topic Re: zbcefr.exe runs amok in System Administration

zbcefr.exe runs amok

CAD_Monkey — Mon, 22 Sep 2025 08:58:16 GMT

I frequently find one or more of these processes consuming 100% of a core each. While I do have a plurality of cores, I do not particularly fancy using them for power-consuming bugs.

It seems they are Chrome related, and that IE is no longer supported. So what can I do about it, except killing the processes when I find them surging?

Windows 10 22H2, Creo 11.0.5.0, Threadripper Pro. Airgapped, no PDM.

Re: zbcefr.exe runs amok

VladimirN — Wed, 24 Sep 2025 22:02:26 GMT

Article - "Information about "zbcefr.exe *32" process in Windows task manager related to Creo Parametric": https://www.ptc.com/en/support/article/CS229272

Re: zbcefr.exe runs amok

CAD_Monkey — Thu, 25 Sep 2025 06:35:08 GMT

Thank you for the information! Now how do I prevent it from surging and using 100 watt continuously on my computer?

Re: zbcefr.exe runs amok

MartinHanak — Thu, 25 Sep 2025 11:47:24 GMT

Hi,

just to satisfy my curiosity, I asked Google ... "zbcefr.exe" cpu load

Google's AI returned following info:

High CPU load from the zbcefr.exe process indicates issues with the embedded Chromium browser within PTC Creo, often related to specific browser tabs like the resource or Part Community browsers. You can reduce the load by disabling these tabs in Creo's configuration, ~~switching the browser type to Internet Explorer (IE) via config.pro settings,~~ or minimizing the number of browser instances that appear at startup.

Understanding the Problem

What is zbcefr.exe?

This is an embedded Chromium web browser process used by PTC Creo to display web-based content within the software, such as the Resource or Part Community browsers.
Why does it cause high CPU load?

When the embedded browser is active, especially with multiple instances or specific tabs enabled, it can consume significant CPU resources, leading to sluggish performance on your computer.

Solutions

Disable Unused Browsers:
In Creo's configuration, you can set options to disable or hide specific browser tabs, which can reduce the number of zbcefr.exe processes:

enable_3dmodelspace_browser_tab no

enable_partcommunity_tab no

enable_resource_browser_tab no
~~Change Browser Type (Temporary Fix):~~
~~If the problem persists, you can change the browser type in Creo's config.pro file to use Internet Explorer (IE) instead of Chromium:~~

~~Add or modify the line windows_browser_type ie_browser in your config.pro file.~~
Manage Browser Tabs at Startup:

Prevent the browser from expanding automatically by unchecking a setting in Windows Settings.
Use Task Manager:

To immediately reduce the load from a frozen process, you can manually kill the zbcefr.exe processes using Windows Task Manager.

Re: zbcefr.exe runs amok

MK_11368280 — Thu, 25 Sep 2025 15:43:53 GMT

Hey, just curious if you also had this issue. \

I am running some toolkit code via a window service. If the Creo toolkit code gets an error, it causes the "embedded browser" error to come up every time you launch Creo.

I then have to go in, repair Creo, and restart the computer.

Do you know how to prevent that error from coming up?

Re: zbcefr.exe runs amok

MartinHanak — Fri, 26 Sep 2025 05:50:19 GMT

@MK_11368280 wrote:

Hey, just curious if you also had this issue. \

I am running some toolkit code via a window service. If the Creo toolkit code gets an error, it causes the "embedded browser" error to come up every time you launch Creo.

I then have to go in, repair Creo, and restart the computer.

Do you know how to prevent that error from coming up?

Hi,

I have never encountered such a problem. In my opinion, deleting some temporary data, e.g. in the %APPDATA%\PTC directory, should be enough.

Re: zbcefr.exe runs amok

CAD_Monkey — Fri, 26 Sep 2025 06:03:42 GMT

Thanks

Another solution would be to go to C:\Program Files\Common Files\PTC\Creo\Platform\11\ and rename zbcefr.exe to something else...

Re: zbcefr.exe runs amok

CAD_Monkey — Fri, 03 Oct 2025 06:08:48 GMT

I add a note here in case the moderators auto-accept this issue as Solved.

It is not solved. The mitigations offered are nothing more than closing browser tabs, preventing them from getting opened, and killing the zbcefr.exe process in Task Manager.

Re: zbcefr.exe runs amok

StephenW — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 15:53:43 GMT

Your only option is to put in a Creo Parametric Idea and ask it to be changed. There is no user work-around other than trying to prevent browser tabs from opening

Re: zbcefr.exe runs amok

JamesAvis — Mon, 03 Nov 2025 21:52:35 GMT

It is entirely dependent on what browser tabs you have open. Remember that each open model window has it's own set of browser tabs, too. To be thorough, you can try clearing the browser cache by checking the cache location by entering the URL "about:version", in the User Data Path, then, with Creo closed, delete the Zbrowser folder that it references.