC. It is a byte-sized file that ranges from 10-15kb and is located in the C:\Windows\SysWOW64 directory. You can even scan the ctfmon.exe file with any antivirus or antimalware software as they all will declare the file completely safe.
Does CTF Loader affect the Performance of your PC?
The CTF Loader program or the ctfmon.exe is an extremely small program and also executes pretty basic functions i.e. to control Alternative User Input and the Office Language bar. So, in most cases, the CTF Loader program doesn’t affect the performance of your PC and runs smoothly in the background. Hence, in my opinion, the CTF Loader aka the ctfmon.exe is a lite, safe and harmless program.
How to disable CTF Loader?
CTF Loader is not any kind of harmful foreign program that is running on your PC in the background. It is a properly legit program that Microsoft Windows uses for purposes like managing and controlling Alternative User Input and the Office Language bar. However, if you don’t use any of the aforementioned facilities that are served by the ctfmon.exe program then you can definitely disable it from running on your PC. And if for some reason, the CTF Loader is acquiring a reasonably big chunk of your PC hardware then disabling it will also lead to a decent performance improvement. Now let’s get started with the procedure to disable ctfmon.exe. But before that keep in mind that all the steps that are included in the procedure require administrator login. If your account doesn’t have the required rights, you will be asked to enter the Administrator password. Now let’s get started. The reader is advised to do the procedure carefully and at his/her own risk. TechYorker.com/author of the article will not be responsible for any careless behavior with a computer, its components, or the operating system. Ans by doing so, you’ll be able to disable the CTF Loader aka the ctfmon.exe program.
Bottom Line
So this was our complete take on over the CTF Loader program that you often see in your Windows (7, 8, 8.1, 10, etc.) Task Manager. Long story short, the CTF Loader is a program that executes the Communicative Translation Framework which is accessed via Windows using the ctfmon.exe program file. It is responsible for managing the alternative input methods like on-screen keyboard, speech recognition, touch input, etc. It is not any kind of virus or malware that can affect your PC. It is a fully legit Microsoft program that does not cause any malfunctioning of the PC or puts any load on your PC hardware. Don’t know what you’re disabling. My ASUS G15 laptop does not have a touch or pen interface thus it wouldn’t make sense for that service to be running and it wasn’t. It was set to manual, I don’t remember if I did that or if it came like this. I’d have to check my “disabled stuff” list. Anyway, One way that you CAN disable the CTF Loader is to right click on it in TaskMan, You’ll be taken to System32. Already highlighted for you will be “ctfmon.exe” Now, here’s where you might run into some difficulty. File/Directory Ownership. ….but i own my computer. That’s not what they mean. What I like to do is add a special Context Menu tool called “Take Ownership” the context menu is the right-click menu. here is some info on Take Ownership https://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/add-take-ownership-to-explorer-right-click-menu-in-vista/ There are other, more IT professional methods to giving yourself the Admin power to make file changes, but I’ll leave that up to you to figure out. Once you have Ownership of the file, Simply rename it something like “ctfmon.exe.DISABLED.exe I like to just keep the name as-is but I add the disabled.exe because it will do 2 things. 1, it will disabled access to ctfmon.exe. 2, it will stay in the same place (even alphabetical order) and it doesn’t change the file extension this way. anyway now CTF Loader is gone but not so gone that you can’t reverse it really easily. However, it may be different for some PCs just lite was in your case. I am hoping your comment will definitely help our readers in trying a completely new approach to disable ctfmon.exe on their PC. Thanks a lot for your valuable comment.
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