Quick Answer
asrock-polychrome-exe is safe. It's ASRock's official RGB utility that manages motherboard lighting, profiles, and synchronized effects across supported ASRock devices.
What is asrock-polychrome-exe?
asrock-polychrome-exe is the executable component of the ASRock Polychrome RGB Utility that controls motherboard lighting, LED strips, and synced peripherals. It runs in the background to apply lighting profiles, respond to hardware events, and coordinate color effects across supported ASRock boards and RGB accessories.
This program communicates with ASRock RGB drivers and device hardware to render colors, brightness, and animations. It uses a lightweight service and GUI to switch profiles, apply effects, and persist settings across reboots.
Quick Fact: ASRock Polychrome originated to centralize RGB control for ASRock boards, offering per-header and device-wide lighting across compatible hardware.
Types of Polychrome Processes
- Launcher/GUI Process: UI for selecting profiles and triggering updates.
- RGB Engine: Applies colors and effects to motherboard headers and RGB devices.
- Device Driver Service: Interacts with hardware drivers for real-time updates.
- Profile Sync Service: Synchronizes lighting profiles across devices and reboots.
- Updater Helper: Checks for and applies software updates to Polychrome components.
- Background Utilities: Background tasks enabling lighting events and system responses.
Is asrock-polychrome-exe Safe?
Yes, asrock-polychrome-exe is safe when downloaded from official ASRock sources or pre-installed by your motherboard vendor.
Is asrock-polychrome-exe a Virus or Malware?
The real file is not a virus. Malware may imitate names. Always verify digital signature.
How to Tell if asrock-polychrome-exe is Legitimate or Malware
- File Location: Must be in C:\Program Files (x86)\ASRock\Polychrome or C:\Program Files\ASRock\Polychrome. Any ASRPol.exe elsewhere is suspicious.
- Digital Signature: Right-click ASRPol.exe → Properties → Digital Signatures → Should show "ASRock Inc." as signer.
- Resource Usage: Normal usage is 1-15% CPU and 60-250 MB memory. Constant high usage when idle is suspicious.
- Behavior: Should run when you launch Polychrome or Windows startup for lighting tasks. If it runs unexpectedly, investigate.
Red Flags: If asrock-polychrome-exe is located in unusual folders (like Temp, AppData\Roaming, or System32), runs when Chrome-down or system starts without approval, has no digital signature, or uses excessive resources constantly, scan your system with antivirus software immediately. Beware of similarly-named files like "asrockpolychrome.exe" or "polychrome32.exe" from untrusted sources.
Why Is asrock-polychrome-exe Running on My PC?
asrock-polychrome-exe runs to manage and apply ASRock Polychrome RGB lighting profiles, respond to hardware events, and keep RGB settings in sync across reboot cycles.
Reasons it's running:
- Active RGB Customization: You are actively selecting or applying lighting profiles for motherboard headers and connected RGB devices.
- Background Lighting Sync: The utility may run in the background to maintain color synchronization across devices and profiles.
- Startup Launch: Polychrome is configured to start on Windows boot to apply lighting automatically.
- Driver/Device Detection: When compatible RGB hardware is detected, the process may start to manage those devices.
- Profile/Theme Updates: Changes to lighting themes or firmware checks may trigger background activity.
Can I Disable or Remove as rock-polychrome-exe?
Yes, you can disable asrock-polychrome-exe. You can close the GUI or disable startup; to remove completely, uninstall ASRock Polychrome via Settings.
How to Stop asrock-polychrome-exe
- Close Polychrome GUI: Exit the Polychrome application from the system tray or window.
- End Background Process: Open Task Manager, locate ASRPol.exe (or similar Polychrome processes), and End Task.
- Prevent Startup: Task Manager → Startup tab → Disable ASRock Polychrome.
- Stop Background Apps: Polychrome Settings → Advanced → System → Disable "Continue running background apps when Polychrome is closed"
How to Uninstall ASRock Polychrome
- ✔ Windows Settings → Apps → Apps & Features → ASRock Polychrome → Uninstall
- ✔ Control Panel → Programs → Uninstall a program → ASRock Polychrome → Uninstall
- ✔ Consider alternative RGB control options if you no longer use ASRock hardware
Common Problems: High CPU or Memory Usage
If asrock-polychrome-exe is consuming excessive resources:
Common Causes & Solutions
- Too Many Profiles or Effects: Limit active profiles and reduce animation intensity; use the GUI to disable unused profiles.
- Background Extensions or Plugins: Disable unnecessary RGB-related plugins or ensure only ASRock Polychrome components are active.
- Driver or Firmware Conflicts: Update motherboard drivers and RGB firmware; reinstall Polychrome if needed.
- Outdated Software: Update Polychrome to the latest version via Settings → Help → Check for updates.
- Monitoring Tools: Some system monitoring tools may report higher memory usage; ignore minor fluctuations if behavior remains stable.
- Hardware Conflicts: Disable other RGB control software (e.g., competing RGB suites) to avoid driver conflicts.
Quick Fixes:
1. Open ASRock Polychrome Task Manager and identify high-usage profiles or devices
2. Close unused lighting profiles or disable streaming to background
3. Update Polychrome and motherboard drivers
4. Disable other RGB software that may conflict
5. Restart Polychrome or the system if issues persist
Frequently Asked Questions
What is asrock-polychrome-exe?
It is the ASRock Polychrome RGB Utility executable responsible for controlling motherboard lighting, LED strips, and synchronized RGB effects across supported ASRock hardware.
Is asrock-polychrome-exe a virus?
No. The legitimate asrock-polychrome-exe comes from ASRock and should reside in C:\Program Files (x86)\ASRock\Polychrome or C:\Program Files\ASRock\Polychrome with a valid ASRock digital signature.
Why is asrock-polychrome-exe running when I haven't opened Polychrome?
It may run at Windows startup to apply lighting profiles or respond to system events. Check startup entries and disable if you don't want automatic lighting.
How do I disable startup for asrock-polychrome-exe?
Open Task Manager → Startup tab → Disable ASRock Polychrome. You can also remove the program from startup via Settings → Apps.
How can I uninstall ASRock Polychrome?
Go to Settings → Apps → Apps & Features → ASRock Polychrome → Uninstall. Reboot if required. You may also remove related RGB drivers if not needed.
Why is my RGB lighting not applying after a restart?
Ensure Polychrome is allowed to start at boot, update drivers, and reselect a lighting profile. If issues persist, reinstall Polychrome.