Task Manager. Where is task manager

Early versions of Microsoft Windows (Microsoft Windows 3.x, Windows 95, Windows 98) had a program called tasks to display the currently running programs. This program was executed by running the file taskman.exe from the C: \ Windows directory.

How to open Task Manager in Windows 11/10

Windows Task Manager helps you get information about your computer’s performance, running applications, processes, and more. In short, you can use a handy Windows utility to start certain programs or quit them. It is more of a beginner’s troubleshooting tool that is broken down into multiple tabs. Each tab is tied to a specific category, such as running applications, running processes, Windows services, computer performance, network usage, and currently logged in users. If you are connected to a network, you can also use Task Manager to view the network status and see how your network is performing.

The Task Manager has evolved over time from Windows 3 to Windows 11, and the new Windows Task Manager now offers a lot of information. We’ve already seen how the Windows 7 Task Manager works, as well as the Windows 11/10 Task Manager features, including how to understand the Windows 11/10 Task Manager heatmap. In this post, we will see ways to open Windows Task Manager with Keyboard Shortcut, CMD, Run, Taskbar, WinX Menu, etc.

How to open Task Manager in Windows 11

1. Right-click the Start button on the taskbar
2. The WinX or Power menu will be flown out
3. You will find several system utilities there, including the Task Manager
4. Click on Task Manager
5. The Windows 11 Task Manager will open.

Besides this simple method, you can also use the following methods:

• Press CTRL + SHIFT + ESC
• Search for Task Manager or Taskmgr.exe and click on it
• Press CTRL + ALT + DEL, then select Launch Task Manager on the screen.

You can use Task Manager to force any running program to terminate, and to see how much each program is using your computer’s hardware resources, and which programs and services run when your computer starts.

How to Open Task Manager

There is no shortage of ways to open the Task Manager, which is probably a good thing considering your PC may be having some sort of problem when you need to open it.

Let’s start with the easiest way: Ctrl + Shift + Esc. Press these three keys simultaneously to launch the Task Manager.

CTRL + ALT + DEL, which opens the Windows Security screen, is another way. In Windows XP, this shortcut opens the Task Manager directly.

Another easy way to open Task Manager is to right-click or touch and hold an empty space on the taskbar, the long bar at the bottom of the desktop. Select Task Manager (Windows 10, 8, and XP) or Start Task Manager (Windows 7 and Vista) from the popup menu.

You can also launch the Task Manager directly from the Run command. Open a Command Prompt window and even just run (Win + R) then run taskmgr.

Task Manager is also available in the Power User menu in Windows 11, 10, and 8.

How to Use Task Manager

The Task Manager is a well-designed tool in the sense that it is organized and easy to navigate, but it is difficult to fully explain because there are so many hidden options.

On Windows 11, Windows 10, and Windows 8, the Task Manager uses the “simple” view of running foreground programs by default. Tap or click More Details at the bottom to see everything.

An explanation of the Task Manager
Strap	Explanation
Processes	The Processes tab lists all running programs and applications on your computer (listed under Applications), as well as any background and Windows processes running. In this tab, you can close running programs, bring them to the foreground, see how each of them is using your computer’s resources, and more. Processes are available in the Task Manager as described here in Windows 8 and later, but most of the same functionality is found in the Apps tab in Windows 7, Vista, and XP. The Processes tab in these earlier versions of Windows most closely resembles the Details below.
Performance	The Performance tab is a summary of what is generally going on with major hardware components such as CPU, RAM, Hard Drive, Network, and more. From this tab you can of course watch how the use of these resources changes, but it’s also a great place to find valuable information about these areas of your computer. For example, this tab makes it easy to check your CPU model and maximum speed, RAM slots used, disk transfer speed, IP address, and more. Performance is available in Task Manager in all versions of Windows, but is significantly improved on Windows 11/10/8 compared to earlier versions. The Network tab exists in the Task Manager in Windows 7, Vista and XP and contains some reports available in the networking sections in Performance in Windows 11, 10 and 8.
Application history	The Application History tab shows the CPU usage and network usage that each Windows application was using between the date mentioned on the screen and now. This tab is great for keeping track of any application that could be a CPU or network resource hog. Application history is only available in Task Manager on Windows 11, 10, and 8.
Activation	The Startup tab shows every program that starts automatically in Windows, along with some important details about each, possibly the most valuable, high, medium, or low startup impact assessment. This tab is great for identifying and then disabling programs that don’t need to start automatically. Disabling programs that start automatically with Windows is a very easy way to speed up your computer. Launching is only available in Task Manager in Windows 11, Windows 10, and Windows 8.
Users	The Users tab shows each user who is currently logged on to the computer and what processes are running on each of them. This tab isn’t particularly useful if you’re the only user logged on to your computer, but it’s extremely useful for keeping track of processes that may be running under another account. Users are available in Task Manager on all versions of Windows, but only displays processes per user on Windows 8 and above.
Details	The Details tab shows every single process that is currently running – no program grouping, common names, or other user-friendly screens. This tab is of great help in advanced troubleshooting when you need to easily find something like the exact location of an executable, its PID, or other information that you haven’t found elsewhere in Task Manager. Details are available in Task Manager in Windows 11, 10, and 8, and most resemble the Processes tab in earlier versions of Windows.
Services	The Services tab shows at least some Windows services installed on your computer. Most of the services will be Started or Stopped. This tab is used to start and stop the main Windows services quickly and conveniently. Advanced configuration of services is done from the Services module in the Microsoft Management Console. Services are available in Task Manager on Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, and Vista.

Microsoft has improved the Task Manager, sometimes significantly, between each version of Windows. In particular, the Task Manager in Windows 11/10/8 is very different from that in Windows 7 and Vista, and it is very different from that in Windows XP.

#3. Open from Windows power user menu

The Windows 10 Advanced User menu also has an entry for the Task Manager. To access it, right-click the Start menu button or press Windows + X. When the Power User menu opens, click Task Manager to open it. This method can be useful when the keyboard isn’t working or you just want to use the mouse.

#4. Access from the taskbar menu

As with the method above, there is also an entry to access the Task Manager from the taskbar menu. Right-click on any empty space on the taskbar and select Task Manager from the menu that opens.

Another easy way to open Task Manager is to right-click or touch and hold an empty space on the taskbar, the long bar at the bottom of the desktop. Select Task Manager (Windows 10, 8, and XP) or Start Task Manager (Windows 7 and Vista) from the popup menu.

What Is the Fastest Way to Open Task Manager?

The easiest (and fastest) keyboard shortcut to open the Task Manager is to press Ctrl + Shift + Esc. This will not only take you directly to the Task Manager, but it will not interfere with certain actions, such as typing Ctrl + Alt + Delete (such as using Remote Desktop).

If you’d rather not mess around with keyboard shortcuts like Ctrl + Alt + Delete, there are a couple of alternative ways to access the Task Manager in Windows 10.

Right-Click the Taskbar

This method is quite obvious. All you need to do is right-click anywhere on the Windows 10 taskbar at the bottom of the screen and select Task Manager.

Use the Run Box or Start Menu

You can use Windows 10’s Search feature to access the Task Manager in several ways.

Typing Windows + R will bring up the Run box, which has been part of the Windows operating system for decades. Type taskmgr in the field provided, then hit OK to open the Task Manager.

You can also use the Windows 10 Start menu search box. Type taskmgr and press Enter.

Locate Task Manager in File Explorer

If manual search is more of your style, you can search for the Task Manager executable directly in File Explorer.

Open File Explorer.

Click This PC.

Open drive C.

Click Windows.

While Task Manager is running, create a shortcut on the taskbar by right-clicking the Task Manager icon and selecting Pin to Taskbar .

How to Open Task Manager with the Run Command

Many applications and folders can be opened from the run dialog in Windows 10. There is also a command to open the Task Manager.

• Press WIN + R on your keyboard to open a run dialog
• Type “taskmgr” and click “OK” to open the Task Manager.

How to Open Task Manager from the Windows Power User Menu

In addition to the 6 methods we’ve already seen, you can open the Task Manager by right-clicking on the Windows logo and then selecting “Task Manager” from the menu that appears.

You can also get there by pressing and holding Win + X on your keyboard and then selecting “Task Manager.

The Performance tab displays the available system resources for your computer, including the amount of CPU, memory, disk, Wi-Fi, and network used. Newer versions of Windows also show a usage graph for each as they are used. There is also a quick link to the Resource Monitor at the bottom of this tab.

Startup Tab

Is startup performance important to you? If so, check the Startup tab in Windows 8 Task Manager. In this view, you can see a summary of startup performance and fine tune startup behavior in one place.

Launcher tab in Windows 8 Task Manager – (click / touch to enlarge)

In this view, I’ve sorted by impact on start. When you use this sort, it’s easy to see high-impact and medium-impact launch path items grouped together. When you right-click on one of the items, you can easily disable the item, which removes it from the active startup path. Using the startup tab in Windows 8’s Task Manager is a great way to optimize your computer’s startup performance.

Tip: In the startup tab, you can activate more columns by right-clicking on a column header that is not displayed by default, including startup type, disk I / O at startup, CPU at startup, now, shutdown time and command line

Details Tab

The Details tab in Windows 8 Task Manager is very similar to the Process tab in Windows 7 Task Manager.

Windows 8 Task Manager Detail Tab – (Click / Touch to zoom)

One of the interesting new features in the details tab appears when you right-click on an item:

In the middle of the context menu you will see a new option called “Analyze Wait Chain”. This is a great feature that allows you to easily determine if an unresponsive app is waiting for another process as shown here:

Analyze Wait Chain Dialog Box in Windows 8 Task Manager – (click / tap to zoom)

In this scenario, I printed from Outlook to application and then invoked the wait chain analysis dialog while Outlook waited for the target application to complete the printing process. Should the target application hang, I was able to terminate the target application from this dialog. This is a great feature as it allows you to avoid closing dependent applications (in this case, Outlook.

The Details tab in Windows 8 Task Manager also supports many new column options so you can view more information about running processes.

Clicking on the “Search Online” button opens a new search window in your default browser using the default search engine with search results for that service:

What to do in the Task Manager?

One of the most common tasks performed in Task Manager is to use the End Task feature to stop a program from running. If the program is unresponsive, you can select End Task from Task Manager to close the program without restarting your computer.

Some programs can break program parts as a separate process. For example, the Google Chrome browser loads each of the open tabs into its own process to make the program safer and more stable. There is nothing wrong with your computer if you can see more than one of the same processes open at the same time.

Why am I unable to open the Task Manager?

If you have problems opening the Task Manager, your computer may be infected with a virus or spyware. There is known malware designed to cause problems with opening Task Manager and exiting them. If you are unable to open Task Manager using the recommendations on this page, we recommend that you scan your computer for viruses and spyware.

It is also possible that the Windows Task Manager file is corrupted, preventing it from starting. To fix this problem, either restore Windows to a previous restore point where Task Manager was last running, or run a Windows repair installation. For help with restoring Windows, see How to restore Windows to an earlier copy.