The csrss.exe process is an important part of the Windows operating system. Before Windows NT 4.0, which was released in 1996, csrss.exe was responsible for the entire graphical subsystem, including managing windows, drawing things on the screen, and other related operating system functions.
With Windows NT 4.0, many of these functions were moved from the Client Server Runtime Process, which runs as a normal process, to the Windows kernel. However, the csrss.exe process is still responsible for console windows and the shutdown process, which are critical functions in Windows.
RELATED: What Is conhost.exe and Why Is It Running?
Prior to Windows 7, the CSRSS process drew console (Command Prompt) windows itself. On Windows 7 and later, the Console Host (conhost.exe) process draws console windows. However, csrss.exe is still responsible for launching the conhost.exe process when necessary.
In other words, this process is responsible for a few critical system functions in the background. That’s just how Windows does things.
